The Yoga Teacher’s Survival Guide is the book that all yoga teachers need, to navigate difficult conversations and situations in the modern western world, if you teach this ancient form of exercise from India. Although rooted in spirituality, like most ‘gurus’, unfortunately some have been found wanting in recent years, with (similar to the Catholic church) huge scandals involving sexual and physical abuse, often by the very yoga teachers we trusted, at the top of their game.
This jute & natural rubber yoga mat is lightweight for travel, made from nontoxic materials, gives good grip in postures, yet is cushioned enough to protect your joints. Many yoga mats are made from PVC that makes you sweat when you do poses. Not for latex allergies. Talk to a qualified teacher if pregnant or for medical conditions. Avoid inversions for eye problems and during menstruation.
Drawing upon their experience in training other yoga teachers, the authors have compiled a collection of wisdom from some of the most respected yoga teachers on earth, way beyond the celebrity and bikini-clad yoga teachers on YouTube. Addressing six themes within the yoga teaching community:
- Critical thinking
- Honouring our sources
- Scientific enquiries
- Trauma
- Race and equity
- Money and power
The book is ideal also for those who have students put off by religious scaremongering (like far-right Christians who try to control people with dodgy hips, by saying they can’t do yoga due to its Hindu roots). Yoga is a wonderful exercise if done well, and this book brings proper Yoga back to its roots.
When folks hear that I’m a yoga teacher, they assume I’m a ditz wearing a flower crown. People seem surprised when I say I don’t know anything about astrology or essential oils. They assume I have a level of spiritual maturity that frankly I do not. I know one man who knows more about roses than almost anything combined. There is a difference between being an expert and being a teacher.
‘Certified yoga teachers’ were invented in the late 1990s. Something called the Yoga Alliance was born, and with it the 200-hour model. Teacher training is not a replacement for decades of life wisdom.
about the authors
Theo Wildcroft is a yoga teacher and scholar, a lifetime member of the British Wheel of yoga and lives in Wiltshire. Harriet McAtee is a yoga teacher who focuses on making yoga accessible and inclusive. Originally from Australia, she now lives in Oxfordshire.
Lost in the abysmal crack between the wellness industry and authentic yoga teaching? Alienated by the beach-and-bikini yoga lifestyle portrayed on social media? Then this book is for you! Jess Glenny (elder yoga teacher and yoga therapist)
