Trainee Teacher Struggling With Postures

Yoga Teacher Training
#1

Hi all

I am new here so first of all…Hello I hope you are well?

Now onto my question. I hope you can provide some insight?
I am a new yoga teacher and despite dedicated practise (as much as I can fit in every day - honestly, sometimes 15 minutes sometimes 90 minutes!) there are still some postures I am struggling with in the primary series.
My basic problem is that my hips are still incredibly tight and therefore I am worried about teaching some of the postures where I require more flexibility e.g. , supta kurmasana, baddha konasana even my virabhadrasana is far from perfect. I am aware that it is going to take some time for my own hips to catch up and I am trying to be patient (and doing as much yin yoga as I can!) but I wondered how to get around this issue when teaching. I am aware that not all my beginners are going to have the same issues with their hips but I want to lead by example and demonstrate as properly as I can? Do I leave these harder postures out until I’m improved or just admit my weaknesses???
Also if anyone can help suggest to me how I can work on opening my hips I would be most grateful? Could it be an emotional reason they are resisting?

Namaste :slight_smile:

#2

So long as you ‘think’ asana, it never happens. You are three-fold. Be truly instinctive, proper emotional stance would follow. Then be the emotional flow and physical stance would follow. True asana begins in the soul, only manifests physically.

Live your name!

#3

PraiseToPatanjali,

This is really a very good question and one that many beginning teachers struggle with.

Many new teachers feel they need to be able to perfectly demonstrate the poses they are teaching in class. And this can and often does lead to injury. As teachers we must go beyond just the asana which is only a small part of yoga. Finding ways to incorporate yamas and niyams into your teaching and practice. First and foremost teaching Ahimsa or non-harming. And as teachers, we start with ourselves. There are many asana I cannot do and will likely never do. To be able to teach them doesn’t necessarily equate with being able to do them. In my earlier teaching days, I would always demo as I taught. As my confidence grew and I grew, I would demo less and walk around the room more. Now I demo very little and spend my time walking around the room looking, assisting, modifying and giving gentle cues. This has served my students much better. Instead of them looking up at me to see what I was doing and trying to emulate me, they now can more easily turn within to find ease in the pose.

If you are confident in your knowledge of the pose and can articulate that to the student, there is little need for you to do the pose. Some of my best classes were those where a student asked to learn a pose that I couldn’t do well, if at all. Be honest with them and tell them you’ll learn together. It’s unbelievable what you will discover! Your students will also appreciate your honesty. To lead by example doesn’t necessarily mean being able to do the pose to teach it. It is more about character and how we approach our practice. (again, think yamas and niyamas)

And can emotions have something to do with difficulty in certain poses? Absolutely! And the question then is how to deal with it. Know that you have the tools. Turn within. Feel the pose. Notice what the pose is telling you. And let go of trying too hard. That in and of itself is a hinderance. Enjoy the pose as it is right now, knowing it is like a blossoming lotus which will unfold.

Welcome to the forums!