As you may already know, over the past year I was in a yoga teacher training program.  The graduation ceremonies were last night and today I received the text above from a student who went through the graduation ceremonies with me.

A bit of background…..

As you’ll discover in subsequent posts, this year-long teacher training program was much more than learning how to teach people how to stretch.  The program required the following:

• Attend weekly Asana class
• 85% attendance of the 35 classroom sessions
• 5 weekend workshops
• 5 day silent retreat
• 1 day studying the yoga sutras with Tim Miller
• Assistant teach for 2 quarters of New Beginner Classes

In addition, we had to read a smorgusbord of books, take tests and quizzes, keep a journal, write papers, etc.  All of this culminated in a final certification requiring the demonstration of proficiency in all areas by teaching a complete one and a half hour class.

While the program was rigorous, the teachers were flexible.  It wasn’t a pass/fail program – it was a learn until you pass program.  You could continue to try as many times as you needed until you met the requirements.

So, If the program was so flexible… how come someone “graduated” when they had not demonstrated the required proficiency?

In my humble opinion, because we had great teachers who recognized two things:

1. They recognized the importance of doing no harm.
2. They recognized the importance of truth

This person had not demonstrated the required proficiency but there was no question that they had done the work.  And considering how much work they had done- and the bonds that been created with their classmates over the course of the year- preventing someone from experiencing the graduation ceremony would be a very painful experience.

But our teachers also realized the importance of truth.  That if they “certified” someone as meeting the required proficiency who had not, they would doing harm to the program, themselves, and to others.

So they found a solution.  They allowed the person who had done the work to experience the ceremony.  But they maintained truthfulness by issuing a provisional graduation certificate.  Once the person demonstrates their proficiency, which I’m confident they will, they will receive the official certificate.

This issue was a great reminder for me because I typically choose truth, often sacrificing the idea of doing no harm.  This was a great case study on how both are possible.