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Teaching & Good Practice Guidelines

The following are common sense examples of how to create a positive culture and climate within yoga.

Good practice means:

• Building balanced relationships based on mutual trust which empowers children to share in the decision-making process;
• Treating all young people equally, with respect and dignity;
• Being an excellent role model - this includes not smoking or drinking in the company of young people and adhering to the yoga principles of yama and niyama;
• Recognising the developmental needs and capacity of young people - avoiding excessive training and not pushing them against their will;
• Giving enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism;
• Making yoga fun, enjoyable and promoting fairness;
• At the beginning of a class or series of classes, instruct the children on what will be included in the sessions and why you will be teaching certain things;
• Keeping up to date with the technical skills, qualifications and insurance in yoga is strongly advised;
• Hold a current first aid certificate;
• Keep up to date with legal requirements for working with children;
• Always putting the welfare of each young person first;
• Securing parental consent in writing, to acting in loco parentis, if the need arises to give permission for the administration of emergency first aid and / or other medical treatment those with special needs and gain awareness of any medicines being taken by participants, or existing injuries (registration / medical consent form);
• Keeping a written record of any injury that occurs along with the details of any treatment given;
• It is recommended that you have a lesson plan and that you keep a record of the lesson plan and evaluation of each class;
• Ensuring that if any form of manual / physical support is required, it should be provided openly and according to the guidelines. Care is needed as it is difficult to maintain hand positions when a child is moving. Young people should always be consulted and their agreement gained. Some parents are becoming increasingly sensitive about manual support and their views should be carefully considered. It is better not to touch at all unless the student is in immediate danger;
• Not touching children while teaching unless: the child is practicing in an unsafe way and the instruction cannot be communicated in any other way, e.g. demonstrative / verbal;
• Maintaining a safe and appropriate distance from students;
• If you feel that you would like to teach with the aid of manual handling, please ask the parents for consent before the class or series of classes starts;
• Always ask a child or any student if you need to move them physically;
• Involving parents / carers wherever possible (e.g. for the responsibility of their children in the changing rooms). If groups have to be supervised in changing rooms, always ensure parents / teachers work in pairs;
• Always working in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging an open environment i.e. 'no secrets'); and
• Requesting written parental consent if teachers are required to transport young people in their cars.

Practices to be Avoided

The following should NEVER be sanctioned.

You should NEVER:

• Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay;
• Share a room with a child;
• Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching;
• Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged;
• Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun;
• Reduce a child to tears as a form of control;
• Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or unresolved;
• Do things of a personal nature for children or young adults that they can do for themselves; and
• Invite or allow children to stay with you at home unsupervised.

NB. It may sometimes be necessary for teachers to do things of a personal nature for children, particularly if they are young or disabled. These tasks should only be carried out with the full understanding and consent of parents and the students involved. There is a need to be responsive to a person's reactions. If a person is fully dependent on you, talk with him / her about what you are doing and give choices where possible. This is particularly important if you are involved in any dressing or undressing of outer clothing, or where there is physical contact, lifting or assisting a child to carry out particular activities. Avoid taking on responsibility for tasks for which you are not appropriately trained.