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| I wanted to share my top 10 list of things that make a great yoga class:
1. Novelty. Trying a new asana or two is always exciting.
2. Sense of humor. I love it when a teacher throws a joke or two in the middle of the class.
3. Adjustments by a teacher. Never knew that my body can go that far!
4. Mixing in some tai chi or showing exercises from other styles of yoga
5. Attention to students. Verbal corrections as well as sensitivity and care.
6. The teacher knows the name of every student in the class.
7. The teacher asks you before the class for physical limitations and conditions you have and gives you appropriate directions during the class.
8. Encouragement. An occasional "great job", "Ok!", "you are doing well" makes me want to do better and keep coming back.
9. Seeing that the teacher is passionate about what he/she teaches
10. A sense of enjoyment throughout the class (coming from both the teacher and the students). |
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| You'd love my chiro's class. He teaches Anusara and his class is just like that! |
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| Jokes are definitely key! Really, sometimes we just look funny and it helps when trying to twist into "bird of paradise" if we can laugh at it.  |
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| Sorry, I have a little doubt about #3: Always when my teacher is adjusting me, we find out that my body just can't go this far. So all he achieves is me going "Outchy!" And that always makes the whole class crack and directly brings us to #2 
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Never trust a spiritual leader who has no sense of humour. I think Swami Rama said that. I would extend that to never trusting ANYONE who has no sense of humour 
At the first big workshop I attended the teacher would often get us into some outrageous pose and end his list of instructions with "and look RIDICULOUSLY happy!" Great fun. |
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| Ditto to all of the above! I also appreciate when my teachers reveal their limitations at doing various asanas. Proving once again that yoga is not about competition or perfection. I've adopted that attitude too, we all have differently abled bodies ... |
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| I like this thread and what you had to say in your Top 10 list. Thank you! I would say that I like a yoga class in which I am guided to a deep place inside myself so that I am in another state of being when the class ends. I also like to learn something from the instructions which gives me an insight into how to do a pose or simply a new perspective. Respect from the teacher goes a long way as does encouragement. Watching and responding to people and their bodies with how they do the poses, their stamina and flexibility is important. I don't like classes where the teacher sounds like a tape recording saying what she always says for a given pose. I want the class to be somewhat personalized but not so much that it is boring for others in the class. I like it when the teacher asks "What do people want to work on or need from the class?" Once a woman and I at a Kripalu class both said that we thought the class was especially designed for each of us. Now, that is good teaching. |
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| I like classes where the teachers talks while we're in an asana, now for 10 minutes before we get to do it. If there's a demo, be quick about it. I know someone where the students (who no longer take from him) say it's the only class where the teacher does more yoga and spends more time taking his shirt off and on that the students get to practice. Uh-huh.
I like teachers who have evolved past demanding the students "feeeeellll this and fiiiiiind that" in an asana or their hearts. Just let us do it?
I like classes where the teachers don't undersell their students. IOW, no attitude of, "don't teach that, they can't do it." All too often there is someone who can, and we all learn from the modifications before an actual asana. This is fun, a journey, and always a surprise.
I have learned that I have an evil chuckle before I discuss something challenging, because my students are always laughing at me even though they say they know something's coming. I also caught myself calling Uktasana "that evil pose" this morning. It's OK to have a pose that's not your favorite and to admit to it. Students appreciate the fact that we have tough times in asana, too! It reminds them we all have something to work on and we do an asana even though we might hate every second of it.
I like teachers who can honor their source of information yet avoid the boring name-dropping-litany of their famous teachers. Conversely, I am embarrassed for teachers who talk about a famous teacher with whom they've had a workshop as though they were suddenly drinkin' buddies.
I like a class that laughs. A lot. When, as adults, do we get to roll around on the floor, twist ourselves into really weird positions, moan, groan, sweat, and laugh a lot all in public? Notice I ask in public? Because I don't wanna hear about your sex lives! Yoga is funny, just like sex is. If you think about an alien observing either one? ie without the erotica? They'd wonder what the heck was going on that we were working so hard doing!?
Ah well. I digress. I need a nap. I'm mailing the 2003 taxes today. Finally!
C. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Christine - I am sooo glad you are teaching in spite have needing to be dragged kicking and screaming into it I'll bet your students are glad, too. I love the evil chuckle. I have learned that before something challenging I tend to say "and now, just for fun..." and the students go "uh-oh, that is never a good sign."
As you know, the "feeeeelll this" stuff doesn't cut it in Iyengar so we don't havge much of a problem there, thank goodness. Action words! "CUT in they shoulder blade, DIG in the heel, GRIP the muscle to the bone" are more our deal and "do you feel the extreme stretch in the pose? Good, do it again and more this time!"  |
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| YogaDancer - 2005-02-06 3:21 AM
I like teachers who have evolved past demanding the students "feeeeellll this and fiiiiiind that" in an asana or their hearts. Just let us do it?
I like classes where the teachers don't undersell their students. IOW, no attitude of, "don't teach that, they can't do it." All too often there is someone who can, and we all learn from the modifications before an actual asana. This is fun, a journey, and always a surprise.
I have learned that I have an evil chuckle before I discuss something challenging, because my students are always laughing at me even though they say they know something's coming. I also caught myself calling Uktasana "that evil pose" this morning. It's OK to have a pose that's not your favorite and to admit to it. Students appreciate the fact that we have tough times in asana, too! It reminds them we all have something to work on and we do an asana even though we might hate every second of it.
I like a class that laughs. A lot. When, as adults, do we get to roll around on the floor, twist ourselves into really weird positions, moan, groan, sweat, and laugh a lot all in public? Notice I ask in public? Because I don't wanna hear about your sex lives! Yoga is funny, just like sex is. If you think about an alien observing either one? ie without the erotica? They'd wonder what the heck was going on that we were working so hard doing!?
Ah well. I digress. I need a nap. I'm mailing the 2003 taxes today. Finally!
C.
this made me laugh so much! especially the bit about utkatasana - last years least fave!! i used to mentally call purvottanasana "perverted asana"
i think all teachers and all students of yoga need to have a laugh. when people name drop about all the superstars of yoga they've supposedly studied with, i have the biggest laugh of all!
there are some truly wonderful teachers and i have nothing but respect for them but no need to get all yoga snobby about who you have studied with sometimes i wonder if that is where it is headed, you know? i hope not.  |
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| I'm currently recording 1960 hours of teacher training. And that's not workshops, just teacher training.
I am extremely careful to say "I took a workshop with ...." vs. "When I studied with ..." which is what we hear more of.
When Pattabhi goes on his last world tours, people go and take a week's classes. What they're doing is getting a class each day that is 1.5 hours long. There is no teaching, just leading. Then they come back and say, "When I studied with Pattabhi..." Excuse me?
I think that's why I'm sensitive to the claims of actual studentship vs. taking a class or a weekend workshop. They're all wonderful, fun, and valid experiences, but seldom are they actual classes where one studies.
Nonetheless, it's neat to see how someone does teach their workshop!
Christine |
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Top 10 things-great yoga class
