One thing studying yoga has taught me is to look past the paradigms of black/white, good/bad, etc. But, I know when a class is going great, and now also when I am having a plain bad class. I had taught three or four classes when I had a class in which the energy was just .... i'll say zippy. There were about three or students who had never taken yoga, so there was the challenge of keeping the poses basic enough for them. The problem arouse because in my mind, I had a complete plan of doing a VINYASA FLOW CLASS, and it was difficult, ahem, to flow, with beginner students. I basically had to do a beginners workshop with the class, which is helpful to every student, even those who consider themselves to be advanced. But beyond this changing plan, my i-pod didn't work, the CD they had at the place was horrible, then began skipping, then when I shut the music off all together, the outside gym was playing music circa Ibiza 1998. Sigh.
I think my problem was two-fold. I was hell-bent on a plan. Second, I was insecure because I was so attached to the class being "good". There was one student, who seemed, angry, and left the class for a few minutes. I tried very hard not to internalize it all, that she was mad at the class, at the music...well, lets just say the mind was spinning out of control.
It took me a few minutes to get it together, practice what I was preaching (literally I had add some pranayama breaths during the class for my own benefit), and finish the class with my drishti towards the goal. The goal being = finding the flow and holding back my judgements. It felt good to get my very first class out of the way, and in the same thread, it felt good to survive a zippy, weird energy, teacher challenging- kind of class behind me as well.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Finding My Teaching Style
I really have to post more often. I do have a wonderful excuse, as my fiance is now officially home from a 19 month long job taking him all corners of our amazing nation. While traveling, I was lucky enough to talk with one of his cast mates, Julia Osbourne, who sings like a bird, AND teaches yoga. I know she is a wonderful teacher because she has taught at Sonic, but more so, because you can count on her to have light in her eyes all the time, and they light up a room.
So in my haste to learn as much as I can about teaching yoga, I have decided to interview teachers about their teaching style so I can find my own style. Beginning to teach is, I must admit, terrifying. I make up sequences and study the cues for each pose, and just try to be as prepared as I can. So.... my plan was to ask Julia about what cues she would give for a standing split. Sweet girl, one matinee down and one show to go, she took me aside in the lobby of the theatre and illuminated my class planning one Sunny afternoon in March.
The thing is, as we all find out, plans don't always work out they way they were planned. Instead of writing down the cues that she would teach, and perhaps the preparations poses she would do, I learned something that day that I now remind myself before class every time I teach. "Create an atmosphere of relaxation, in where the students aren’t afraid of doing something wrong. Most students, new students especially aren’t used to being touched, unless they are doing something wrong." Becoming aware of that was really big. Oprah would say it's an "ah ha moment". I think she may have said this off the fly, but it was something I'll always remember. It's so important for the atmosphere to be open to people trying new things. She reminded me that standing on one foot is not a normal occurrence for most, and that simple reminder will benefit my teaching from now on. I am so used to yoga studios in the city, where people are SERIOUS about yoga. I need my classes to be about trying new things.
She also said, "people all know their own bodies really well, even if they don’t know it yet” and you're there to guide them. They were upside down a lot when they were younger!" I found this conversation so useful, that I am going to interview more teachers for other tidbits of wisdom.
So in my haste to learn as much as I can about teaching yoga, I have decided to interview teachers about their teaching style so I can find my own style. Beginning to teach is, I must admit, terrifying. I make up sequences and study the cues for each pose, and just try to be as prepared as I can. So.... my plan was to ask Julia about what cues she would give for a standing split. Sweet girl, one matinee down and one show to go, she took me aside in the lobby of the theatre and illuminated my class planning one Sunny afternoon in March.
The thing is, as we all find out, plans don't always work out they way they were planned. Instead of writing down the cues that she would teach, and perhaps the preparations poses she would do, I learned something that day that I now remind myself before class every time I teach. "Create an atmosphere of relaxation, in where the students aren’t afraid of doing something wrong. Most students, new students especially aren’t used to being touched, unless they are doing something wrong." Becoming aware of that was really big. Oprah would say it's an "ah ha moment". I think she may have said this off the fly, but it was something I'll always remember. It's so important for the atmosphere to be open to people trying new things. She reminded me that standing on one foot is not a normal occurrence for most, and that simple reminder will benefit my teaching from now on. I am so used to yoga studios in the city, where people are SERIOUS about yoga. I need my classes to be about trying new things.
She also said, "people all know their own bodies really well, even if they don’t know it yet” and you're there to guide them. They were upside down a lot when they were younger!" I found this conversation so useful, that I am going to interview more teachers for other tidbits of wisdom.
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