Yoga Teacher Training – Page 27

Do Just Sit There

Though the teacher training was only half a week this week, I decided to try to fit in everything that I will be doing in upcoming weeks, so that I can get used to the schedule. This meant doing the reading (yay reading, not-so-yay note taking), going to 3 vinyasa and 2 yin classes, going to 2 teacher training sessions, doing 1 home practice, and writing three journal entries. Some of those things I do anyway (the classes, reading, blogging). Some I haven’t in the past – or at least not regularly. Home practice has, for the past year or so, fallen into that second category more weeks than not. It’s not that I don’t like practicing at home; it’s more that I like being in class and having the energy (and direction) of others and I just run out of time to do the home practice as well. But, reasonably, it’s part of our training – since we’ll need to plan classes, we should be able to plan our own yoga practice. So, this week was time to revive my home yoga.

Image from Yoga Journal Japan

Many practices begin with Sukhasana, or easy pose. Now, I could lie and tell you that I usually look fabulous in Sukhasana, like the lovely yogi to the left. But, lying isn’t very yogic, is it? I try, but I have a slouching problem, and after a few seconds of relatively upright posture and mostly straight back, bad things start to happen and I look like a big letter C with legs (metaphor courtesy of my friend Rachel). And, if I can get my mid back in good shape, then I round my shoulders and end up looking like a candy cane. It’s quite delightful, actually.

You probably know where this is going, but tonight I did my home practice in just Sukhasana for 1/2 hour. My back is something I have been working on in yoga with my instructors’ help, and we haven’t really begun working on asana in class, so it seemed appropriate. I focused on sitting straight, breathing, and being mindful (control the chitta vritti, eh?). It wasn’t easy. In fact, I would say it was difficult, both mentally and physically. Sitting up straight in my back actually requires a pretty good amount of concentration, and core muscles. My sides are feeling a little sore at the moment. But, I know that it was worthwhile and it’s probably something I will try to work into my practice at home, even as it evolves and my focus changes to more active asanas here.

So, I would say… Do just sit there! Do something!

Namaste,

Learn Something New Every Day?

By theveganasana | October 7, 2010 - 7:28 am | October 7, 2010 Yoga, Yoga Teacher Training

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Wednesday morning (when I wrote this) was my first Vinyasa class after officially beginning yoga teacher training. The funny thing was, it actually felt a little bit different, but not in the way that I expected. I had wondered if I would be able to keep my attention in the moment during class, or if I would be constantly analyzing it in terms of teacher training and my own future classes. Interestingly, that wasn’t a problem and wasn’t the difference I felt. Instead, I think I felt more “in that place” than I usually do in a class.

I don’t know if this was just a happy coincidence or related to starting training, but it was an excellent class for me, and not because I was so great at things (harkening back to my previous admissions of competition/perfection). In every pose, I just felt perfectly fine and happy being in that pose. There was no wondering when it would be over or how I was doing in comparison to others. There was no self-critique. It was delightful!

So, what did I learn? Well, I’m not sure, as I don’t know if I somehow did this or it just happened randomly. But, I definitely reaffirmed for myself that, if I can really stay present in class, the experience feels so much better (in a whole being way – even if some poses are still painful for my joints) than it does when I am allowing my brain to crowd out the moment I am experiencing.

And, that’s something, right?

Qualities of a Good Yoga Teacher

By theveganasana | October 6, 2010 - 4:28 pm | October 6, 2010 Yoga, Yoga Teacher Training

2 Comments

This was our first written assignment in yoga teacher training – so I thought I would share mine with you.

What qualities do you feel make a good yoga teacher? What do you look for in a teacher? What do you hope to offer your students?

These are interesting, and certainly interlocking, questions for me, because I’ve gradually learned to embrace or enjoy different qualities in teachers (others and myself, in yoga and in other domains). But, within these variations, it seems there are two overarching qualities that I believe make a good teacher (that I look for and hope to give): high level of knowledge and good attitude.

A yoga teacher should be well versed in knowledge about the history, philosophy, and practice of yoga, as well as having a solid understanding of basic anatomy and physiology. I’ve been fairly lucky in my experiences with teachers concerning their level of knowledge, but I have heard a couple of comments (not at YW) that very much concerned me with regard to safety and accuracy. Truth is malleable, and there are certainly differences in beliefs that are not cases of right and wrong. In yoga, that is no less the case as different traditions or types of yoga carry different understandings about the practice and philosophy. However, when information is presented that flies in the face of conventional reality, and presents possible dangers, I do get concerned. So, for example, an instructor stated in class that if you do yoga regularly, starting when you are relatively young and in good health, you won’t ever need to take prescription medication. As someone with a hereditary auto-immune disease, I quibble with the accuracy of this claim. But, also worry about the level of knowledge the instructor had that made him believe it was appropriate to state this in a class. The image of a type I diabetic or someone with bipolar disease ceasing medication because he/she believed that regular yoga would solve the problem bothered me. And, I also couldn’t help but think about the parent that was probably in the room with a child on medication for some condition – what did that say to him or her? This, to me, seems likely directly related to the kind of training a teacher received. Learning asana and pranayama is good, but I can’t help but think there should be more.

Knowledge is one thing, but an excellent teacher also needs good attitude. For me, good attitude encompasses a number of things. I believe that enthusiasm about yoga and about teaching are very important attitude factors for excellent instructors. If students don’t sense that the instructor wants to be there and is excited about the practice, how will they become excited? This interest and enthusiasm can take a variety of forms. Not every instructor needs to be bubbly or funny (though I do like funny). Not every instructor needs to verbally enthuse about what yoga has brought to his/her life. But, within the context of his/her own personality, something should indicate that dedication to and love of yoga. A good yoga instructor also needs to be responsive to his/her students. Planning a class out to the letter is great, but if it turns out that the students in a particular session are struggling or confused or just need more time in a particular series, the good instructor will be flexible and respond to those needs. This responsiveness also pertains to really listening to and watching students – hearing what they say and what they don’t say. A student may not mention an injury or a fear, but his/her nonverbals (vocal tone, posture, facial expressions, etc.) may clearly express it. Instructors need to be able to truly see/hear students in order to respond well to them. An attitude of respect is also important. I attended a yoga class (only once) where the instructor was (not so kindly) mocking students who couldn’t keep up. To me, this spoke volumes about his lack of respect for his students and belief in his own superiority to them. I didn’t go back. Providing corrections and adjustments is not only a part of teaching students about yoga but also preventing them from injury. However this can be done with kindness and respect. Likewise, people of many religions and many different belief structures attend yoga classes. While it’s certainly appropriate for yoga teachers to present yoga history and perspective (which may well involve Buddhist or Hindu philosophy), this can be done with care to not offend or deride those whose beliefs are otherwise.

So, all in all, I guess I would say that these two (huge) categories of high level of knowledge and good attitude are what I believe characterize a good yoga instructor. When I have an instructor who exhibits these qualities, I feel like I get the most out of my classes and I hope to bring that experience to my students in the future.

Namaste,