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Wednesday, September 07, 2016

Tips On How To Teach Yoga Students

yoga teacher tips
By Faye Martins

Over the past decade, yoga has exploded in popularity. Some people use yoga as a way to stay in shape. Others use it as a method for relaxing and relieving stress. No matter where you live, there is a good chance there is a yoga class going on nearby. If you are a yoga instructor, there are many ways to go about passing on your knowledge to the people in your class. Let's take a look at some tips that deal with how to teach yoga students: 
1. Arrive in your class early

Try to show up in each of your classes at least 15 minutes early. This will give your students time to ask you any questions they have about the previous class. They can also ask for your advice on any problems they are having in the class. This type of communication between the yoga student and the teacher will help the student get the most out of the class.





2. Focus on one topic per class


Some yoga instructors have a method of teaching where they like to jump around from one topic to another. They believe this helps the class flow better while not becoming boring or stale. However, these instructors are not thinking about the people who are slow learners or those individuals who are not in good shape. These people may take longer to learn a specific technique. 


Therefore, more time should be spent with them before moving on to the next posture or exercise. If someone is in a yoga class, there is a good chance that person has little or no knowledge of the various positions and movements. As an instructor, if you try to cram too many topics into one class, you are cheating your students and failing to teach them anything. Choose one topic and build the entire class around it. Only move on to a secondary topic if you are certain the entire class has mastered the first one.




3. Do not use medical terms for the anatomy


When you are a teacher, the most important thing is that all of your students understand you. If your students do not understand some of the terminologies you are using, they will not be getting the full benefit of your knowledge. It will also slow down your class if students are constantly asking what certain terms mean. Remember, this is a yoga class, not a medical class. Therefore, make sure you use simple terms such as lower back, upper back, ribs, head, chest and stomach. Then you can be certain that all of your students will always know exactly what you mean. 


4. Walk around the room as you teach


Many yoga instructors make the mistake of staying on their mat in front of the class while teaching. Walking around the room is more effective. This is especially important if you are teaching a large class with at least 50 people. As you walk around the room, take a close look at what each of your students is doing. Check to see if they are performing the postures or exercises correctly. If they are having difficulty, show them the right way to do it. You will not be able to see how the students, especially those located on the sides or at the back are doing unless you make the effort to closely inspect the entire class.





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2 comments:

parvezbdjsr said...

Its really very informative article for yoga teacher, thanks for sharing it.

peter f said...

Thank you for sharing these helpful tips.

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