Have you ever taught a fixed series of posture for a period o time (1 month)? What are the pros and cons of that experience you´ve noticed?
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teaching fixed series of postures
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 bella |
teaching fixed series of postures |
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Posts: 2 (10/03/08 10:04:26) |
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purnayoga |
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Posts: 298 (10/03/08 10:16:48) |
No I have not taught the same sequence of asana over the period of a month or more.
I think the practice has to suit the student(s), the moment, the energy and therefore a rote set over and over would not suit me. It feels as though I'm discounting the lives of my students in favor of my personal preference. And nothing about that feels yogic to me. ========================== The spoken word is your master, the unspoken word your slave. |
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zeynepistanbul |
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Posts: 16 (10/06/08 22:26:01) |
Dear Bella,
I used to change the sequence every class...even the sun salutes would not be exactly the same... Since Erich's TT, even though i tried the previous version of my classes they were too hectic, so now i do less number of poses, many repeats and classes have at least 20-25 minutes of downdog-sun salutes-few standing postures that are fixed and the rest i spend on that classes theme-including an opening sequence which relates to it...this gives me the freedom to experiment certain themes, and gives them space to learn...i think if all of the class is unpredictable- it might be too chaotic-but there are some vinyasa teachers who prefer that and do a great job out of it  ! but i
am not one of them!
I found that giving students at least some part of the class which they can predict and know and hence have more of a chance to personalize and flow in it, worked for me... but who knows what the next class will bring, best, zeynep |
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bella |
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Posts: 3 (10/08/08 01:50:17) |
Thanks a lot! I´m sorry my English... I agree with you Zeynep! I think too many different postures might bring confusion and it´s difficult to notice the
development of the postures, focus and breathing stability. After all, repetition is a good thing for the learning process and this can build more independence
in personal practice
. Maybe there is a balance in receiving
the experience, absorbing it and creating a new thing from the inside. And another balance we need to observe is going horizontally and vertically...many
experiences are good but offering also the opportunity to go deep in the exploration of them is great! Some students can´t hold the postures for so long and
repeating the series of a short period might help..
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simpleyogini |
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Posts: 4543 (10/08/08 07:00:08) |
when i taught...it would be the same poses......one class would be basically for hip openers....and i would use the same poses...another class would be for
standing power (same poses), another class would be floor and strength work.....(same poses) but when i came to class i would ask what they would like to
do....so it was different each week depending on the issue
after being around erich....i found that he likes and teaches repetition.....he says it is how we learn....so i started adding that to my teaching instead of having so many different poses.... like zepnep.....i used to have so so many poses pushed in one hour and i felt it was not just out there and not balanced or grounded ....and then changed to fewer poses with more time in each and options added on to explore more of each pose... i have alot of integral yoga background...which does have a pretty fixed way of teaching...but then i like it...i mean they do go to other levels and add some more intense ways of doing poses.... and it wouldn't bother me to teach that way...back in the olden days there was just a dozen of so of poses....and yoga has evolved...what into 609 poses or whatever it is.. ....i also remember that erich said at one of his workshops....that we as teachers feel we must "entertain"....and i can see that....I see more and more of it... i am now attending more iyengar classes.....and it is usually the same poses...a lot of repetition too....it definitely fits a pattern of poses...but she flips around some each week..but i can tell you it is most challenging to do some of the asanas..... also erich teaches in stages...my iyengar teacher does that too.... maybe erich uses that from when he had his iyengar training or maybe not... work on one pose....we do it again and then he adds something to it..and builds on and on...he has subsets that he uses too....i like it... again its to each his own...  sandy
We do not need to be the same, or think the same But we can hold hands as fellow travelers in this life.
Last Edited By: simpleyogini
10/08/08 10:33:06.
Edited 1 times.
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jeannettel |
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Posts: 326 (10/08/08 11:48:05) |
"....i also remember that erich said at one of his workshops....that we as teachers feel we must "entertain"....and i can see that....I see more
and more of it"
Sandy, I teach at a gym and I have the feeling of needing to "entertain" all the time. There is a lot of pressure to keep the number of students up or have your class cut.So this has struck a chord with me. Was Erich saying we should not feel this or was he agreeing? I tend to vary poses quite a lot and am never sure whether students feel I am taking the easy way out, preparation wise, when I do repeat sequences or poses. Jeannette |
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simpleyogini |
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Posts: 4546 (10/08/08 13:01:22) |
"Most teachers are about trying to entertain you and get through the hour and a half."
this was one of the things he said at feathered pipe....quoted above by carie...and in my notes too... my take....is that teachers are trying to do so many things to capture the audience i guess.... he speaks about repeating poses alot when he teaches....but even though we repeat the pose it is really different each time... i felt he meant thats a way for us to learn.... is to have repetition... and as usual my take of something could be different from what someone else got out of the remarks....or from what erich was trying to say.... maybe you can ask him on questions for erich....hear it from the man himself... sandy
We do not need to be the same, or think the same But we can hold hands as fellow travelers in this life. |
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Erich Schiffmann |
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Posts: 3310 (10/08/08 20:55:36) |
Well, yes, on the one hand I was saying that as a teacher you must entertain the group, otherwise there won't be a group. You must get their attention and
speak in a way that relates to their concerns. Yet, on the other hand, and this is more important as far as I can tell, and takes more courage, more guts, more
commitment, is to not be concerned at all about their reaction, so as to convey as clearly as possible what you think the teachings are really all about. This
requires, of course, more clarity on the teachers part about what yoga is and what you are actually teaching. And so, you've got to zoom back and forth
between the two, without selling out. Do whatever you've got to do to help them get into the practice, into their experience of the juju. Do repetitions,
do variations, mix it up, keep it the same, whatever seems to pull them in, AND keep sliding them in the direction of what you think is important. Many people
(in the West, anyway) come to yoga thinking it is a sophisticated or exotic PE class. Getting people of that mindset to sit quietly and meditate hasn't
always been easy. Or to encourage someone to listen inwardly for guidance so their alignment becomes intuitive and inspired may, at first, not make sense.
You're supposed to tell them what to do. They're paying you to tell them what to do. But, if you are teaching inner guidance, and you keep encouraging
your people to go within, then you will have been a most helpful teacher. Priceless.
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drrona |
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Posts: 12737 (10/08/08 22:36:37) Asst. Administrator |
totally
excellent post(s)
"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a
love letter to the world." Mother Teresa |
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simpleyogini |
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Posts: 4548 (10/09/08 05:42:27) |
thank you mister erich for explaining the definition behind your comment....
yes priceless... 
sandy
We do not need to be the same, or think the same But we can hold hands as fellow travelers in this life. |
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bella |
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Posts: 4 (10/09/08 09:11:33) |
I´m happy as this |
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bella |
Juju | ||
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Posts: 5 (10/09/08 12:38:33) |
I forgot to ask before... Can anyone explain what "juju" and "PE class" mean?
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drrona |
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Posts: 12740 (10/09/08 14:07:26) Asst. Administrator |
"juju" is like the eternal om...the current...the wawa...the wow...the oh yeah pow pow shuucka-shuucka zing thing that makes y a go oooohhhhhhhhh
yeah!
and "PE Class" is physical education class...like gym class @ school xo
hope that is helpful bella!
"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a
love letter to the world." Mother Teresa |
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bella |
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Posts: 7 (10/09/08 14:10:39) |
 thanks a lot!!!!
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Erich Schiffmann |
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Posts: 3312 (10/09/08 15:29:40) |
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lightdancer |
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Posts: 9925 (10/09/08 15:34:55) Asst. Administrator |
Wait, wait! What did I quote?? Huh, what?
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simpleyogini |
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Posts: 4550 (10/09/08 18:54:12) |
i didnt mean you quoted it....i meant that you posted it as a quote from feathered pipe that erich said...sorry....haha
shuucka shuucka 
sandy
We do not need to be the same, or think the same But we can hold hands as fellow travelers in this life. |
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jeannettel |
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Posts: 327 (10/12/08 04:00:10) |
Thanks for asking this question Bella, it has been clarifying for me too
Thanks for your replies Sandy and Erich I feel more relaxed about it now. I have been putting a lot of effort into improving my teaching recently. Finding ways to put across what I passionately want to convey in ways that will support the class and keep them coming is keeping me on my toes creatively. Which is fun actually . I always find that the more I learn the more it overflows and I just have to pass it on. Doing that skillfully is the big challenge. |
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. So clarifying...
- Questions on using this board
- Introductions -- Why You Came to Yoga
- 2009 Live Gathering
- 2007 Live Gathering
- Questions for Erich
- Asana
- Amazing asana sequences
- Health and Yoga
- Breath of Life
- Meditation
- Remembering to Ask for Guidance
- Energy
- Classical Texts (Sutras, Gita, etc.)
- Yamas and Niyamas
- The Business of Yoga
- Teaching Questions
- Video, book, and audio recomendations
- Workshops and Training Opportunities
- MIS Goods & Services Exchange
- Technology
- Yoga Poetry
- Martial Arts, Gymnastics, Hypnosis, Contortionism, Body Building, & Other Related Disciplines
- Everyday Sacred
- Food & Recipes
- The Environment
- Socrates Bar and Grill
