Teachers, input from students - good or bad

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi. This is a question about teaching yoga. I saw the forum for teacher training but this question didn’t really fit there, so I put it in the general category.

Any yoga teachers out there, how do you feel about asking students for input? Asking what types of classes they want and what times are best for them to take classes. Do you think this is helpful to you as the teacher when creating and scheduling classes? Or is it best to take the lead and do what you feel is best for the students, create classes that are meaningful to you and trust that you will connect.

#2

Both!

There are two energies at play here. The first is the masculine energy (not male) which needs a study, evidence, and data to function. It is the rational mind. It holds that if something is generally true for a group then it is “true” for everyone. It is, for all intents and purposes, a double-blind study.

The second is the feminine energy (not Female) which is intuitive and sensing and is counter to the scientific approach above in that it holds that if something is true for one person it could not possibly be true for another person because we are all unique/different.

And these two forces should be in balance in the human being.

If you are opening a studio or planning a schedule for a yoga venue, please do explore when students are interested in attending and what offerings appeal to them AND use your intuition (assuming it is been well-cultivated, authentic, and not ego-driven) to sense and feel what are the appropriate offerings for you as a teacher (or your faculty) and the mission or path you are walking.

Warmly,

gordon

#3

Thank you Gordon. I am trying to find a balance. Your answer makes sense to me. I’m struggling with a small yoga studio that has been in business for a year now. Some of my classes are doing well and others are not. I try to be consistent and continue with classes that are not getting filled, hoping that if I persist, people will start coming. I have asked for and gotten input from students before, only to have the classes start out with a bang and then fade to nothing with in a month or schedule a workshop that students ask for and have no one sign up. I face the sting of these set backs by letting go and focusing on my own practice. I continue to teach with my heart and follow the path that feels right to me. I know students will come. I want to keep receiving input but am not sure how I will react to it in the future.

#4

Several things sully.

We, as yoga teachers, absolutely attract the students wanting what we have to offer. This of course requires our radiating what we are practicing in our living which must translate to meditation any way it is sliced. It can, as we grow, take time to magnetize the aforementioned students to us.

We too have students ask for a lunchtime class or a morning class and not show up. We’ve had a group or two from a rather large Redmond-based company insist they would fill an early morning class only to not show up at all when it was placed on the schedule.

Our schedule runs in quarters (4 months) however it takes about 6 months to build a consistent class. If that is not happening then there are two things to consider through one’s teaching career;

is this the right offering at the right time marketed in the right way

and

is there something I’m doing or not doing relative to my teaching that needs attention? Is there work needed on my voice, my inflection, my softness, my use of compassionate command language? Am I serving the students that come? Am I empowering them to develop a practice, deepen it, and am I imparting the importance of group practice and its energy relative to their purpose.

As yoga teachers when we are doing the work we are constantly being show this and that to work on. It’s really a wonderful opportunity to grow.

#5

During the summer months our attendance slows down. Are you the only teacher? Having others involved ads some variety for the students. We have 7 and I know that some students like a particular over another. Our 9am and our 6pm weekday classes are the most popular (as well as Saturday morning) and have totally different clientele as well as class style and teacher. We recently completed our first year. As for your question, we have asked for input but find it is all over the map and many changes have reflected the experience stated. We have done polls on our facebook page which ads some food for thought.