At the heart of the practice of yoga is a very important relationship: that between the teacher and the student. The practice of yoga is a quite personal and intimate practice. Traditionally the student lived with the teacher and there were many opportunities each day for interaction and learning.
Yoga teachers today face a very different situation. Many students come to classes only occasionally, and many teachers are faced with teaching classes with a mixture of regular students they know and brand-new students with little or no yoga experience.
In this course, Judith Hanson Lasater will deal with the art of effective teaching to mixed level classes. Teaching is like creating the choreography of a dance, says Judith. It’s a movement anchored by different somatic elements that are woven together.
Whether you’re teaching beginners or more experienced students, being an effective yoga teacher is not just about knowing a lot of information, it’s about knowing how to express that information effectively. It’s about giving students an experience of embodiment—helping them explore new ways to be in and relate to their body in ways they may never have known before.
Judith will offer simple suggestions to help in a teaching situation to enhance your teaching.
What You Will Learn
- How teachers can tune in students not only visually, but empathically as well and always know the right thing to say
- The key role of languaging – how to correct a pose without making students feel that they are doing it wrong or unable to do the pose
- Best poses to include to cater to both experienced students as well as people who are just starting out
- How to sequence within each pose to create a gradient of challenges that caters to all levels of students in the class
- How to help people know the difference between challenging themselves versus pushing in yoga poses
- How to encourage and support students and at the same time lovingly challenge them to face fear, resistance and discouragement.
- How to incorporate a mix of repetition and something new to strike the right tone in mixed level classes
- How to inspire students to take yoga ‘off the mat’ and approach yoga as an ongoing deepening of experience
This Course Also Includes:
- BONUS TALK: Judith Hanson Lasater: Practicing Twists – Moving from the Organs: The ancient teachings of yoga focused on opening and quieting the organs of the body, like the heart, kidneys and liver that are found in the “kunda” or vessel holding these organs. In this recorded one-hour session, Judith shows how specific twisting poses can create a healthy balance of the organs in the chest and abdomen, and explores therapeutic applications immediately applicable when we practice yoga.
- Recordings of Both Sessions: Yours to keep. It’s generally acknowledged that many people only retain 10-20 percent of what they learn in a workshop. You will get the recordings of both sessions (MP3 – downloadable& MP4 – streaming online), enabling you to go back and listen to the workshop as many times as you like.
- Transcripts of Both Sessions: Ever wanted to refer to a certain part of a course? Even the best note takers miss a point every so often. With the transcripts of the sessions, you can go back and refer to particularly important passages or clarify sections you were in doubt about.
This course qualifies for 2 CEs with Yoga Alliance.
