Mentoring: teacher training series -3

Changing the Face of Yoga Podcast

Download the podcast here Mentoring as part of Teacher Training 1:16 Introduction to our guest Kristine Koverii Weber 3:45 Mentoring - choosing a student to mentor. Student has a specific goal often about teaching a special population (given the therapeutic nature of Kristine's work). It is one or two hours/month. Usually on Skype. 6:40 Benefits of Mentoring - basic yoga teacher training is very basic and tends to deprofessionalise the industry. It has been watered down over the years and devalues what yoga teachers have to offer. Neuroscience research shows that 10,000 hours of training are needed to achieve mastery in an area. 9:22 Mentoring is valuable but teacher training needs to change to professionise the industry. Perhaps 200 hour training could be a lifestyle training for one's own use and not for teaching. Making the 500 hour training the basic training would be a good first step. The 200 hour training is giving people the false assumption of expertise. 12:35 Benefits of mentoring for the mentor. Opportunity to engage with new, enthusiastic teachers. I find the gaps in my own teacher training in theory and practice. It is a useful reflection process for the mentor and reminds Kristine to access the knowledge of her mentors. 14:30 Students' benefits from mentoring. Having a relationship with an experienced teacher and help you problem solve. How does a new teacher skillfully evaluate new ideas, research or practice in yoga with little experience and basic training. The mentor can help the new teacher navigate these issues. Have a personal relationship with a teacher. Isolation can be a problem with yoga teachers and mentoring can help to build a community. 19:45 History of teacher training and what it should be. All acquisition of knowledge is based on three ways to obtaining that knowledge: inference (scientific), perception (own experience), and authority (teachers). Need a balance between these three ways of knowing. Yoga teacher training in the future has:

• 500 hours minimum
• Schools being more transparent about what they teach(e.g., fitness vs. philosophy)
• Acknowledged that social credentialing is suspect (testimonials from newly minted teachers)
• Audits to ensure that teacher training schools are teaching as they proposed when approved.
• community standards

29:37 Downloads: Kristine is offering E-Books on how to choose a teacher training course. Go to her website (www.subtleyoga.com), sign up for her newsletter and download the E book for thoughts on choosing a teacher training course. 31:00 Contact: www.subtleyoga.com Resource : NOTE: Kristine meant to say Dr. Richard Davidson (https://www.richardjdavidson.com/) instead of Dan Siegal for information on his study of meditation.