I was prompted to write this text consequent on several years of teaching yoga. It became necessary to provide insight into what happens during my lessons in yoga halls. May it help beginners to get a grasp on my approach to teaching yoga. Because as many teachers there are, as many there are solutions of set tasks that may be different as well. My personal opinion concerning teaching yoga is exposed below.
Restrictions for trainees are up to trainees themselves. But broadly speaking there are general recommendations: one should not train after surgery; or having any severe illness requiring an individual approach; or after having had a solid meal in fewer than three hours before workout; or if it is impossible not to be late for workouts; or when being in an inadequate conscious state (alcohol, drugs, mental disorders); or when being doubtful of the teacher; or not yet feeling urge to practice yoga. I never divide people into weak and strong, into ill and healthy, into young and aged ones… Everything depends uniquely on your decision about how much you need yoga. If you do need it then go all the way, ask questions, rise above yourself and win! Otherwise there’s no use even to start. Because nobody will try to persuade you or to force you during workouts. I share my knowledge only with those for whom it is vital and important. We are one team, one entity during workouts.
Goals set by teachers and goals set by trainees are always different. The main goal of my teaching is to instruct people about yoga and other means of self-development. Being my primary activity, teaching yoga is based on my desire to share knowledge with people, on my assistance in overcoming difficulties and on striving to teach people to work individually. I am not mean and I am always ready to give anyone everything necessary for one’s self-practice. This is the only source of true freedom in my opinion. I consider workouts in groups from two perspectives: as a means of continuous support for practicing when one cannot or doesn’t want to perform self-practice at home; and as a possibility to learn something new and to ask questions when returning to self-practice. People may have different goals, but the only thing that is important is that these goals must be humane and not contrary to universal human values. What can be more pleasant that to bring harmony into one’s own life and to share it with surrounding people? Person’s motivation often undergoes changes and evolves together with this person. And this is one of the criteria of correct progress.
Multi-level approach as a method to unite people of different developmental levels, sex and age. All members of a group perform asanas simultaneously. Several variants of an asana are always proposed: the simple, the medium and the complex one. Everything depends on how well a person perceives and understands me, and to what degree one is ready to work on oneself starting from one’s actual level. Greed and haste are the reasons for all injuries and they put a person back in practicing. Effectiveness, correctness and safety of practicing depend both on teacher and on trainee in equal measure. Responsibility is shared equally and combines into collaborative efforts.
Should a teacher adjust asanas or teach staying on the mat? Each teacher should answer this question to himself/herself in the first place. To some extent it is a key question of teaching. My answer is as follows: I show exercises with my body and explain details; sometimes I walk around the hall and adjust postures, more often backing up in advanced exercises; I always ask to hear, to see and to understand me, and to ask questions if there is something impossible to understand. I, for one, appreciate an asana performed on one’s own, when one went through it with one’s heart and soul and ‘dawned’ on it without assistance, based on suggestions from teacher, gravitation and response of one’s own body. You will have to make your way on your own, without assistance. Only such experience can be considered as your own to the full extent. And you will never lose this experience and will always be able to transmit it to those who need it.
Distinguishing workouts according to time and subject matter has taken shape after 10 years of teaching yoga. Modern society makes impact on the way of living and on the daily dynamics of almost every citizen. This explains shifting of time-schedule to the evening. I teach in the morning and in the evening. The morning practice is focused on waking and warming up of a body, while the evening one deals with deeper working out of body tissues. Each Monday I increase focus on whole body workout, that is Sukshma Vyayma and Sthula Vyayma. Every Friday I conduct Pranayama practice preceded by a good warming up and static and dynamic work in asanas. The remaining days (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) are reserved for drilling the main yoga complexes and postures. Whatever lesson you visit you will get a comprehensive and consistent approach to bodywork. Each lesson always begins with warm-up activities, the middle part of the lesson is dedicated to the main body workout and at the end there are relaxation techniques and breathing exercises. From day to day only the central focus of a specific training activity is shifted. In this way we trigger more global cyclicity of bodywork configured to general rhythms of the Sun and the Moon.
Various teaching formats and seasonal prevalence
Altogether there are four main formats of my lessons: regular workouts in a hall; thematic meetings and workshops; offsite trainings/tutorials/intensive courses; outdoor workouts (so called Open Air). I have already mentioned indoor workouts. Thematic meetings are conducted in order to explore a filed-specific topic more particularly and more thoroughly. Offsite events are recommended to all who want to study yoga theory in more fundamental way and to submit their bodies to an intense practice. Normally such offsite workshops have a topic and they may require a trip abroad. Intensive courses typically imply an intense practice of Hatha Yoga with study of some classical text about yoga (authentic source). Outdoor workouts take place only in warm months (Spring, Summer, a part of Autumn). Some indoor workouts are transferred outdoors. Date, place and time of lessons change slightly every year. And one lesson is traditionally held each Sunday (at 8:00 AM) in one of city parks. All this information is defined more precisely by teacher. Summer practice is focused on body movements that correspond to asanas. In autumn practicing generally relates to breathing, i.e. Pranayama techniques. Winter tendency if meditative practices and contemplation. In spring practicing is focused on detox procedures and activation of body resources.
Self-instruction as continuation of work in a group
I always give diverse home tasks. There is a list of recommended bibliography and films in my web-site. Some books and films point at yoga directly and some of them only rather indirectly. But the whole list helps a person to perceive who he/she is, where he/she goes, as well as to keep a flame of interest to a topic. Without this a person’s way turns into routine and the progress slows down.
Courage. Humour. Overcoming one’s limits
Reaching beyond one’s abilities and chosen self-development systems is definitely courageous. In the course of time a person throws away his/her previous beliefs and means of interaction with his/her body and mind. Practicing is more than yoga system. Practicing is more than a human being. The whole person’s life may become a practice and there is no limit to perfection. When expertise increases in any single direction, a person becomes inevitably aware about unity of all that exist and that it makes no difference what exactly his/her expertise pertains to. Passing beyond one’s limits is related to augmented cognition and worldview and is not directly related to amount of practicing, efforts or haste. Self-conceit fades away in good-natured self-laughing. Laughing is a form of love directly enabling us to relieve both corporal and emotional stresses. You will live through it during workouts. Poetry, music, interaction, sculpture, conscious nutrition and more, all this can become one’s practice. All life is Yoga.
PS: It is told that knowledge is the highest form of charity.