Ahymsin Newsletter: Yoga is Samadhi
  AHYMSIN Newsletter, Issue - September 2012  
 
   
 
   

Home Study in HYT-TTP

Mentoring Keys for HYT-TTP Students and Mentors

by Maryon Maass

Have you been putting off the Teachers Training home study because you feel overwhelmed?

Procrastinate no more. Here are the ways to get started and stay committed to completing the program. You have no idea yet how easy the home study can be. Remember a simple rule: K-I-S-S (Keep It Simple Sadhana). People can feel that there is too much to do and wonder “how will this ever get done?” Organizing your time and evaluating what you have already accomplished, you might feel amazed about yourself when you discover how much sadhana you perform on a daily basis.

To complete the Level 1 program, you will need to finish the 22 written assignments, the contact teaching hours and the five hours of Anatomy and Physiology - during which time you will be interacting with your mentor, receiving feedback and guidance.

What is the purpose of mentoring?

Mentors guide students in developing and honing the skills they need to mature as teachers in the Tradition. Primary-Mentors provide their students with an example of a seasoned yoga teacher. A Primary Mentor is someone the student can trust to coach them through the requirements and challenges of the HYT-TTP program, and is an elder from whom they can receive personal guidance on the art of teaching. Primary Mentors give feedback to students and also provide evaluations of students’ strengths and weaknesses to the HYT-TTP faculty as to what they need to grow and thrive.

What are the qualifications for a mentor?

A mentor must have taught 5 years or more, not necessarily in our tradition although it is helpful to have trained and to have taught in our tradition. Those who wish to mentor students through the program should be prepared to commit themselves to thoroughly understanding the program and its requirements, as the mentor will at times be committing as much time to their tasks as students do.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please contact HYT-TTP: hyt.ttp@gmail.com

Don’t have a mentor? How to find a mentor

  • Contact any of the teachers or faculty- they are familiar with the available listing of active mentors.
  • Contact fellow students you may have attended retreats or classes with- is their mentor available?
  • Contact any of the program administrators.
  • Choose someone with whom you resonate and feel comfortable, if possible
  • Once you and your mentor are decided, contact the program administrators to establish the link and begin.
  • Write to us at hyt.ttp@gmail.com

But my mentor lives so far away!

  • Using the many electronic tools available to use (www.dropbox.com , www.youtube .com, Skype, Facetime etc.) all provide a means to eliminate the distance from a mentor (make sure you include your entire body when on camera).
  • Mailing DVD’s can work as well.
  • Meeting during retreats.
  • Taking the recently developed Prana Vidya course, during which one can complete all the mentor contact hours.
  • Using the website www.himalayanyogatradition.com . Assignments will be loaded to the website – or can be e-mailed, or mailed.
  • Meeting in person is the obvious first choice, but many students successfully complete the program long distance using electronic forms of communication.
  • Participating in person in group sessions with others in the TTP and taking turns.
  • Creating a weekend observing your teacher (or others in the tradition) teach to obtain Observation hours.
  • Assisting your teacher can be another way to obtain contact hours.
  • Remembering to use feedback sheets (Pg 62-63 of home study book) for each teaching session. These times are also included in the total times. EXAMPLE: 1 hour teaching for your teacher + 30 minutes Feedback time = 1.5 hours.

Feedback Forms: how to use them?

  • The mentor fills out as many of the items for review as agreed to beforehand with the student. These will be retained as records so minimum comments can be used to describe the necessary observation. You need only to fill out two or three things on each page.
  • The mentor signs them, makes a copy for administrative records, and the student keeps the original for their records.
  • The student uses the form for all classes “observed”; the Feedback “time” is also included if it is done. One needs 5 Feedback forms minimum for a total of 5 hours contact time. These hours are put under the “F” section in the mentor site, not in the student site.

The teachers, faculty and administrators are all trained to help the students find their way through the program, and will happily answer questions and guide students to the needed answers!


Editor’s Note:

Himalayan Yoga Tradition – Teacher Training Program (HYT-TTP) offers an integrated program of self-transformation in the yoga meditation tradition of the Himalayan masters as interpreted by Swami Rama of the Himalayas. “Our program is a systematic, sadhana-based program. ‘Sadhana’ is a Sanskrit word which means undertaking a practice so as to cultivate and refine one's character. The main goal of our program is to deepen the students' sadhana so that they can transmit authentic yoga teachings to others, not only from a storehouse of academic knowledge, but also from a depth of personal experience.” We invite you to visit the website: http://www.himalayanyogatradition.com/

 

   
       
ommm