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 Erich S bookModerators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
| Yoga -> Yoga Teachers | Message format |
Kym |
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As per the recommendation here, I bought the Erich Schiffmann book. I got it today in the mail. Wow-thanks! What a great book. But, I had to laugh at myself. While the topic before was on this guy's body, the whole time I was thinking, "why is no one mentioning his HAIR?"  I guess I'm more conservative than I like to think.  But, to agree with somoene else here, he does not look fat at all in this book and his poses are beautiful. Thanks for the tip! I plan to bring it to my next small gym class (about 8 in the class) and show them the pic of the triangle he does. I can't stand how most of them collapse down in order to reach the floor. I've talked till I'm blue in the face about staying up to keep the hips stacked, yada yada yada...but they feel that reaching the floor is the point.Edited by Kym 2006-03-08 9:27 PM | |||
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| GreenJello |
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Kym - 2006-03-08 9:23 PM As per the recommendation here, I bought the Erich Schiffmann book. I got it today in the mail. Wow-thanks! What a great book. But, I had to laugh at myself. While the topic before was on this guy's body, the whole time I was thinking, "why is no one mentioning his HAIR?" Actually, his hair really really bothers me too. So I started a thread about it a while ago, but I made it really general to avoid picking on the poor guy. I have no problems with long hair, but his looks sweaty and unkempt. If I had hair like that I'd seriously think about cutting it down, or off, or something. | |||
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| Ravi |
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 Location: Upstate NY | Glad you like the book  I found it to be quite inspiring | ||
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| JackieCat |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 418  Location: New York | |||
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| Jambo |
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442     | I'll pull out Light on Yoga from time to time to show a full pose that we can all hope to one day attain or to check some point on alignment, but not on a regular basis. OTOH, my kid's swim coach couldn't get some basic ideas through to one of his swimmers and one day gave him a book on it - voila! it was a turning point for that kid. Kym - try having them keep their belly button facing the front of the room or use the old "between two panes of glass" idea. Another good instruction is to keep the sit bone of the front leg moving under the body. If those don't work and the book doesn't do it, check back in here. We've got a million ideas for you! | ||
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| Kym |
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Thanks for the ideas on cueing triangle. I've done some, but not all, so I will keep at it.  ZB, I suppose my thinking was, they don't believe me when I say that the hip alignment is the goal, not reaching the floor. I thought a seperate source would add credibility to my claim. Also, when I got the book last night and saw the picture, I was so impressed, I wanted to share it with my class. | |||
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| i think that books can be great tools--i tell me clients to buy a number of books once they get rolling in their classes. . .Light on Yoga is the most important one, IMO, and i ask them to bring it to class so that after class, i can show them 'how to use' the book. it takes some getting used to, and you can't really read it--comfortably--from cover to cover. it just doens't work that way (at least, i don't think it does). i do carry books around i my car, and i have brought them out after class to discuss a specific question and show pictures while demonstrating and discussing. i find that it's not 'per se' problematic. i think that if you're having an authority problem in class--that is, students don't believe you--then you need to focus on establishing that one way or another. bringing in a book will only discredit you further--i've found--as students take teachers who refer to books in class as suspect (not knowing what they're doing). i remember when i was involved in the hiring process for one of the gyms where i worked for a time, and my job was to observe 'test classes' taught by prospective teachers. they would teach my class (that way, it was just easier timing for me) and my students would also give feedback about the teacher (they're pretty good about that). When one of the teachers came with a load of books, and then would use them throughout class in various ways--sometimes as very valid teaching aids (visual aids, as your suggestion)--the students took this as an inability ot inexperience in teaching, which downplayed the teacher's authority. are you, or are you not, the teacher? if you are, then feel free to assert your authority. how? find a way. humor is good--"what? you don't believe me? what am i chopped liver?" or my favorite humor "hmm, terrible alignment! what's important here? hips? hands? head? egos? no, my ego, your hips. Come out of it. do it properly." It's given in a humorous way, but it's still saying 'i'm in charge, and you'll do this properly while i'm in charge.' i have had pandamonium in the classroom from having people in there constantly badgering me with questions. one pilates teacher said "i don't believe in inversions." and i said "i don't believe in UFOs, but if they're in my class, they still do inversions unless they are pregnant, menstruating, or have glaucoma." every posture i called, she had a loud, nasty comment. And each comment, i would say "are you the teacher? no. do the pose, or there's the door. this sequence has a purpose (describe purpose)." It's done in humor--it's light and funny. I had another person--new to yoga who had taken a month-long yoga retreat--say after every movement "my teacher says." and i responded with "well, their (meaning the other students) teacher says. . .. and who is that? oh yeah, me!" ultimately, people know who is in charge of the classroom. i'm not a bully about it, but i'm the teacher, and while questions are encouraged (i ask for questions both before and after class, as well as during if there is something in particular that we're working on), not following instructions--particularly alignment instructions that are given for their benefit and safety--and questioning my authority (as per the two mentioned above), is not allowed. oh, and finally, if nothing works, i go straight for the dead-pan practical: "look, you kinda have to do it my way, even if you're more comfortable with that way, because while you're in my classroom, you're under my liability insurance. if you completely disregard my instructions, and injure yourself, you won't get any settlement." lol | |||
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| GreenJello |
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| Yeah, I agree with the book thing, very poor form. It's probably very subjective of me, but I don't think as much of teachers who reference other texts. If they really knew the material they should be able to spit it out. I was in the local jivamukti class a couple of weeks ago, and she asked for a definition of hatha yoga. I pretty much gave the one in the HYP which she was refering to at the time. (Hatha yoga uses the physical processes to control the body's energy, which stills the mind) It completely floored me when she asked me to repeat what I had just said because she forgot half way through her lecture. This was straight out of the book she was waving around!  It's also almost a direct definition of the left hand path/tantra..... Maybe she was nervous or something.... I also have a problem with teachers who constantly quote other teachers, gurus, etc. I always think, yeah, but what's your experience? Why don't you tell us what you think? Obviously lots of very bright people have said things very well, but if you can't remember, then it's not very good is it? It's also not this is a formal paper where you have to site sources, everybody knows that most of this comes from some place else. Once again, this is something else the local Jivamukti teacher seems to do on a regular basis. Not entirely sure what to make of it. It is very respectful to indicate where you got an idea or concept, but I don't think this is what she's doing. | |||
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | zoebird - 2006-03-09 12:26 PM find a way. humor is good--"what? you don't believe me? what am i chopped liver?" or my favorite humor "hmm, terrible alignment! what's important here? hips? hands? head? egos? no, my ego, your hips. Come out of it. do it properly." It's given in a humorous way, but it's still saying 'i'm in charge, and you'll do this properly while i'm in charge.' lol Awesome! I may quote you in class sometime ZB! I often joke when I ask students to move here or there or adjust their mat to suit my needs "It really is all about me, folks." | ||
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| Kym |
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | zoebird - 2006-03-10 1:42 PM i can't let students go to other teachers until they get their form right, because i don't want that teacher thinking "oh-my-gawd, who is that person's teacher?" LOL Apparently BKS would do that - point to some poorly folded blankets and demand "WHO is your teacher?!" and scare the bloomers off the poor student. I tell them I teach so I can work through my control issues - only partly joking | ||
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| Jambo |
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | Actually, they are direct quotes from my teachers who experienced it or at least were int he room at the time. I have come to understand there were several reasons for the famous BKS temperament. One, he has explained in Light on Life, was to become gruff to keep the yoga groupies away. Two, he was very old-school from the last century from a country where the attitudes to teaching came from the previous century - and England at that. Finally, the explanation my teachers give us is that he felt he had so little time to impart so much knowledge that he became impatient. I am just glad I was not a part of that time. I don't think I would have been strong enough for that.... | ||
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| Jambo |
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | I don't think he is too worried about the groupies anymore The thing that I have discovered about teachers who are known to be fierce (Iyengar teachers, anyway) is that it is always coupled with an incredibly deep well of compassion that is freely given when truly needed. They don't suffer fools and will not put up with excuses, lack of commitment or bs, but when the chips are really down, they come through 100%. I have had this happen myself with a teacher who truly terrified me. Her depth of compassion just about physically bowled me over and was so empowering it is hard to describe - I know, I just tried and had to delete several times! I have been told this happened in Guruji's classroom many a time - a student not asked to demonstrate when she knew she was the right "bad example" to use but was near the breaking point, a touch of a hand and a word or two to someone who was slightly past it. His teaching style would not work for many people but those it worked for are yoga pioneers in the west. I think it took some tough minded individuals to lay the ground work for yoga as it is in the west today and that we can be grateful for | ||
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| Jambo |
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | Goodness - I would never be one of those hard liners who insist that my teacher has done everything to do with yoga and others have been insignificant! I hope I did not give that impression. All of those you mention had significant roles to play in the development of yoga in the west, for sure. Devi, of course, came from the same harsh taskmaster as BKS, and the others had their own paths. I also consider "the west" to include Europe so that contributes a bit to our apparent difference in opinion, which I think is not so different at all. And I am in no way condoning the old school style of teaching - I am eternally grateful, as I said, that my karma did not lead me down that path! Our local senior teacher is English and 74 years old. She was tough enough to handle that sort of thing, having come through the old school English system. Her other main teacher, Swami Sivananda Radha was also as tough as nails and completely uncompromising as far as strictness went - very much of the "you can sleep when you are dead, get up early to do your practice!". I am a west coast baby boomer - far too wimpy to handle that sort of stuff, so the gods allowed me to get it second hand  I do think however, that it is important to understand that a huge percentage of the current high level teachers in the west in general and North America specifically, either began their yoga journey with BKS or one of his students or at least is heavily influenced by his work, whether they acknowledge it or not. Every block and strap, every backbending bench (I saw one put into a "zen" room on Extreme Home Makeover!) comes from BKS Iyengar. Every "lifted kneecap" and even the use of the word "alignment" comes from him. Would someone else have discovered the use of props or the need to align the body before moving it? Maybe, but he did it first, and there is no denying that. | ||
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| Jambo |
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | My understanding is that he had a lot of difficulties with the poses because of his sickly youth and hurt himself badly a few times doing demos for Krishnamacharya by pushing himself too hard (and later on his own, as well) so he just worked with what was around - a brick to put his hand on when he couldn't reach the floor etc. Later, he started having too many students to do hands-on adjustments so he used props, and for students with illnesses who couldn't do the full poses he wanted them to do. This all came about over quite a long period - I think he mentions it in Light on Life. One part of the story that I liked is at one early point in his teaching he had to teach male university students and they were all bigger, strong, more fit and made fun of him so he really had to do his homework to be able to do enough to impress them and assert his authority. It reminds me of a friend who went from teaching Grade one to Grade four math and had to go home every night and study the text so they could understand what to teach the next day | ||
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| GreenJello |
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tourist - 2006-03-12 4:13 PM It reminds me of a friend who went from teaching Grade one to Grade four math and had to go home every night and study the text so they could understand what to teach the next day I got into a similar situation with a friend of mine. His wife was struggling with statistics, and I got called in to tutor her. I have a bit of a background in it, and took some courses during my undergrad days, but those days were long gone. They had me over, kissed my butt up and down (not my request), and made me dinner. After dinner was the big event, I was going to do the tutoring, and boy was I nervous! I ended up spending a lot of time reading the chapter before I got enough of a grasp of the material to be able to help her. I was sweating bullets at the beginning, but after I got some of it, it all began to fall into place. | |||
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Jambo - 2006-03-10 9:55 PM >tourist - Apparently BKS would do that - point to some poorly folded blankets and demand "WHO is your teacher?!" and scare the bloomers off the poor student. Which always is an indication of an ego out of control if the story is true. That approach to teaching is innate at best; that a teacher would use intimidation such as that. OTOH, if the student is an ego maniac then it seems the teacher should do their best to escort them to the exit. The whole problem with these stories is that the incident is never described fully. Or, it's a joke. i never thought of it until one of my students went to a really schmancy spa place in AZ where they had some schmazy yoga retreat going on, and my student was allowed to take a class with 'whomever' was teaching. i don't remember. anyway, that teacher said to my client "wow, you have an excellent teacher!" and she told me that. and then i was like--oh, weird. that's kinda creepy, but i guess the teacher is right. i mean, you can kinda see the 'work' that a teacher puts into a student. and then i began to notice in some of my students who go to teachers whom i know. It was like 'wow, that's robyn's signature in that pose; and there's jacks! wow, and i see that she recently took a class with meghan, because of the alignment adjustment there. . ." it was wild. but for me, it's not an ego thing. it's mostly a joke. i mean, there is an element of truth to it--i'm proud of my work and i'm proud of my students when they accomplish something (they work hard!). But i don't care if another teacher goes "oh my god, who is your teacher?" (in a negative way), or whatever. I mean, both tourist and twisti gave me great feedback on my own postures in the fall--and that was a great experience for me. So, it's like, all good. | |||
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| GreenJello |
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