 |
  |
 |
|
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
Site Areas  |
store | | | articles | | | forums | | | studios | | | vacations |
|
yoga | massage | fitness | wellness | meditation |
|
|
For future visits, link to "http://www.YogiSource.com/forums".
Make a new bookmark.
Tell your friends so they can find us and you!
Coming soon ... exciting new changes for our website, now at YogiSource.com.
 studyingModerators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 2 Now viewing page 2 [25 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
| Yoga -> Yoga Teachers | Message format |
Kym |
| ||
| |||
|
| ||
i think mishoga would be a good resource for you. i don't know if she teaches fitness classes anymore, but i know that she did teach fitness classes for a long time before teaching yoga.  | |||
| |||
| mishoga |
| ||
Expert Yogi Posts: 1738     Location: right where I'm supposed to be | |||
| |||
| mishoga |
| ||
Expert Yogi Posts: 1738 Location: right where I'm supposed to be | OK Orangemat, I just read a few of the posts in this thread and think I have an idea of what you're talking about. The decision to primarily teach yoga was one from the heart. I kind of feel that it just came to be. There wasn't a time when a lightbulb went off. It just felt right but it was a slow process. Personally I gave up the high energy workouts and stayed exclusively with yoga because it made me feel whole. Teaching high energy classes, especially one after another, is really draining on the body. I've felt weak in my muscles from teaching yoga but never exhausted. I think my strength as a teacher comes from my love, and my complete surrender to yoga. Sometimes I have to stop myself when speaking about yoga because I know to people who have no interest, or who haven't tried it, I sound like a Yoga freak. Now as far as a gym setting, it's dificult teaching in a gym. I was lucky in one place because they had three yoga classes a week for over two years. Both teachers (one in her 40's and one in her late 70's) were teaching basic, and I mean basic movement (stretching) but they had their client base hooked. Their students were practicing yoga as far as they were concerned. I wasn't going to say they weren't. I just came in and said my style will be somewhat different then what they are used to. I walked in and they didn't take to me at first (I hate subbing in). But as they came to know me I introduced dirgha breathing and explained everything inside out and why it works. They knew absolutely nothing about breathing. They only practiced asanas which were strictly called poses. They felt the immediate calming reaction to controlled breathing and started to believe the information I was sharing. I then introduced the sanskrit terms, mudras, vinyasa, the concept of listening with their ears and not their eyes. It's typical in gyms and you should know if you intruct any fitness classes that most will look for cueing into movement. They were sponges. I was lucky. I feel they were ready to move on. Unfortunately, the yoga Teachers and Pilate's teacher are not happy with my arrival because now the client base is questioning their knowledge. Actually, the Pilate's Instructor asked if I have time to give her some private instruction. I actually that after these teachers attended my class, they were trying to give some breathing instruction with no knowledge of movment and breath. I taught my students the mechanics of movement with breath so they said something didn't feel right when they were told to fold into Uttanasana on the inhale. Go figure. Unfortunately, imitation is the highest form of flattery to the detriment of the students. I was also told that one of the Yoga teachers made a comment such as "Mish is a good teacher but she really should teach in a studio, not in a gym". How sad is that. Why shouldn't the gym members be expoxed to yoga in true form, not a watered down fitness class claiming to be yoga. I think it's sad a teacher who teaches yoga would have that attitude.Not very yogiv, I'm sure we would all agree on that. The other gym, well they have such a strong base of educated and experienced yoga teachers in all their other locations (I wish I could take classes in Manhattan) that this gym is their baby in the suburbs. They are looking to expand their Mind, Body, class line-up. And the students, well it seems the younger ones want the burn. They come in to try the yoga classes (ya know, it's chich to say you took a yoga class) but do not feel inclined to stick with it. They feel if they are not sweating, well they are wasting time. But the older students love the yoga classes (four different teachers in different styles) Humor is important too. You can't be too serious. That can scare off some gym people. Be patient, have fun with them and teach with compassion. The people will come when you are ready for them. Like field of dreams "Build it and they will come" Think of it as building your practice. Gym mentality is so different. Yoga studios have students who want to grow in their yoga practice. All who come want yoga, where as in gyms, it is nice if it's offered but there is such a large selection of activities, that a yoga class can be switched for a spin class, especially if the student feels they drank one too many martinis with their calorie rich dinner the night before.  You kind of just have to go with it. Try doing some seva work just teaching yoga and see how you feel about it. It might be so tremendous that you decide to ditch your fitness/PT. Either way, I wish you mucho luck and success in finding your ground. Edited by mishoga 2007-01-25 2:01 PM | ||
| |||
| OrangeMat |
| ||
Well I just lost my whole longwinded reply, so it's for the best, considering how much I was whining OM | |||
| |||
|
| ||
| |||
| OrangeMat |
| ||
| |||
| Jump to page : 1 2 Now viewing page 2 [25 messages per page] |
| Search this forum Printer friendly version E-mail a link to this thread |
| (Delete all cookies set by this site) | |