Ashtanga teacher “ranking” students
Hi r/YogaTeachers, I have a question for you all!
I’ve practiced many styles of yoga regularly for many years and did my YTT, and have been teaching for a while.
There was a time where I practiced ashtanga every day with the local ashtanga teacher, but life happened, injuries happened, mental health happened and I needed to step away to less rigorous forms of yoga.
Here’s the question: I took a workshop style ashtanga class with the same ashtanga teacher again, and they set up the room differently than a usual class. I came in relatively early and asked where to put my mat, and the teacher pointed me to “my spot”. When other people started coming in, they moved my mat ‘further away’ from them, putting the most experienced/dedicated students from their regular mysore classes closer to them. I joked about being “demoted” but we ended up in a line where we were “ranked” by skills/commitment to the teacher.
In a usual mysore class, I’d get that, it’s good to know for a teacher who needs more help/support, but given the fact that this was a hands off workshop, it just rubbed me the wrong way. As if I was “moved away” because I’m not “committed to the teacher”. (It is definitely not about the actual spot, just about the ranking of students for me here) I wouldn’t dare do this in my classes, I want everyone to feel welcome and respected at any level 😬
Thoughts? Feelings? Is this normal in Ashtanga? TIA!