Teaching advice

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Dear yogis

I am a trainee yoga teacher who covers classes around where I live.

I have been offered 2 back to back 1 hour teaching positions at a local leisure centre. One class is a beginners the other is intermediate. I am going to meet the current teacher and go to her classes, to see what she is teaching them. I am unsure as to how I would clearly define a class as beginners and intermediate. I was going to concentrate on alignment, body and breath awareness for the beginners, But as for the Intermediate I am unsure. I usually teach mixed ability and include a stage for everyone. Some advice would be greatly received.

Jools

#2

In my experience, most people in intermediate and advanced classes would be best served to head back to beginners classes. I know each time I think I get something figured out, the universe humbles me and showcases that I’ll forever be a beginner.

If someone is looking for intermediate asana, maybe send them to the nearest gym’s aerobic class? :slight_smile:

With all that sassyness out of the way, teach your students who come to you that day, not a predetermined level-based curriculum.

#3

Hello Julie.

Several points.
First I am always concerned when a yoga teacher considers teaching something they are not fully comfortable, trained, and prepared to teach. I see a myriad of posts (elsewhere) asking "how do I teach the elderly, how do I teach people with hip replacements. or “I just accepted a class teaching porcupines and have no idea how to adjust them”. I am not referring to being nervous about teaching. I am referring to being qualified to take an offered position. So please consider whether this pertains to you or not and go yogically from there.

My second point is an energetic one. I personally find that teaching back-to-back classes does not give ME the needed time to refresh my cup, get grounded, clean myself, and have as much to offer group two as I did group one. Therefore I rarely accept opportunities that involve back-to-backs unless there is 30 minutes between and I can shower, eat, and hydrate between sessions.

Third is the definition of beginner and intermediate relative to yoga or asana, I’m not sure which you are teaching. Beginning students have very little sense of their own bodies, very little sense of them spatially, no alignment or foundation, and lack the ability to focus and breathe. As such they are taught based on these things - so class is about feeling (not perfecting), breath, focus, and learning about their body in space.

The next level of student is level one, then intermediate so the intermediate is two levels up from beginner. For these students they should not need reminders of breath. They should be able to remain still in tadasana without being furtive in body or mind. They should have fundamental actions and alignments in standing poses without being cued, and they should have the appropriate actions to protect the knee, hip, low back, shoulder, and neck. These students should have learned the basics of pranayama in level one and are ready for intermediate asana - Vira III, Parivrrta Ardha Chandrasana, Pincha Mayurasana, Janu Sirsasana, Ustrasana, et al.

This having been said, most fitness centers are not at all discriminating and do not care what you teach. It is only our deeper sense of ethics, respect, and integrity that matter - and the safety of the student of course.

gordon

#4

Hahaha… hahahahahaha. hahaha.
haha.

Gordon, you just totally brightened my night.

#5

Hi Gorden and David,

Thanks for your advice. I agree with both of you. I will only take the possition if I feel ready for it. Everyone else thinks I can do it. It is just a confidence thing.

Julie

#6

It does take awhile to build confidence teaching. Don’t let that get you down.

I have no problem teaching back to back classes. Do it all the time. As long as you keep the demonstrations to a minimum and resist the urge to pace around the room, you shouldn’t have any problems. You have to learn to use your words and hands to guide students into poses. That is the key to teaching back to back classes and clients.

I always teach a mixed levels class. All you do is offer options. For instance:

Crescent Lunge-Beginners have their back knee down, next level is back knee up, next level would be a small backbend, next level would be a bind, next level would come into bird of paradise. Do you get where I am going with that? Just watch the audience and if one option looks easy to someone, offer another option.

As far as defining for the purposes of Vinyasa-Beginners I would say are people who have been practicing less then 3 months consistently. After about 3 months of consistent practice, most healthy adults without any significant medical problems can start to work with fancier more playful postures. An intermediate class would definitely need to be taught in a mixed levels style to accommodate different levels of mastery. A beginners class is just to understand the basics of alignment and flow so they can start stacking on techniques.

#7

hi

Thanks for the help. Actualy I went to meet the teacher yesterday. She called in sick at the last minite and I ended up teaching the classes. It turns out that they were being taught pilates. So they would all be beginners in a sence, just some students will pick it up quicker than others.

julie

#8

Hi Julie,

It’s good to see that you are spreading yoga. It’s a very noble cause. I feel whatever level we teach, we need to make the yoga students aware that yoga is not just exercise. It’s the way of living. We need to tell them that Yoga is union of forces. Yoga is learning about keeping the energies in harmony inside our body and with the external forces in the universe.

Yoga is about Asanas (postures) , What we think , what we eat , our interaction with external forces. We name it, it will come under yoga.

Once one understand the essence of yoga then which path he/ she takes it’s not matters. It does not matter which path river is taking. It’s important that she has to know that she has to merge into the sea.

Regards,
Shirish Ghatge