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| I have a heck of a time with right and left-saying it backwards frequently and generally always having to stop a moment and think about it. I've gotten pretty good in class but sometimes I'll be speaking very slowly saying, "stepping back with the lllleeeeft leg" making sure I say the correct side 
Everytime I've tried to mirror, I get completely flummoxed and we all end up screwed up. When I do certain things, like triangles, I'll turn my back so I'm going with them. But, I really don't like doing that. I'd like to learn to mirror.
So, who does it? Is it natural for you? If not, any tricks or tips? Lots of practice at home first? I seriously considered writting an L and R on the opposite hands and feet for a trick. But, that seems really goofy!
What about one red fingernail on my left hand and toe-Right/Red? Maybe if I practice like that long enough, I can train my brain.
Edited by Kym 2006-03-18 4:16 PM
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| Maybe it's just the teaching style your used to Kim but it sounds like your doing your practice simulateously with the students. Don't or give them instruction then ease into the pose. If youre hard into your practice, it's gonna be difficult to instruct, observe, breath etc unless you've got a lot of teaching experience under your belt. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| It does just take practice and some days you just go off the rails and lose it and the class gets a nice giggle at your expense If you do the nail polish, I would go red for left and green for right. That is the signal for port (port is left, has four letters just like left and port wine is red)and starboard for boats  When you are stuck, go with landmarks - the window wall side or the exit door side or whatever. I sometimes have trouble in my home practice because I spend so much time doing the poses "backward."  |
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| I wear a string that I received at a Hindu temple a few months ago, it was placed on my right wrist, and I keep it there, not only for what it resembles, but it helps me when I get lost with my left and right ;) I have never been good at it! But it does get easier as you go - and it is much easier if you instruct without doing the program with the students. |
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| Mirroring from a teacher confuses me. At times, when they see that I am clueless to what they are trying to show me, they will sit next to me and demonstrate the pose in the same direction that I am facing. Only then do I get the ah-ha, I understand moment.
Edited by Jambo 2006-03-18 10:44 PM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 1738
Location: right where I'm supposed to be | I have trouble with mirroring and yoga. I do that in my other classes but not really yoga. It's hard for all fitness instructors. Some just seem to get it easily and others, such as myself have problems.
I try for the most part to tell my students to listen with auditory stimulus as their guide instead of visual. I know beginner students need visual.
Any tricks or suggestions here?
I have it down in my dance routines but I practice those routines all the time. Pilates, just give voice instruction. When I'm walking around a yoga class I have no problem with instruction it's when I demo and usually I go right beside the student.
So much work to do  but I give it all my heart 
Mishy |
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| Yes, Bruce, it's a different style than talking someone through the pose and easing in. It's a flow class and we are meant to move through the poses fairly quickly. I hold some poses, like warriors, triangles, balance poses, and such, but most of the class is flow. I am in a mega gym with 30 + students. So yeah, definitely a different style there. I give it my all to cue properly and I am definitely expected to do it with them. I'm up on a stage. With 30 people, and often new people each week, I can't depend on walking around the room and having them watch someone else who might be doing it wrong. Maybe some people can, but it would be considered very strange in my area and you can bet I'd get complaints out the wazoo.
In 6 years and many different yoga classes and 4 studios, I've only seen one teacher who spent as much time walking around as doing the poses with us (and her max was 5 students). It's just not the norm around here. I plan to eventually make my way to some of the bigger studios in Dallas, where I might see mainly verbal instruction. The only class I had where it was all verbal was a Bikrim class. And she put me near a veteran student to watch. There were only about 8 people in the class. Even in my own teacher training, one teacher demo's and one cues.
So, there you have it. Demo'ing the whole time is all I've known, and is all I've ever seen done, and it all anyone is used to. It's accepted and enjoyed.
PS Bruce. I went to your website. I like how your animated person goes into pidgeon. It's easier to keep the hips aligned than coming in from down dog or table.
Edited by Kym 2006-03-19 11:21 AM
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| you could also use the objects in the room for easy reference- like : extend you "door side" hand- bring your "mirror side" foot forward. Those kinds of directions are easy for me to follow as a student. |
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| So wait - you stand in front of a mirror with the class behind you?
I have never done that - but I am big on walking around and correcting. I was taught not to show a student a pose my me doing it myself for a few reasons -
1. I am much more flexable and they may try too hard and hurt themself, and
2. No matter how long I have practised for, we all have our yogic querks - and you don't want your students picking up bad habits from you.
My teacher taught us to teach (wow - say that 5 times fast) using our words, finding our words and cutting through all the stuff you don't need, and use hands on corrections - but I am lucky enough to be able to do that - I know some of you have some pretty big classes. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| In Iyengar we show, show, show, then get the students to follow along as we go into the pose together, then go out an do corrections and modifications while they are in the pose. Yes, you may have quirks, yes, you may make mistakes or be "too flexible", but then you can use a student or two to demo before doing the pose again as a class. The editing of the wording and cutting down to basics without extra verbiage is key to keeping things focused - and leaving time for jokes, of course |
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| No, Shen. What I mean by mirroring is, I am in front of the class and I tell them to reach to the left and I'm reaching to the right so we are all reaching in the same direction. I'm doing the opposite of what I'm saying for them to do. That's mirroring, and I have a lot of trouble with it. |
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| i do mirror, on those occassions when i demonstrate.
before i taught yoga, i always had trouble with left and right. since i've started teaching, i still have trouble with left and right. honestly, the trick i have to talk about left is making an L with my finger and thumb. if it makes an L, then that's the left. But, i know in my head that if i'm saying right, i'm moving left--and i use that 'L' thing to help me.
also, i mess up all the time. and i simply say:" i'm sorry, i've gone crazy! did i say left? i meant right!" (or whatever. ) |
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| Ahhh - thanks for the clarification!
I can't mirror in one class - I have people on all sides of me - and for the other class if I say one hand and do the other, I find that confuses them even more. They should know to do the opposite... and if not - its not that huge of deal, and they eventually figure it out. |
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| When demonstrating and teaching at the same time I only face my students during the first few minutes and at the end of class. Otherwise I position myself perpendicular to the group. I find this makes it easier to flow from left to right, and it gives students a better angle of that the warriors, plank, triangle, updog, downdog, etc poses might look like. |
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| Xenia, I will try that. It makes sense. Thanks! I appreicate all the replies and ideas.
Edited by Kym 2006-03-22 12:53 PM
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do you mirror?
