Many people ask, "What does it mean to have you as my mentor?".
Relationships take on many forms. Some students want only yoga education in the KHYF tradition, others want to be pointed towards certain ancient yogic texts and information to help them make life decisions, and some students want someone to learn how to be in a healthy mutually supportive relationship. The mentor relationship will not take on the form of a "guru" or be hierarchical in nature. It is more of a support system that allows the student to examine their own life and make their own decisions, or simply learn yogic information. After many years of observation Amy has decided that (for her) the student-teacher relationship of the East does not practically apply to students in the West. A new model for development of the teacher-student relationship is in process! This new model will include non-violent communication skills, empathy for one another and hard work to stay connected to one another.
If you decide to become part of the KHYF Yoga Tradition, you will need to choose a mentor with whom you will be guided in your study and receive privates from. This makes the KHYF Yoga Tradition very unique, as few programs in the west guide the student in a one-to-one manner.
For instance, if you are admitted into a KHYF certified Teacher Training Program such as the Healing Yoga Foundation Teacher Training Program, you will be asked to choose a mentor that will guide you in between sessions, be there for you to ask questions and generally be a support to you. It is best to have a mentor near you, but sometimes the personality match is more important than the distance between the hearts. The general guideline is that you speak or meet with your mentor a minimum of 5 times per year. However, most talk to their mentor weekly and establish a life-long relationship.
If you think that you would like to have Amy as your mentor she has a several step process to determine if the relationship is a good fit. The qualities that Amy is looking for in a student are as follows: self-motivated, able to take responsibility for thoughts, words and actions, willing to have an open heart and open mind, dedicated to the Krishnamacharya lineage of yoga and not mixing and matching styles, hard-working, kind and has a fairly stable mind. Please think about the qualities that you are looking for in a teacher and then work through 1-8 below- only proceeding to the next if Amy is meeting your needs. Also, please not that this is not the same as being a yoga therapy client of Amy's, or having her as your group asana teacher. This process refers to a commitment between student and teacher over many years that they will study, learn and grow together. It is a precious link between two people that should not be taken lightly. Amy took several years to watch her teacher, Kausthub, before she requested that he be her teacher. The steps of 1-8 below may take several years of trial and error, or it could take a month.
Steps Towards Mentorship (1-8)
1) She will ask you to read her web site.
2) She will interview you via telephone (and you will interview her).
3) She will invite you to come begin study in the Advanced Studies Sanga (weekly Skype meetings).
4) She will do a private session with you.
5) You will take the steps needed to determine if Amy is right for you. This could take several years or a month.
6) The you and Amy will make a decision, discussing the pros and cons of a future relationship together.
7) Amy will discuss with you the commitment that she is looking for in her mentees. It is not a casual relationship. Amy is very careful where she spends her time and energy and only takes on serious students.
8) A plan of action for your mentorship will begin or a new mentor will be contacted to see if there is a better match for the teacher and student. We will start on a trial basis for 1 year. After the first year, a review from both parties will be exchanged to see if the needs of both parties are being met. If both parties agree that it is a good match, then a more serious relationship will ensue. If either party feels that another mentor might serve the student better, a new mentor will interviewed by the student.
Please note that this relationship is one that will create healing and challenge, should you decide to enter it. During the Yoga Therapy private sessions, the goal will be connection and nurturing so that healing can occur. The second part of the relationship is based on personal growth. There may be times that Amy is the catalyst which causes you to look at some painful areas within yourself that you would prefer not to see. Amy will do her best to help you grow with gentility and kindness. The personal growth phase will not occur until a strong foundation of trust and mutual understanding has been developed (sometimes 2 years after the healing phase begins).
If at any time the student wished to transfer mentors because Amy is not meeting the needs of the student, it is hoped that you will be courteous and that Amy will be contacted first, before the student begins interviewing a new mentor. Amy appreciates honesty and transparency, even if it is sometimes painful.
Amy has been the mentor to yoga teachers and yoga therapists in many traditions. Although she prefers to mentor students in the KHYF tradition, there are also times that she finds a lovely connection with a student in another lineage, whom is also open to studying certain aspects in the tradition of T. Krishnamacharya. Please see the "Steps Towards Mentorship" (1-8) for more information.