By:
Virginia Iversen, M.Ed
During a
comprehensive teacher-training course, you will learn how to teach a wide range
of students the classical postures, pranayama exercises and meditation
techniques of a variety of Yoga styles. You will also learn how to modify and
customize your Yoga classes, in order to address your student’s individual
needs during class. One of the primary ways of customizing a particular sequence of Yoga postures is to offer students who are struggling with modified
versions of the classical poses.
One way
of modifying poses is to use Yoga props, such as blocks, bolsters and
straps. Another way of modifying the postures is to offer beginning
versions of more advanced postures to students who are still developing the
necessary strength and flexibility to practice more advanced versions of the
same poses. For instance, if a student is particularly tight in the front of
the upper torso, practicing the full version of Upward Facing Dog may cause
strain and discomfort.
In this
case, suggesting that this student practice Sphinx or Cobra Pose, before moving
on to Upward Facing Dog, will help that student elongate the front of the
torso, shoulders and neck muscles, so that in time he or she will be able to
practice Upward Facing Dog without straining. Although this may make intuitive
sense to you as a professional Yoga instructor, approaching your students
honestly, kindly and firmly may take some finesse. You may find that a number
of your students, who would benefit from a modified Yoga practice, are actually
quite fit from other athletic activities.
For
example, if you do have a number of students in your Yoga classes who are
physically quite fit, but who have shortened hamstrings from any number of
other athletic activities, such as running on pavement, playing basketball or
skiing, approaching your students in an honest and respectful manner is
important. When you are offering modifications to your Yoga students,
skillfully modifying a pose in an appropriate manner is imperative. In
addition, honestly letting your students know if and when it is important for
them to back off the full version of an asana and practice a modified version
is also necessary.
As a
certified Yoga teacher, when you approach your students in an honest,
courageous and kind manner, they will feel supported in their practice instead
of criticized. At least, most of the time! An innocuous way to offer a stepped
series of modifications, is to have a few students practice at the front of the
class, who can correctly model beginning, intermediate and advanced versions of
the same posture. In this way, a student will be more likely to practice the
appropriate level of a pose, without feeling individually pointed out. If this
is not possible, quietly and compassionately offering modified Yoga poses to
your students who need a less advanced practice will help those students to
build up the requisite strength and flexibility, before moving onto more
advanced versions of the same postures over time.
When you
are offering modified versions of classical Yoga postures to your students, it
is also important to be quite firm in your guidance. If you have a number of
students in your Yoga classes who are very physically fit and active in a
number of sports, being told that they would benefit from using a block or a
bolster in a certain pose may not sit well with them! However, if they injure themselves during a Yoga class, they will be less likely to develop a long term
relationship with this ancient form of physical postures, breathing exercises
and stress relieving, meditation techniques, which have the ability to create
and sustain an abiding sense of well being for a lifetime.
With
persistent, patient practice, even those Yoga students who are quite challenged
by many of the basic asanas will make substantial progress on the mat. As they
begin to experience the balancing and strengthening benefits of a regular
practice of postures, pranayama exercises and meditation techniques, your
students will learn to trust your ability to guide them in an appropriate and
fearless manner through a challenging Yoga class. Over time, their growing
trust in your ability to offer them a practice that is comprehensive, safe and effective
will engender loyalty to you as their teacher and a deepening commitment to
their own Yoga practice.
Virginia
Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty
years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a writer and an
academic support specialist. She is currently accepting Yoga and health-related
writing orders and may be contacted at: enchantress108@gmail.com.
©
Copyright 2015 – Virginia Iversen / Aura Wellness Center – Publications
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2 comments:
When a certified Yoga teacher approach his/her students in an honest, courageous and kind manner, the students feel supported in their practice instead of criticized. Thanks for this valuable post.
One of the primary ways of customizing a particular sequence of Yoga postures is to offer students who are struggling with modified versions of the classical poses. Thanks for good posting!
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