Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship

by Donna Farhi

Drawing on decades of experience in training Yoga teachers, Donna Farhi offers the first book to set professional standards for yoga teachers. "Teaching Yoga" explores with depth and compassion a variety of topics both practical and philosophical, including how to create healthy boundaries; the student-teacher relationship (including whether a sexual relationship is acceptable); how to create physical and emotional safety for the student; what is a reasonable class size; how much a class should cost; and how to conduct the business of teaching while upholding the integrity of Yoga as a philosophy, a science, and an art. A bonus CD features the author speaking about yoga ethics at a 2002 conference.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2006

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for any yoga teacher training. Not only does it bring up good ethics questions and promote discussion, it lays a foundation for how teachers should teach (and why they should - or shouldn't).

I've long felt that yoga in the West is seen as simply a form of exercise. But true yoga is so much more - it is a lifestyle, it is a belief system, it is the earnest undertaking of a practice to not only better yourself, but the world as a whole. I love that this book lays that out as a central tenet for teaching yoga: that you, as a teacher, are responsible to not only talk the talk, but to walk the walk. Teachers are living examples of the true spirit of yoga for their students - this book inspires us to act like it.

[Melody · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading this book as part of my teacher training. While it provides some very good insights and advice on different practical and ethical subjects, some other remarks are highly questionable. To make a point about a teacher dress code the author describes the look of a certain teacher as “ what can only be described as an imitation of a French prostitute”. You can also read the following “our appearance communicates to the world at large our personal boundaries and is an invitation to either respect those boundaries or transgress them”. Highly disappointing read, I don’t recommend this book.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides plenty of wisdom for teachers of any subject. It is important in teaching how to remain professional, keep boundaries, and stay true to your beliefs while honoring and caring for your students. Farhi provides a very complete list of considerations yoga teachers. This is difficult, and yet very important, since there is not really a governing body that protects teachers in their practice.

[Tracey Agnew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed Donna Farhi's books until this one. It is so preachy, so holy than thou that I found myself rushing through it just to get it finished. Farhi makes some good points about the teacher student relationship and the need for a code of ethics for teachers, but her personal examples made me cringe

[Jess ❈Harbinger of Blood-Soaked Rainbows❈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone aspiring to teach yoga, or even for those who are looking to expand their practice. Donna Farhi has a very natural writing ability and a very professional, very frank tone. I loved the ethical inquiries spread across the book giving real life examples of teaching styles gone wrong or right, or that bring to light an ethical dilemma that can easily come up during practice. She is relatable and seems to cover most of her bases, discussing dress, comfortability, boundaries, and professional conduct. She has taught classes around the world, some very small and intimate, and some filling gymnasiums. I have taken a hiatus from teaching yoga in order to spend less time working and more time with family, but the practice is still very near and dear to my heart. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to teach.

My issues mainly fell with Farhi's tone, which as I already was said was very frank and honest. However, I thought at times it was almost too frank, bordering on cold. From everything I've read about Farhi, she appears to be a very humble woman, but there was no doubt of subtle ego that I picked up on the whole way through and it was off-putting.

I also didn't agree with some of her recommendations and not all of them fit every teacher, every studio, and every practice. I taught in a small town studio that accommodated no more than 8-10 people a class. And that is honestly all I ever want to do. I like the intimacy, and the one-on-one instruction that you can get. Some of her recommendations, especially that teachers will not fraternize with their students, I think were meant for bigger urban classes. And even then, not something that I typically agree with. I've definitely formed relationships with both teachers and students over the years, and personally I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I think the book was overall helpful, but should be read as a guide, not as a complete rulebook.

[Leifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The content is important and thoughtful… Unfortunately, Donna Farhi’s tone is so judgmental, condescending, and arrogant that it deters from the actual content. Which is ironic, since she wrote this book based on her own negative experiences with overly insensitive yoga teachers! 🤷🏻

I suppose it’s worth wading through, because she does ask valuable questions about ethics involved in yoga. But you might notice that her sense of ethics starts to feel like hyper-rigid boundaries that have less to do with ethics and more to do with separateness. She thinks teachers should be removed, separate, and distinct from her students. Students cannot be friends with teachers. You must always state your boundaries. Students must listen to their teachers and follow their teachings without questioning them. For gods sake, don’t ask DF any personal questions because you’re just usurping her time—How dare you!! She’s a well respected professional with decades of experience!! And if you forget, she’ll remind you multiple times throughout the book!!!!!

However well-intentioned, the conclusions she came to and the methods she used—namely, expressing her own worth and mastery to her students and demanding that her assistants and aides take care of menial tasks for her—were so distasteful to me that I came to contrary conclusions on many of the issues. I decided that I am perfectly fine with my yoga teachers wearing bright clothes, jewelery, swearing occasionally, and maybe even considering themselves both a friend AND a teacher. And that humility is an underrated spiritual value.

She seems to feel that yoga teachers (who spend 200 total hours training) should be revered like medical doctors (who spend ten+ years training), yet somehow have a separate standard around ethics that has nothing to do with the court of law. It all felt like she was trying to codify her own relevance. I just couldn’t follow her logic, nor did I care to.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Outdated and totally insensitive on the matters of sexual misconduct and abuse in the yoga community. There’s more than one incidence of slut-shaming in this book and early on the author questions why female students don’t just speak up when they’re abused. As though abuse is that simplistic or even works that way. I was so offended by this early chapter I couldn’t take the rest of the book seriously. Do not recommend.

[Elli Flitton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good points but I’m glad I didn’t read this during my teacher training because I definitely would have hyper fixated on the separateness Farhi seems to think there needs to be between student and teacher. Also, I think we should focus more on the sexual abuse of and sexualisation of women in yoga rather than on what they wear to teach and the risk of looking like a ‘prostitute’🫶🏼 bit out of date

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

required reading for yoga teacher training. I honor in her the experience that brought such insight to an essential topic. Having said that, there were many areas in the book where she seemed very tense and judgemental to me. Made for excellent discussion within my training group.

[Alara T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The transplantation of the Yoga tradition from an Eastern to a Western culture can only be successful if we integrate the highest ethical teachings of the tradition into the context of our own societal mores”


Beautifully written and does an excellent job at showcasing the ethical standards that should be a pre-requisite before any teacher decides to teach. Farhi is able to do this through writing that is accessible and enjoyable, and she herself comes across as grounded and highly professional. Truly amazing and is so comprehensive that it should be included on the reading list of yoga teacher trainings in my opinion.

Additionally, this book highlights the true meaning of what boundaries are necessary in yoga teaching, and general life, so that the integrity of the self in different kinds of relationships can be maintained. A truthful account of such things can be difficult to find in the sea of ethics and teaching ideas out there, making this book a true gem. I would genuinely recommend it to anyone from any walk of life, not just yoga teachers or people who wish to teach yoga.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book begins with a very intellectual bent talking about pedagogy and doing some deep dives into philosophy. Later chapters do get a little easier to read but I felt like I was wading through some deep information to get there.
There are ruminations on the ethics of teaching asana without philosophy as well as the etics that surround teaching yoga. The phrase that resonated most with me was "We should teach what we know, and teach what we practice." In other words, we should be trying to teach poses that we ourselves have not explored thoroughly.
Not my favorite book on teaching yoga but I can see why it was included in the shelf recommended by my trainer.

[Justin Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

The structure of the book really worked for me, and I found the inclusion of scenarios at the end (and a guide to how to work through them) to be a great way of applying the principles and know-how that Farhi has shared throughout the book. Also the derivation of an ethical mindset/ stance from the foundation of the 'golden rule.'

[Courtney Trethric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is this book great for yoga teachers (both current and aspiring) -- I believe that every practitioner in the wellness sphere should read this.

Donna's views on ethics, boundaries, and standards of care are what I believe to be more baselines and make it easy to move forward with creating an ethical container to assist people on their emotional and spiritual journies.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent resource that touched on many existing questions in an informative, concise and non-biased way. A perfect resource for a new or seasoned teacher. Not really a book for yoga practitioners, definitely a must read for teachers. Ethics is important.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great tips on relationships and business etiquette

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really useful book on the ethical considerations for yoga teachers & how to deal with all kinds of difficult scenarios than may come between yoga teachers & their students.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical read about avoiding some of the pitfalls of being a yoga teacher. Dry, but useful with practical examples.

[Audrey-Anne Trudel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un incontournable pour tout prof de yoga !

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covered wide variety of issues; a good starting point for topics to think about further

[Lucy Karnani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliantly written, very practical, must read book for all yoga professionals.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a remarkable statement about ethics in the practice and teaching of yoga.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first reflection after reading Teaching Yoga by Donna Farhi, is that I have SO much more to learn. The more I learn, the more I realize that I’ve only scratched the surface – really this applies to everything in life. Teaching yoga gives much insight into some of the ethical and operational dilemnas yoga teachers face. I absolutely recommend reading it for anyone considering teaching yoga....and probably re-reading again after teaching yoga for a year or more as a reminder. Read on if you are interested in some of my personal reflections on different aspects of the book. (Warning: I wrote this review as a book report for advanced teacher training, which needed to be 5 pages....so sit in for a long read...or find the italicized quotes which will help you determine what I might be talking about in a certain section) :)

Find my review on my blog at this link:

http://yogatwistonlife.blogspot.com/2...

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farhi raises questions which are important to consider for any teacher. Although her specific context is teaching yoga there is value here in considering similar ethics in any teaching context. Of particular note is the nature of the student-teacher relationship. How does the student perceive the teacher? What is motivating the teacher? How do we keep it healthy and above reproach while guiding students to independence?

Within the yoga context she addresses such topics as the dangers of charismatic personalities milking a reputation for financial gain, physical boundaries/respect when giving hands on assists, and empowering students to say no if they don't wish to be touched or if a particular instruction simply is not appropriate for their bodies for reasons such as personal anatomy, illness, or injury.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really helpful. It's only 150 pages (without the glossary and bibliography), and it covers a lot of material without being dense. It really made me think about what it means to be a yoga teacher, the ethical dilemmas I might encounter, and how I might choose to deal with them. Farhi is very obviously qualified to write such a book, and I think her extensive knowledge on the subject is a boon to anyone who is thinking about teaching yoga.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have embarked down the amazing pathway of yoga teaching and this is an amazing thorough account of guiding those on their mats. At times very severe in her stance (i.e. not being friends with students), Farhi has a wealth of experience and colleagues' opinions to support whatever opinion she is voicing. Moreover, she provides thought provoking questions to tug at the ethical strings in all of us.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have been a yoga teacher for years, are currently in training, or are thinking of becoming a yoga teacher- please please read this book. It may come off as a whole bunch of common sense but, more importantly, it speaks to true meaning & purpose of being a yoga TEACHER rather than a yoga INSTRUCTOR. Lots of ethics discussed. But then again, I love reading about ethics.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very self indulgent. This person is very imposing. I wouldn’t recommend this book. It is not your place, as a yoga teacher, to tell people how to live their lives outside of your studio. The author touches on women’s reproductive rights in a pretty awful way. No, thank you. There are plenty of quality yoga books out there, I recommend searching for one with an author who is a bit more humble.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Yoga teacher needs to study this book. What it has about ethics and the teacher-student relationship is really unique.

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing resource for yoga teachers! Required reading for the Therapist Training course I'm taking with Essential Yoga Therapy.

[Adrian Ionel · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the perspective of a student: spot-on. And incredibly well written.