Now that I'm past the third intensive weekend of Yoga Teacher Training, I'm pretty much an expert. Well, I haven't actually taught a class...but c'mon. Is it really that hard? Whatever.
What I'm pretty good at is critiquing other teachers. Some are fabulous and I try to let them know what a good job they are doing. They all work at Yoga Circle Studio, so it's easy for me to offer face-to-face praise.
I save my "Here's how you could improve" suggestions for resort yoga teachers who might read this blog. (Not likely.) No I don't critique them after class. That would be rude. But I did ask about props once and was told they don't use them -- storage issues.
I've written about this before. (Find my other travels posts under In and Out of the Studio in the Index.) Whenever I'm on vacation I try to take advantage of yoga classes offered where we are staying. I see a pattern: the lack of props, the lack of modifications to poses, the auto-pilot, one-size fits all instruction. Never have I seen a class of strangers be asked if they've ever taken a yoga class before, never has a teacher offered to adjust or help a student, only minimal suggestions are offered for modified poses. It seems to me those are basic minimums to meet when teaching a resort yoga class.
On my current vacation I decided to go to a "yoga in the sand" class. We started in standing poses, which included lots of lateral stretching and then twisting. Then we did some arm stretches and a few standing backbends. We did a half-forward fold and were told to keep our chins up and look across the circle and smile at the person in front of us. (There were many admonishments to keep head lifted, chin up in many poses. Ouch.) Finally we were able to do a full forward fold to release our backs (she called it "decompressing"). Then it was down on our knees to Child's Pose, which is what she said, but it was actually Hero's Pose she was demonstrating, so I was confused but maybe the names are interchangeable? (I don't think so.) She had us raise up to "Cobra", but it was actually Locust she demonstrated, so again I was a bit confused. We then went into a long, long hold in Pigeon where she had us take many twists to each side. The two moves seemed mutually exclusive to my body, so I stopped twisting in Pigeon. My leg started tingling so I also just stopped being in Pigeon at all, even though she encouraged all to breath through the whatever sensations we might feel. This was the first mention of the breath related to a pose.
We did some Down Dogs and Up Dogs and Warrior II and Side Angle and Chair and Chair with Twists, and Crescent Lunge and more lying on our bellies in Cobra (for real this time), before she said we could now take a Savasana pose on our bellies. Belly? That was a first for me. But in fairness she offered that on our backs would be OK too. After about 2 minutes in "rest pose" she told us to start stretching and moving our bodies from side to side and then sit up and take a few twists to each side. Then it was time to meditate. "First, take a deep breath, roll your shoulders up and back, place your arms at your sides, palms up, and clear your mind." Two minutes later she said Namaste and we were finished.
She did the entire practice along with us, often unable to even see the class due to her head being down or smashed against her mat or eyes closed, but that didn't stop her from constantly saying, "Good job!" after almost every pose. Not sure how she knew we were performing so well, but maybe a sixth sense? I don't have that yet.
I apologize to you who have no idea how to analyze this practice, but as I said at the beginning, I am now an expert. Let me just say that there is so much here that is the opposite of what we are learning in teacher training that any sister yogini students who read this will have a field day with it. Not all teachers teach the same way; there are many variations that can work. But we are learning the from the best and most attentive teachers and I am already biased, I admit. Starting in standing poses is OK, not ideal according to some. Breathing is important, inhale and exhale come on certain sides of the poses, keeping your chin up and neck pinched is ouch-y and dangerous at times, lateral bends and twists should be followed by a pose that releases the low back and brings the body into center alignment. Back bends should be done after adequately warming up the body to do them safely and again a release is called for afterward. One might want the occasional reminder to engage the core, especially in strong poses like Crescent Lunge (quite a few "fails" there). I didn't know about Belly Savasana, so I looked it up. It's a thing, but generally with a bajillion props so it can be a cushy restorative pose. What I do know is that "clear your mind" is impossible for almost everyone.
So, as I've ably demonstrated here, I am well on my way to sitting back and watching yoga teachers try to lead a class. As for my own teaching style, I'm sure it will be excellent, but you will never know because there is no way I'd allow anyone the chance to do to me what I just did to this resort yoga teacher! (Kidding.)
Yes, I do feel like I was a little mean with this post. I may be completely off base. Remember what I said about a little knowledge and no experience? I saw a lot in this class that I would like to ask her about..."why this and not that?", etc. We all have much to learn from each other, especially smart-alecky know-it-alls, as can be proven by the excellent feedback I'm getting on my homework!
So, while I sort of picked it apart, the yoga in the sand class still got me moving, stretching, and breathing to the rhythm of the waves. Can't beat that. Plus, she shared that today is the Spring Equinox and we could expect to start "buzzing" with intense energy around 2:30 this afternoon. I didn't feel it, but maybe its a time zone thing. If you felt it, good job!
Namaste, donnajurene
Photo Credit: www.pixabay.com
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