E-mail from a student

Yesterday I received an interesting e-mail from one of my student. And I feel compelled to write about it in my blog. Some background about the e-mail writer. She was one of the most consistent student to come to my class. She even once wrote an e-mail to the studio how she loves to come to my class. And yesterday I received an e-mail from her with a subject 'student complain!!'. Below is the detail of the email:

"Hi KRU ART I think that the best way to communicate with you is sending you the e-mail, because the way I try to approach to you may make you feel uncomfortable. Just make it clear, I 've been taken in your class for almost a half year that's enough for me to realize the weak point of my practice. Right now I feel that I've been stuck at the same level ,can't go furthur to another level without any help from you. That's why I 've tried to make friend with you so that I can ask for your help to push me up to another step of my progress but useless!! , you have many student waiting for your help in the class. Why don't you try to adjust and help all your student equally ,not just the one who possible do it better than others.In my view point,you can waste more time to help more students in your class rather than just helping the one who can do.(hard posture) Mostly,I got injury in the class because of trying to do the pose without any help from you,while you're helping the one who's already can do better than me and others.

So this is only my complain,don't be serious.If I misunderstand in your concept of teaching I apologize by this.By the way,thank you so much for your workshop inform don't forget to say "Hi" if you see me at the work shop."

After I read this, I can recall what happen at that night class. When the class was doing Supta Kurmasana, I went to adjust one student (not the e-mail writer) who can lock one leg behind her head one at a time. She can't figure out how to lock both leg behind her head so I came to adjust her. I think the e-mail writer feel disappointed that I should help adjust other student who is less capable in doing this pose than to help the student who is already quite good.

About the 'workshop' that she mentioned, I once told her that I've attended David Swenson workshop in Singapore. So she asked me to inform her once there are upcoming interesting workshops. So I informed her about Chuck & Maty workshop at True Yoga Singapore which I already register for. She decided to attend this workshop too.

Here is my reply to this e-mail:

"We need to talk in detail about this since I think this issue is too delicate to elaborate in an e-mail. But here is my rough idea about adjusting student in class.

- I give priority to students who 'almost' be able to do the pose but can't do the pose by themselves yet. Students who far from being able to do the pose get second priority. The student who can already do the pose by his/herself get last attention.

- To give a quality adjustment, I can't adjust more than two students in each pose. And in some pose I can't do more than one. Since the class have to flow continuously, a large number of students may be neglected for adjustment. Of course there are exception to the rule, I feel that headstand is a very important pose to do. So I take a lot of time in this pose to adjust almost everyone who want to do it.

- I consider myself a novice and inexperienced teacher. And there is a fine line between improving your pose to the next level and muscle tearing. I still have a hard time figuring out how much to push students in the pose. When in doubt, I'd rather be on the safe side. I'd rather see students progress at a slower pace than risk injuring them.

- I don't think the current class format is ideal for improving a yoga practice. Ideally student should continue to do the same problematic poses 'every single day' for an extended period of time to gain improvement in the pose. As I have to change the posture sequence regularly to add variety to the class, so the vinyasa class that we do hardly be ideal for improving the posture. However, not that it can't be done, but it takes time. It took Jamie more than 4-5 months to adjust me in Supta Kurmasana almost every single day (5-6 days a week) before I can barely do the pose by myself. Moreover, there are poses that I feel is completely useless to teach in this class format, like standing and dropping back into full wheel (I feel that if the student is not naturally born flexible to do this pose, it takes months, if not years, of teacher-student relationship in order for the teacher to help student in doing this pose). Personally, I believe more in the 'Mysore' class format.

Etc., etc., etc...... (Have a lot more to say.)

I have to tell you I love directness. So don't be afraid to tell me anything you feel about my class. I always appreciate it when student tell me directly after the class like 'Oh, today is too easy, I don't feel like i have a good workout' or ' You should do this pose more slowly' etc, etc, etc... Finally, just tell me which particular pose or aspect of your practice you want to improve. I appreciate it that you like to come to my class and has become the regulars, (or could I say 'a fan' of my class?) And thank you for take the time to write the e-mail. I have to tell you, and you probably already notice it, that my teaching style is strictly business. I seldom discuss anything personal with students. I'm not saying this is a right thing to do for a teacher, but it's just my style. But if it's anything about yoga. I'd be happy to discuss it with you or any students. I can't be happy enough to see students happy in practicing yoga.

Art."

As I don't want people who don't know me personally to judge me as a yoga snob, I want to make it clear on one thing in the last paragraph. Surely, 'having a good workout' is not a goal of practicing yoga asana. But I don't think it is an illegitemate reason to come to a yoga class. The goal to get a spiritual benefit from the asana practice is an individual choice. I don't believe in forcefeeding a spiritual concept in a yoga class. If spirituality is the goal of some of the students, he/she will eventually find the way to achieve his/her goal. As there is a saying, when the student is ready, the teacher will come.

And here is her reply back to me:

"Right now I feel so upset and don't want to attend the class anymore. This is my bad personality : if I can't move forward, I'll quickly move back without any reconsideration.I hope that this feeling is just a temporary and will disappear before workshop but if not, you won't see me at all. What I should do about this feeling ?My sister try to convince me to take class normally but I just said that " I CAN'T"

So don't be concerned about me,you have already a lot of fan club student."

Here is my last reply back to her:

"I have my own answer on what should I do if I have those feeling. But it's not gonna be the right answer for you. And I'm not gonna be the one to preach to you or anyone else what should you do, think, or feel about certain thing. One thing I can say is the goal of life is just to be happy. So just do whatever you feel happy doing. Hopefully, you will be able to find the right answer about this matter for yourself soon. Power to you.

All the best,
Art."

I think I already did at the best of my capacity in replying to her e-mail. I already have my own answer about this issue. I might write in detail about this later. But I don't care much any more about the physical aspect of the practice. Right now I don't care any more if I will be able to do some pose, say doing handstand in the middle of the room. I just keep practicing. If one day I can do new pose, then it's good. If that day won't come, then great no problem. But don't get me wrong, I have no problem with a type A people who want to get progress in their practice at all time. So this is why I wrote in the reply that my answer is not gonna solve her problem.

Feel free to write what you think about this issue. So what would you do if you're the teacher? What would you do if you're get stucked in this emotional plateau like her?