Asking Yoga Students - Communication Skills for Teachers

By Kathryn Boland 

Do you sometimes ask students questions? Do you notice how this can be more effective than telling them what to do - both in their growth as yogis, and your growth as an instructor? Yoga is a wonderfully individual practice, which is (at least slightly) different for each one of us. Yet we aren’t born knowing how to find that best practice for each of us - which is where we yoga instructors come in. 

Thus, a tension between dictating and allowing people to find their own answers emerges. Students need guidance, yet which falls short of telling them exactly what to do. It can be a tricky balance to find. To complicate matters, students have varying needs and tastes in instruction style. Asking questions can be a very useful tool in striking that balance. It can inform both parties who are navigating this balance (yes, students are too, as they determine how much to individualize your instructions to their own needs and wants).   

          

There are a few standard times in class when questions can almost feel obligatory. For instance, it’s almost always wise to ask if anyone has an injury or any other physical matter that it would be best for you to know about. It is also best to know if any students are pregnant. It is of course ideal for students to tell you this before class, or for them to attend a prenatal class if that is the situation, but it doesn't always happen that way.              

You can perhaps tell any students who neglected to do either thing later that this would be better for them to do in the future, if the occasion is there. Some people live out the stigma of injury, or would rather not reveal that they are pregnant in front of a class. In order to help these students feel more comfortable, you can have them point to an area that may be injured our place a hand somewhere near the belly if pregnant, with eyes closed in a seat or in child's pose as you begin class.

         

  

At certain points in the middle of my classes, I like to check in with how students are feeling. I look around the room with a slight smile and ask “How are we feeling?” or “How are we doing?” Most often students smile a bit and say “Good” or “fine". This can help lighten the mood in class. Yoga doesn't always have to be so serious! If there might be anything bothering a certain student, I could then address it. This could be something as simple as reminding them that they are free to take Child's Pose if they're very tired, if the class might have been too vigorous for them (but that’s information for us as instructors as well; how are the other students doing with class?)           

I also like to check in with students after classes are done, again with something like the jovial “How do we feel?” Rather than telling them that their practice has made them feel better or otherwise benefited them, these questions open up the space for them to observe those effects for themselves, and at any degree in which they may feel them. Mark Twain once said “Don't say that the lady screamed, bring her on and let her scream.” It's the sense of showing rather than telling.

          

Any point in class, especially when working with students individually, rather than saying “do x in order to have y happen”, try suggesting a certain option and then asking if they notice a certain effect take place. If it doesn't for them, it's good as a sign for you as the instructor to change your approach. If they do notice the desired effect, they brought awareness to that thing happening, as well as with your guidance better understanding what they did to make it happen.This is true learning, that which will help students grow home practices and grow in general as practitioners - and, most likely, through that grow as people.             

It was never really about balancing on one leg are touching one's nose to knee. Practice is about that growth, working towards wellness, and experiencing a feeling of well-being and unity - in the present moment. Asking students about their experience, rather than telling them what to do or how they feel, facilitates this growth and these wonderful effects. Help students learn and see for themselves with such mindful questions. It is one of the many things that we can offer as vessels of this ancient, wise practice. 

© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

Click here to see our online Yoga Nidra teacher training course.

Are you an experienced teacher looking for YACEP credits or continuing education?

Subscribe to Our Newsletter for Special Discounts and New Products

Related Resources

The YOGA MIND: 

52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen your Practice 

by Rina Jakubowicz.

RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR LIFE: 

A Relaxing Way to De-stress, Re-energize, and Find Balance

by: Gail Boorstein Grossman.

YOGA: THE PATH TO HOLISTIC HEALTH

by B.K.S. Iyengar

TEACHING YOGA: Essential Foundations and Techniques

By Mark Stephens

Should You Teach Yoga More? Full-Time?

By Kathryn Boland

Do you crave teaching more yoga than you presently are - even full-time? Have you crunched the numbers and thought out the logistics, to see if that might be possible for you? Teaching can be fulfilling and magical like nothing else, but it’s not exactly an easy career path. Our bodies, bank accounts, and free time can take a hit. It often requires sacrifice. Let’s break this down into things to consider in your decision whether or not to teach more. 

1. The why - what do you really want with more teaching?  
        
Looking at this question, with non-attachment and honest objectivity, can help to better understand what the shift will most likely look like for you - both in how you plan it, and if it will be genuine (and thus most likely successful in the long run). Are you compelled by the magic that happens in the classroom? 

          
Not to be negative, but only realistic - the life of a full-time (or semi full-time, perhaps with one other part-time position) yoga instructor is not all that magic. It’s a lot of travel, planning, managing logistics, and handling not-so-pleasant things like the politics of competitive studios. Take into account that the ratio is a small bit of magic for a lot of work. That magic might just be enough to carry you through. For many, it is. It’s just something to consider, to also not come in with unrealistic expectations. 
          
If you’re thinking it will guarantee a comfortable income, think again. Many yoga instructors do make a comfortable income, but that is after many years of building private clientele, student following, workshop themes and content, retreat contacts, and teacher training syllabi. It doesn’t happen overnight. 

           
If you want to gain for fame and notoriety, just keep in mind how many instructors there are out there (not all who graduate from teacher training actually ever end up teaching, but the competition is still fierce). Some become well-known, but far more others don’t. Again, just things to keep in mind. A general note: people, by and large, can, sense inauthenticity. And they most often aren’t drawn to it (to put it mildly). If, however, you want to teach more because you want to make a greater difference in the world, wonderful! 
            
The hard truth of it is that all has to come with concrete steps. Are you passionate about social justice and bringing yoga to the underprivileged? How about looking into funding for programs for at-risk youth? Have a personal connection to cancer survivors and those undergoing treatment? Look into programs at oncology centers - where yoga is practiced more and more nowadays (and more and more verified by empirical research). 

            
Maybe you want to make a difference in your own community. Where are the studios and other locations around you that are doing that work, which you can engage in and strengthen? The point is to find the work that matters to you, and go for it. It has to be realistic and sustainable, however. Let’s look at that next. 

2. The how - Can you make it work? 

As mentioned, yoga instructors can make quite a comfortable living, but it takes a lot of hard work and time (which can’t just be bypassed) to get there. If you’re already in a tenuous financial situation (such as with debt, college tuitions or newborn children on the way, or a medical issue that will require funds for treatment), financially speaking it might not be the right time for the leap into teaching more. Perhaps you have a spouse or other family members who can help financially for a time. Perhaps not.  
            
This is all somewhat under the assumption that, presumably, in order to teach more you’d have to scale back (or leave entirely) other employment, or bypass searching out and applying for perhaps more financially stable work. This is a cold, dispassionate look at financial realities.

              
Of course some things are worth more than money, and teaching yoga offer gifts that more stable employment can’t offer. But we all need to eat, have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and attend to our overall health and wellness. If we sacrifice healthy diets, adequate rest, and other ways caring for ourselves out of financial need, we won't be at our best as teachers. It just all won't be sustainable.     
          
Other things to consider in this hard look at  whether or not increasing your yoga instruction is tenable in your unique situation, are transportation and opportunities within your regional area. If you do not have a car, and rely on public transportation, is it widespread and reliable enough to get you to a variety of teaching locations on time? Are there a good number of potential teaching opportunities close to you, or will you have to travel through several towns in order to make it all viable? 

          
There are many other elements to consider according to your unique situation. These are just examples of ways to ask questions about the viability of increased teaching - before you may have to learn the answers the hard way. To look at the situation with aparigraha (non-attachment)  and satya (truthfulness).  
             
If you may try teaching more, and you find that it’s not sustainable, that’s okay too. Every experience, “good” or “bad”, is a learning one. In a following article, I’ll discuss ways to sense when too much is too much, and those for stepping it back. Please stay tuned! 

© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

Click here to see our online Yoga Nidra teacher training course.

Are you an experienced teacher looking for YACEP credits or continuing education?

Subscribe to Our Newsletter for Special Discounts and New Products

Related Resources

The YOGA MIND: 

52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen your Practice 

by Rina Jakubowicz.

RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR LIFE: 

A Relaxing Way to De-stress, Re-energize, and Find Balance

by: Gail Boorstein Grossman.

YOGA: THE PATH TO HOLISTIC HEALTH

by B.K.S. Iyengar

TEACHING YOGA: Essential Foundations and Techniques

By Mark Stephens

Please feel free to share our posts with your family, friends, colleagues, and favorite social media networks.

Teaching Yoga Outside Encourages Healing

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed

As more and more people continue to suffer from anxiety, depression and insomnia, researchers are finding that spending time outdoors in nature has a very soothing and balancing effect on the nervous system and on the mind. The body’s ability to become entrained with the natural rhythms of the sun and the moon has been known for a millennium. As many us continue to spend the majority of our waking hours indoors and in front of an electric screen of some sort, the incidence of anxiety, depression and insomnia will continue to rise. 

Part of the reason for this increase in the rates of depression and anxiety, even among Yoga practitioners, is that we are virtually connected and “on-call” almost 24 hours a day, due to the easy availability of cell phones, iPads, desktops, and laptops. Even on the top of remote mountain peaks, you see people calling their friends and family to let them know that they have ascended the peak safely. Of course, if you are traveling in the back county, it is important to have a phone available to use in case of an emergency, and there is certainly nothing wrong with sharing your jubilation when you have successfully ascend a mountain peak! 

However, being on-call 24/7 doesn’t allow the body and mind to rest and unwind. In addition, by spending a vast majority of your time indoors, the natural circadian rhythm of the body and mind is disturbed, which makes it very difficult to slept. To make matters even more challenging, the blue light of most computer screens, televisions, portable devices, and cell phones directly prevents melatonin from being secreted by the pituitary gland. A healthy level of melatonin being secreted by the pituitary gland during the evening is critical to a healthy sleep-wake cycle. 

In fact, the wavelength of the blue light of many electronic devices is in the same bandwidth as the wavelength of the light in the blue sky, during a bright summer afternoon. So, when the blue light of these various screens enters the eyes, the pituitary gland thinks it is daytime and shuts off the production of melatonin. This makes it almost impossible to sleep. When deep, restorative sleep is elusive, people often experience heightened symptoms of depression and anxiety; unfortunately these symptoms usually go hand-in-hand. 

An easy way to help your Yoga students regulate their endocrine system, and, in turn, establish a healthy circadian rhythm that is entrained with the natural world, is by spending time outside. By teaching Yoga classes outside, your students will receive the benefits of a well-rounded class, in addition to the balancing, calming and nurturing effects of spending time in nature. In Japan, this method of healing is known as nature therapy. 

I love the simplicity and effectiveness of this idea.  If you are fortunate enough to be able to spend time in nature, especially in a forested area where you’re ensconced by verdant, green trees, you probably notice how much more relaxed you feel when you return home. Recently, I came across a Japanese term, Shinrin-Yoku, which essentially means forest bathing. It is part of their ancient and time-tested method of healing by spending time in nature. 

In the last few years, there was a study done in Japan to clinically evaluate the effect of forest bathing on the human body. The researchers found that the participants in the study had lower levels of cortisol in their blood, lower blood pressure and heightened immune function for up to a month, from a single two hour session of forest-bathing. This form of natural therapy has been shown to also effectively diminish feelings of anxiety, depression, and ease symptoms of insomnia. 

So, during the warmer months of the year, if you teach Yoga classes outside, you will quite easily, efficiently and effectively offer your students the benefits of forest bathing. To simply slow down, breath the fresh air and watch the leaves sway in the wind is soothing to the mind and the spirit. By simply teaching Yoga classes in a natural environment, you will be helping your students to heal physically and emotionally from a variety of challenging health situations, including anxiety, depression, anger, insomnia, and even high blood pressure! 

© Copyright – Virginia Iversen / Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

Click here to see our online Yoga Nidra teacher training course.

Are you an experienced teacher looking for YACEP credits or continuing education?

Subscribe to Our Newsletter for Special Discounts and New Products

Related Resources

The YOGA MIND: 

52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen your Practice 

by Rina Jakubowicz.

RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR LIFE: 

A Relaxing Way to De-stress, Re-energize, and Find Balance

by: Gail Boorstein Grossman.

YOGA: THE PATH TO HOLISTIC HEALTH

by B.K.S. Iyengar

TEACHING YOGA: Essential Foundations and Techniques

By Mark Stephens

See our testimonials to find out what our graduates have to say about our selection of online teacher certification courses. Please feel free to share our posts with your friends, colleagues, and favorite social media networks.

Yoga Practice After Knee Surgery

By Kimaya Singh

There are many variables in the type of Yoga training each of us might choose to practice and there are many ways to injure one's knee. Let's look at the safest way for a person to enter a class, without slowing down the recovery process or causing self-injury. Therefore, medical clearance in the form of your doctor's approval is imperative before considering asana (posture) practice. A conference explaining your surgery, with a certified Yoga instructor before you take a class, insures that you will get proper attention. 

The type of physical Yoga suggested for recovery is a style that holds postures for a significant length of time. Therefore, flowing, vinyasa, lunar flows and sun salutations might not be such a good idea at first. You might be wise to attend Yoga schools that have classes such as: Restorative, Viniyoga, Therapeutic or Iyengar. 

Returning to, or starting, Yoga sessions after an injury can be done, but keep in mind there might be some modifications that will be needed, especially at first. One of the most common injured areas of the body are the knees. Muscles and ligaments can tear due to injury or age and that often results in the need for surgical intervention. Many people fear they will be limited after such a surgery, but with modern medicine that is most often not the case. Some people might try to avoid surgery and live with the pain, but that often causes more limitations and can lead to more serious injury to the knee area.

Practicing asana after knee surgery (or any surgery) can be done in order to strengthen the area. Keep in mind that stiffness and some joint pain might occur, which will require you to listen to your body. One of the reasons that people do Yoga is to strengthen and tone their bodies in a low or no impact way. Doing high impact activities can make the problem worse, especially soon after surgery. Yoga can be used as the first step on the path to a full recovery. Starting with seated, supine, and prone, asanas that put no pressure on the joint is probably a smart idea. You can always work up to the standing poses, but it is extremely wise to keep a chair handy or practice near a wall that you can use for support. 

Since Hatha Yoga is a total body exercise, it will help you to tone and increase flexibility in all areas. This is particularly important while recovering from surgery, as the body needs to get its strength back gradually and heal properly. Trying to do too much too early won't do anything except lengthen recovery time.

Advancements in medicine have greatly reduced the invasiveness of knee surgery, as well as recovery time. Now, many people are walking very shortly after surgery and are released for normal activity more quickly than ever. Yoga can help to keep that forward momentum going. It can also have other health benefits, which is why so many people do it and have been doing it for thousands of years.

© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

Click here to see our online Yoga Nidra teacher training course.

Are you an experienced teacher looking for YACEP credits or continuing education?

Subscribe to Our Newsletter for Special Discounts and New Products

Related Resources

The YOGA MIND: 

52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen your Practice 

by Rina Jakubowicz.

RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR LIFE: 

A Relaxing Way to De-stress, Re-energize, and Find Balance

by: Gail Boorstein Grossman.

YOGA: THE PATH TO HOLISTIC HEALTH

by B.K.S. Iyengar

TEACHING YOGA: Essential Foundations and Techniques

By Mark Stephens

Ethgen O, Bruyere O, Richy F, Dardennes C, Reginster JY: Health-related quality of life in total hip and total knee arthroplasty. A qualitative and systematic review of the literature. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2004, 86-A: 963-974.

Losina E, Thornhill TS, Rome BN, Wright J, Katz JN: The dramatic increase in total knee replacement utilization rates in the United States cannot be fully explained by growth in population size and the obesity epidemic. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2012, 94: 201-207. 10.2106/JBJS.J.01958.

Jourdan C, Poiraudeau S, Descamps S, Nizard R, Hamadouche M, Anract P, Boisgard S, Galvin M, Ravaud P: Comparison of patient and surgeon expectations of total hip arthroplasty. PLoS One. 2012, 7: e30195-10.1371/journal.pone.0030195.

Raut S, Mertes SC, Muniz-Terrera G, Khanduja V: Factors associated with prolonged length of stay following a total knee replacement in patients aged over 75. Int Orthop. 2012, 36: 1601-1608. 10.1007/s00264-012-1538-1.

Mallory TH, Lombardi AV, Fada RA, Dodds KL, Adams JB: Pain management for joint arthroplasty: preemptive analgesia. J Arthroplasty. 2002, 17: 129-133.

Kerr DR, Kohan L: Local infiltration analgesia: a technique for the control of acute postoperative pain following knee and hip surgery: a case study of 325 patients. Acta Orthop. 2008, 79: 174-183. 10.1080/17453670710014950.

Common Dangers in Backbending and How We Cue to Prevent Them

By Kathryn Boland 

Do you see students practicing backbends in similar potentially dangerous ways? Do you have strategies for working against this - proactively and/or retroactively? Backbending has incredible benefits- contributing to strength-building, stretching out various muscles, and offering energy boosts. We're dealing with the spine, however, so the potential for significant damage is very real.

Let's look at four common misalignments in back-bending, and how we can help students avoid them (both proactively and retroactively). This accomplished, your students can enjoy the benefits of these poses without the dangers. As part of balanced yoga practice, the results can turn around one's day, one's week, and even one's life, for the better. Om Shanti, dear instructor colleagues!

*Note: Ideally, we prevent our students practicing poses potentially dangerous ways, but the truth is that will happen, and it's best to have strategies for those cases as well - a "plan B", if you will.

.

1) Going back before lengthening the spine upwards or outwards.

Seen in: backbends from standing poses, Camel Pose (Ustrasana), and Bow Pose.

Proactive cues: for standing pose backbends and Camel Pose, "Before letting your head and shoulders go backwards, lift up from your bottom ribs all the way up through your torso."; for Bow, enter the pose from Locust Pose (Salabhasana) and guide students to keep the same length and lift (emphasis on the former) of Locust throughout the practice of the pose.

Retroactive cue (for all the above cases): inform students that practicing this way might very well lead to back pain, so please come down, then guide them through properly lifting upwards or outwards (depending upon the pose) for a second attempt at the pose.

2) Losing the pose's anchor.

Seen in: hips shifting backwards in Camel Pose; releasing necessary abdominal engagement in Bow Pose; losing the grounding of the feet and stability of legs in standing backbends.

Proactive cues: In Camel Pose guide students to engage the front of the thighs to keep the hips from moving backwards; in Bow Pose instruct students to pull their bellies into their spines, up and away from their mats; in standing pose backbends remind students of Mountain Pose feet and the outer thighs wrapping outwards (away from each other) yet the inner thighs squeezing in towards each other.

-Retroactive cues: all of these cues can be offered, and their effects created, at any point, and thus solve the aforementioned potential dangerous action in these backbends.

3) Progressing more deeply than the body indicates is safe for it.

Seen in: reaching back to touch the heels in Camel Pose, despite pinching feeling in the low back; the same with raising the legs and/or touching the big toes in Locust pose or taking full Bow, or reaching for the ankles rather than the tops of the feet in the pose; going from Bridge (a perfectly effective backbend) into full Wheel and remaining there even with pinching in low back and a struggle to stay up in the pose (leading to potential strain or a dangerous fall) *mostly evident to instructors only in students' sudden shortening of breath, grimacing facial expression, muscles tensing up, misalignments, and other similar non-verbal cues.

Proactive cues: in Camel Pose cueing students to keep blocks by their sides and/or dig in their toes to raise their heels, which are closer reaches than all the way to the heels with the feet flat; guiding students to progress into those further steps in Locust, Bow, or full Wheel only if there's no pain or significant struggle, to think honestly about how they're feeling and if it's best for their bodies on this particular day

Retroactive cues: guiding prop use, digging toes under, lowering legs in Locust or Bow (or reaching for tops of feet rather than ankles in Bow), or coming back down to Bridge Pose from full Wheel with any notice of struggle (look for any shaking or misalignments, observe quality of breath and facial expression)

4) Letting associated joints move into unsafe alignment.

Seen in: knees going wider than hips in Bow and Bridge poses; front knee going past same-side ankle in standing backbends.

Proactive cues: have students place a block in between their inner-upper thighs in Bridge Pose, imagining they're doing so in Bow Pose (in a private lesson or very small class, you could place a block there for students, but it's very cumbersome for students to attempt doing so themselves); asking students to make sure their front knee doesn't go past their ankles in standing backbends.

Retroactive cues: squeeze inner thighs towards each other to draw the knees to hips-distance apart in Bridge and Bow; have students lessen their deep bend into the front knee in standing backbends (options to help with is to lengthen stance or take the grounded version of the pose, dropping back knee and untucking the toes).

© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

Please feel free to share our posts with your friends, colleagues, and favorite social media networks.