Yoga is considered an epistemological science: a study of knowledge including its scope and limitations; a quest to become clear about what we know and also to understand how we know what we know. The journey of being a teacher trainer is the journey of articulating one’s Yoga epistemology. Unless a teacher trainer has a position on what constitutes ‘teaching yoga’ and has a considered view about what it takes for someone to develop to a stage when they are equipped to teach yoga, the teacher trainer will lack clarity and direction in their feedback to trainees.
The Teacher Trainer Apprenticeship provides opportunities for apprentices to observe trainees preparing for assessment and to use a number of frameworks and models to formulate feedback to trainee teachers. Apprentices are able to observe trainees across all stages of their training, including those preparing to sit the BKSIYAA assessments for Introductory levels I and II. Apprentices are able to observe the syllabus practice sessions, practice teaching segments and also trainees in early stages of skill development doing teaching exercises.
On acceptance to the apprenticeship, apprentices are required to formulate learning plans for each term of enrolment. Learning plans must specifically reference Astadala Yogamala Volume 3, Section V ‘On Teaching’. The development of learning plans requires that an apprentice form a response to the words of BKS Iyengar. The process asks that an apprentice analyse what has been said and synthesise out of it a number of points or issues around which they must form an opinion.
The apprenticeship process brings teachers to the understanding that to train teachers in Iyengar Yoga it is not adequate to use the words of BKS Iyengar without having the capacity and the courage to position yourself, through practice based learning, in relation to the information.
The aim of the apprenticeship is that by the time a teacher is qualified to train teachers they be established in the critique of BKS Iyengar's views on teaching and practice including an articulated position pertaining to Iyengar methodology and Yoga epistemology.
The Teacher Trainer Apprenticeship has a pre-requisite of 4 terms of enrolment within the Ongoing development for qualified teachers program. Concurrent enrolment across the Ongoing Development and Teacher Trainer Apprenticeship program is recommended.