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 Sequencing in GYMS--HELP!!!Moderators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
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OneLove |
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Hi to all you beautiful people! I'm a new, new teacher and of course starting out in qyms. My training has mostly been in vinyasa, ashtanga and power yoga with a little iyengar but not too much. I'm teaching my first class outside of my training tomarrow in a gym and I wanted some advice on sequncing !! I've called a teacher that usually teaches this class but her phone has been off and I have no idea what level or type of yoga these students are used too! HELP!!  | |||
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| jonnie |
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| OneLove |
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yes, i've always apprechaited when a teacher makes it an option. I seem to forget these things when i'm nervous! Thanks!  and yes, i do OM, for sure. Edited by OneLove 2006-12-07 1:25 PM | |||
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442      | |||
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | Seriously, I understand the nerves and I understand that she is asking specifically about gym yoga vs. other classes that she may be better prepared to teach. But gee whiz, even if I (god forbid) trained teachers in a weekend, I would give them a couple of lesson plans to walk away with! And yes, I am a little cranky right now...you guys will just have to live with it.   | ||
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| kulkarnn |
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OneLove - 2006-12-07 12:05 PM Hi to all you beautiful people! I'm a new, new teacher and of course starting out in qyms. My training has mostly been in vinyasa, ashtanga and power yoga with a little iyengar but not too much. I'm teaching my first class outside of my training tomarrow in a gym and I wanted some advice on sequncing !! I've called a teacher that usually teaches this class but her phone has been off and I have no idea what level or type of yoga these students are used too! HELP!! I am surprised at this question, with no offense. Vinyasa, Ashtanga and Power, all dealing with Sequence ONLY. And you are asking advice on sequencing. You should be the one advising others! | |||
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| mishoga |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 1738  Location: right where I'm supposed to be | I know this is older, and I really hope we didn't scare OneLove away. If I didn't know any better I would think this is the new Teacher coming into one of my places of employment (without mentioning names). I was told by my employee that a new teacher was coming in to check out my class. She just finished up a training and had not taught a class yet. When she came into my class, I asked her what style she teaches and she looked at me blankly. I then asked where she did her training and she said she just did a weekend workshop with Yogafit, and that she had been taking Asthanga for 8 years. She said to me that she thought my class was mild, which that particular one is since none of these studetns had prior experience with yoga and 80% of the students are older and very stiff. I told her she couldn't come into this place and start teaching a strong Asthanga based practice without knowing the ability, ROM, etc... of the students. She had to groom them slowly. I've never heard from her again. She was supposed to come in the following week to take a portion of my class (to break the fear of teaching). I wonder why she didn't show up. This post sounds just like her. Although I don't understand why she would teach Asthanga if she is not certified in Asthanga. What does Yogafit teach in their level 1 workshop? Go figure  Mish | ||
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| the level 1 yoga fit workshop is pretty basic. the sequence is geared toward people who are stiff and who are new to yoga. so, if she taught their sequence, then she would probably be ok. i ran into a similar problem--it happens frequently. i have taught in this one gym where i work for 5-6 years. i have a very steady following. my classes are all levels. as you know, i'm highly trained and experienced. the gym is lookign for more yoga teachers. three teachers applied for the job, and i was part of the interview process. all of them came to one of my three classes that i teach there. (one in each). each one has a distinct style, because of the clientele of that class time. it's just the natural rhythm of the yoga there. ok, so, the first class and nice man comes in. about my age. no experience taking yoga classes before--but he's very fit and he's a personal trainer. he took YogaFit level 1 (had just finished his 8 hrs of community service). he practiced a few yoga stretches that helped his clients on a regular basis. that was his experience with yoga. He happened to come into a class that is relatively gentle. it's a mixed bag of students from brand new beginners to advanced, but i take is slow and steady with a lot of focus on alignment because it is the morning and people are generally stiffer, etc. After 15 mintues, he left the class saying "i didn't know what yoga was. i'm not prepared to teach." i explained to him that i'd be happy to take him on as an apprentice (i currently have an opening), and he said "no, thanks, i'll just add a few stretches to m PTing and go from there." and i said "ok." the second teacher came in. the circumstance was similar. she had practiced yoga at a local studio (the one where i once taught) for about 2-3 months and had taken a yoga certification through her aerobics certification organization. she told me that the certification was a 3 hour course over the weekend and that she'd also gotten certified in two other modalities (other forms of aerobics). She took my class--the mid-level one--and left after 30 minutes saying that i was really intimidating and that she didn't want to teach with me because i'd end up 'stealing' her clients. So, i said "ok." the third teacher has about 1 yr experience practicing yoga at a good studio near her workplace. she finished the 200 hr teacher training there. she took my toughest class, and was game. Her postures were all over the map (pretty terrible alignment, but her school focuses mostly on philosophy and gentle yoga, so i wasn't that worried about it), and i gave her some pointers, etc. After class, we talked a bit and she decided that she'd like to apprentice with me. I took her class (first class was sunday), and she and i discussed her goals, interests, etc for herself, hre teaching, and hre class. we met for private lessons to learn some more alignment, and my other apprentice came over and we worked together on anatomy, alignment, and safe assisting. She wants to develop a deeper practice for herself, as well, so we also focused in on that a bit. a couple of my students took her class as well and gave me their impression--the one student who was there when the other two teachers left (particularly the one who said that i was intimidating) had an interesting comment. she's only been doing yoga for 3 months and i'm the only class/teacher she's ever taken. she said "i didn't know any different; i thought all yoga teachers were like you. now i understand why that teacher was intimidated. you're completely differnet." she couldn't elaborate, but she could tell the difference between the new teacher and me, and she tried two other yoga classes (other locations) to get a feel for other teachers. I recommended classes with other experienced teachers for her to try, to see the differences in style, not just experience. She still says 'that's why you're intimidating to others. i think you're just really passionate about this." some can hang, and some learn that they're nto ready to hang. i'm always willing to help--no problem--any new teacher. but they have to be open to that. not all are. it's ok. and teaching in gyms has unique challenges. | |||
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| i wouldn't say that these comments make my angry or frustrated. i simply know that this is how some people percieve me and have percieved me since i was a child. apparently, my own teachers in grammar school found me 'intimidating' if the comments on my report cards mean anything. to be honest, i have no clue what this means when someone says 'you're intimidating!' i ask "how?" because, honestly, i'd like to not be that way, and i percieve myself as open, kindhearted, etc, and many more people find me this way than find my intimidating (this was also the predominent feedback from my students, peers, and teachers while a child--as well as 'she is very conscientious and courteous.') so, when i am confronted with the idea that i am intimidating, i do not become upset or flustered at all, i simply do not understand 'how' and most people who say that i am intimidating can not tell me how. my husband has given me some insight, as has a good friend/student of mine. ryan says that i have strong personal boundaries and a strong sense of personal responsibility. i am assertive with my boundaries and confident in my demeanor. for many people, this is unexpected behavoir for a young woman who also looks younger than her years by a good decade (most people guess my age at 20 instead of thirty). to have a confident, self assured woman with a strong sense of personal responsibility and boundaries say something to assert those boundaries when necssary is often intimidating. my friend/student, Star, told me that i have an intimidating gaze. apparently, it is because i make and maintain eye contact with people. i have blue eyes, and she says that unlike other eye colors, in her opinion blue eyes sort of "suck you in" while simultaneously seeming to look deep into one's own psyche or soul--seeing deeply. The duration for which i'll maintain eye contact is often unnerving as well. she said that this combination of blue eyes and 'extended' eye contact, 'extended' by common social standards, can be intimidating. i found that for the first information, the assertion of my personal boundaries and which behavoirs i will and will not abide and/or participate in i consider to be healthy for my own self equanimity. i believe in autonomy and also living out what i feel my spirit-mission is. if there is something that another wants me to do that, in my own understanding and contemplation goes against my autonomy or spirit mission, then i am going to forgo it. for the second part, i've worked on asking other people if i am making them uncomfortable with the eye contact that i'm maintaining or how to better work on this construct. quite honestly, i never knew that looking at someone in the eye was a problem, as my parents make eye contact with me and it's an important social aspect of our family life. to give eye contact is to demonstrate attentiveness and care, that you are 'hearing' and deeply present with the other person. apparently, this is a rare occurance overall--and thus an extended gaze can be unnerving and thus intimidating. but, others say that this is completely ridiculous--that they do not find me this way at all. so for me, it's not really an 'us/them' or 'me/them' scenario for which i will get angry. i welcome criticism of my behavoir, my teaching, or whatever, and i also recognize that i needn't be everyone's teacher (i'm not right for everyone), that my style isn't right for everyone, that not everyone is going to like me (personally, for example), and that i don't have to be friends with everyone nor they friends with me. Simply, if they don't like me--in whatever capacity--then that's ok. there are plenty of people in the world to whom i can relate, to whom they can relate. sometimes, it's just 'we don't gel.' and there's nothing wrong with that. | |||
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| joscmt |
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| FWIW, ZB, I didn't find you intimidating. I found you to be knowledgeable, and I think that can be intimidating for some people who are insecure. I appreciated (and noticed) that you held eye contact with me. But, I too, grew up in a household where that was taught as a "respect" thing. I really got the idea that you were listening to me and hearing what I felt to be my limitations. I haven't forgot your request- I just haven't had time yet.. I'll get to it next week | |||
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | Some people find anyone who is self-assured and confident in their ideas and opinions intimidating. I have certainly had that experience and I find it hard to imagine why anyone would find me intimidating (well, I hope my toddlers do when I use my big voice and say "get OFF that table!" but they tend to just ignore me... ) I have had times when I felt I was being calmly assertive when certain individuals (due to their own insecurities etc.) felt I was being pushy and arrogant. So some of it is about them, but I also respect that others may be in that place and try to mitigate any problems for them by watching my words and intonation. It is important for me to be true to myself but it is also my duty to practice ahimsa and do my best not to injure others. As far as looking someone in the eye goes, and I am just speaking generically here, there is culturally and conversationally correct eye contact and then there is eye contact that is inappropriate and definitely intimidating. I think we have all had the experience of feeling someone's eyes on us for too long or too intently and how creepy that is. I am currently dealing with someone who does not understand conversational cues and it is really weird and uncomfortable sometimes. | ||
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