Hello Pandara,
First there is the style of the teacher to consider in this. Ultimately I think you will have to follow the style for you, the things you have framed out for your students. And I know from reading you here for several years that you will find that amid the myriad of feedback we provide.
I do not state or mandate that my students do a home practice. HOWEVER, it is completely appropriate for them to do so, appropriate for me to assist in ANY way possible for the development, and I want them to be so moved that they practice at home with increasing frequency, dedication, and most of all joy. I mention home practice often, in a light and playful way, but in a way that conveys their practice has more colorful blossoms from a home practice.
I am clear with them, especially with regard to pranayama, that if they are not practicing the foundational breathing elements at home, in between classes, we simply cannot get to more advanced pranayama as their physiology will not be ready for it. And so we don’t do it. I can see their doing (or not doing) in their practice and of course we teach people not poses so no matter what I want to teach I have to teach those in the room.
The outburst you mention is not, in my mind, classified as inappropriate. The student had a very real emotional experience and the fact that it was uncomfortable for others is once again part of our work. As for the harmony of the class, sure, I get that. However we do not live in a vacuum and life is not always free of odor, noise, heat, cold, or others in your face. So this to me is part of the practice. These things happen and we move right along, taking in “just another experience”.
Are we so easily distracted that the slightest ripple in our expectation is appalling? If a student coughs in class everyone complains they couldn’t do Savasana. Really? After five years of practice you can’t focus in a passive pose due to a cough? Then I’ve failed you as a teacher.
Noise, outburst, traffic, smelly neighbors, slippery floors…these things are part of practice. We try to craft a more serene environment for practice BUT we live in the real world and our practice should surely prepare us for that living.
My suggestion
Continue to teach the group. Be as understanding and compassionate with the student you mention as you possibly can. We do not know what things are going on their life and so we must extend them every opportunity to learn, to grow, to explore, discover, and surrender.
If the student is not ready for a pose and you are going to do it with the rest of the class, do it, but modify that student without any fanfare. No lecture (unless it’s to the entire group). Just tell them they will be working this way to strengthen until their body is ready for more.
In the meantime, consistently and playfully share with them the ways the body must be prepared for this or that so they will understand you are not making “in the moment” decisions but rather operating from a policy of safe practice that stems from your well of integrity.
gordon
