Principles of Teaching 3

Question 1

Props

Answer 1

Blocks
Used to accommodate different body portions
Bring the floor closer to the hands in poses like forward fold or side angle pose
Help to maintain the proper alignment of the spine for example in meditation poses
Can be used to educate a right amount of muscular engagement (for example adductors, shoulders)

Chip foam blocks
Can be used as a form of mild support or as a cushion for the especially in a pose like low lunge

Straps
Are used to make the arms longer and to create space, but also to support the body and educate different body parts until student is flexible enough not to need a strap in paschimottanasana for example

Bolster
Often used as soft support in restorative or Yin-type of yoga, but can be used in hatha yoga class as well
!Great example! Ustratasana with bolster on the shins to reduce the distance that the hands would need to go all the way down to the heels

Question 2

Classroom elements

Answer 2

Teacher presence

As general best practice, arrive in the class min. 15 min before to:

Connect with the students and get to know new ones
Arrange the room to suit your needs for the class
Hear about injuries, pregnancy or other special considerations of your students

After the class stay long enough to:

Get feedback from your students
Answer questions
Connect with your students and to build up a community feeling

Mat arrangement

How the mats are placed will affect the experience in the class
Different possibilities:
All facing same direction with the teacher at the front
Facing the center of the room with the teacher in the center
Halfcircle
All facing a mirror
All mats touching a wall
Etc

Consider placing new students in the second (or third) row, so they can observe your but at the same time observe a more experienced student in front of them
Place advanced students who like to do their own variations at the back of the room so they don’t distract the others

Lighting

Bright vs dim, natural vs artificial, all have a different effect of the overall experience of the class. Although not always totally under our control, consider using brighter lighting in the beginning of the class to invigorate the students and dimming the lights towards the end of the class to encourage relaxing
Tip: Always dim (or shut of) the direct overhead lighting when doing reclined poses

Temperature

The variation of the range of the temperature can greatly affect the class experience: modify according to the type of the class and it’s needs

Music

+
Can help create a special mood
Support the class energy
Gets students out of their heads

-
May trigger memories
Students may dislike your music
Can make hearing the teacher properly difficult
Teacher can become too reliant on using music

Silence can sometimes be the best music!

Question 3

Yoga styles

Answer 3

Ashtanga
Power Yoga and Vinayasa
Iyengar Yoga
Therapeutic yoga
Yin yoga/restorative yoga
Kundalini yoga
Hot yoga

Question 4

Ashtanga and Power yoga/Vinyasa

Answer 4

Ashtanga
Was created by Pattabhi Jois in India
Deep focus on the breath
Uses sun salutations and vinyasa in the beginning of the sequence to create heat in the body
Practice of discipline: students are supposed to train 6 days/week
Set sequence with four different stages: students are given new poses or the new stage sequence when they are considered ready by the teacher

Power Yoga/Vinyasa
Many ashtanga teachers went on to develop their own styles out of ashtanga
But rather that stick to the set sequence they went on to develop their own sequencing their own styles
Vinyasa means “to place in a special way” and has come to mean “flow” style classes

Question 5

Iyengar Yoga

Answer 5

Was developed by BKS Iyengar
Practicioners focus heavily on alignment
Poses are hold staticly over long periods of time to work on proper alignment
Use of props as support is typical for Iyengar
Teachers undergo a rigorous training before becoming certified after several years of training. There are many levels of teacher training in this style
The style has influenced many other yoga styles specially in regard of using the props for support

Question 6

Therapeutic yoga

Answer 6

Is influenced by Desikachar, son of Krishnamacharaya
Focuses on supporting an individual practicioner
Often focuses on the breath and moving from the breath
Can be calming for the autonomous nervous system

Question 7

Yin Yoga /Restorative Yoga

Answer 7

Yin Yoga and restorative yoga oftentimes look similar but have very different intentions

Yin Yoga
Developed by Paulie Zink and popularised by Paul Grilley
Opening of the connective tissue-fascia
Focuses on seated hip openers, which are then held for several minutes
Can actually be quite an intensive practice
A practice that also invites meditation, introspective and breathing into the intensity of the poses

Restorative yoga
Focuses on fully supporting the body in a passive position
Uses props to support the weight of the body
Important for practicioners to feel warm, safe and supported

Question 8

Kundalini yoga

Answer 8

A dynamic form of yoga that uses repetitive movement, chanting and meditation to create an energetic shift in the body
Brought to the west by Yogi Bhajan
Kundalini as a term also means the latent dormant energy residing at the base of the spine; the practices are used deliberately to release this energy

Question 9

Hot Yoga

Answer 9

Developed and popularised by Bikram Choudary, who became infamous for his sexual misconduct
Hot yoga is practiced in hot temperatures (around 40° C) and high humidity (40% and more), typically a set sequence to create an intensive experience
The idea of practicing in hot temp was taken up by other teachers who’ve integrated it in flow and vinyasa styles