A Man Without Ethics Is A Wild Beast Loosed Upon This World

I was once hired at a recreation center for a class called “All Levels Hatha Yoga”.  The core group had been taking this class for a year.  I soon realized they had never been taught alignment, pranayama...well, let's just say, they pretty much hadn't really been taught anything "yoga" in the course of the year.  They were also all over 60 years old.  Not surprisingly, I had to teach with a lot of modifications and props.

After nine months, a director (a non-yoga instructor) takes my class (they develop a performance assessment based on one class) for my yearly appraisal.  A week later, we have my performance discussion. 

Director: You do this weird breathing thing that I’ve never seen.
Me:  You mean pranayama?  No other yoga teacher here does pranayama?  So, I then explained what pranayama was and why I have the class do it.

Director:  We advertise this as a Hatha Yoga class.  Why are you not linking breath to movement?
Me: Do you know what Hatha Yoga means? So I explained Hatha, Vinyasa, etc. and the differences between styles.

Director: Why don’t you use modifications like other instructors?
Me: The poses are already "modified" to the level of the students.  I don’t show them the hardest version and then modify down-that’s demoralizing.

Director: You need to make the class harder, so more students come. 
Me: So, the students you have are not important and you would rather I drive them out of the recreation center in order to increase numbers.  It sounds like you want young students and don’t value your older students.  You also understand that if I make it harder-your current students will get hurt, right?

And so the discussion went….which leads me lead this crazzzy concept called ETHICS!

There are certain values that informed my decision-making in this particular situation. They include: 
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• Ability to Excel. When a person is evaluating performance based on how much revenue I generate and not on the proper utilization of my skills, I can't improve myself an instructor. 
• Client Centered and Equal Access.  By putting profitability over the reason public-run recreation centers were established, to serve the WHOLE community, and by disrespecting older students, and less-abled students, creates barriers to equal access.
• A Reverence for Life. DO NO HARM.  When a supervisor has no regard for student safety and well-being, that supervisor shouldn't be in the business of wellness.

What Where My Options:
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• I could stay employed, not change my class and potentially be terminated in the future.
• I could stay employed and change my class to increase participant numbers.
• I could  resign.

So What Did I Do?

Based on my professional and personal ethics which are ultimately framed and defined by the yama-s and niyama-s, I could not stay in a place with that type of moral and ethical compass.  I gave notice and I quit.

I use the yama-s and niyama-s daily in my professional and personal life.  They guide me in developing classes and therapeutic offerings that are non-harming, truthful, honest and informed.  I always put the student or client first and meet him/her/them where they are on the yoga journey.  This has always included making my services adaptable and accessible both physically and financially.

How do the yama-s and niyama-s frame your daily life?
What ethics or values do you hold dear? Personally or Professionally?
How do you handle a situation when someone crosses those boundaries?
 

 Albert Camus: "A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world."  ​