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| I can't help but think of TampaEric and think about how I ripped on him for ripping on his students and I think it was all because he was having bad day and it was not his usual teaching. So, here I am asking this: have you ever brought your most horrible day on the mat with you when you taught?
I taught a class today and I said right and left backwards a million times, I called out the wrong name of asana, I even forgot the word "chin mudra". I mean, it was criminal. All the while, I was correcting myself and apologizing, and I felt so bad. About a half hour into class, I said, "ok, I have to say, I am having issues. My best friend is getting a divorce and I'm very upset and I'm so sorry I'm messing up so badly!" These are my regular students and only 2 new people, and they were so kind. One even stayed after class to tell me how she delt with her best friend getting a divorce. I could go on and on. I am blessed that I have such great students who empathized with me rather than being pissed that I was so off. However, I am dissapointed in myself for bringing my junk on the mat and wonder how some of you might have handled it better. I know that in theory we are supposed to quiet the mindstuff, but knowing that didn't translate to doing that today. Normally, no matter what is going on in my life, I can calm it down during the beginning of class. Today, it was like my brain was firing off words that I didn't approve of. I can't even explain it well.
Edited by Kym 2007-11-01 10:40 PM
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| Given that yoga's about the whole person, I think you should stop beating yourself up. No one's perfect and I think being honest was the way to go as the reaction of your students show. After all, which would you prefer? That they think you're a crap, nervous teacher or someone human with a bit of junk to trip over? In fact, the newbies were probably relieved to find out they weren't the only ones confused :-)
Fee
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| I consider my teaching experiences to be my yoga, for pretty much the very same reasons you mentioned in your post. I'm trying to be the best person, the best teacher, I can be to these wonderful people who trust me enough to come to my classes, knowing full well I still have so much junk going on in my head so I always worry about short-changing them. Having expectations of what I think others expect of me is definitely a downward spiral I have to work hard at to avoid. And it's not just because I'm a new teacher. Believe me, I'm a perfectionist when it comes to doing things for other people (genetic guilt, I think  ). Like Fee said, your students seeing you being vulnerable and human is not a terrible thing at all. I think it serves as a reminder that we really are all the same, reinforcing that connection that creates a sense of universal compassion. Maybe it is because I'm a new teacher that I'm allowing myself a bit more slack, at least in terms of beating myself up for making those trivial mistakes, or having my own head-stuff distract me from the point. But I don't think it's that I don't feel I deserve to hold myself to a higher standard, because I know I'm still so new. Trust me, I prepare to the hilt for the classes I teach. I just know that beating myself up won't serve anyone, my students nor myself. So if nothing else, I try to teach them that by practicing it myself as I'm up there in front of them, flaws and all.  Interestingly enough, the theme for my classes this morning and tomorrow is teachers, and how we should thank and honor them wherever they may arise. Our conventional teachers are our teachers, yes, such as from school, our parents, etc. But also our students are our teachers, as well as the difficult people (and difficult experiences) in our lives. There is something wonderful to be learned whenever we can take the expectation/judgment factor out of any encounter or experience, I think. I also think it's easy to forget that fact. You are a fabulous teacher, Kym, and I thank you and honor you. Namaste. |
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| Never. Actually, for me the day becomes better when I go there and I forget any other past day.
Kym - 2007-11-01 10:39 PM
I can't help but think of TampaEric and think about how I ripped on him for ripping on his students and I think it was all because he was having bad day and it was not his usual teaching. So, here I am asking this: have you ever brought your most horrible day on the mat with you when you taught?
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| i'm with Fee on this. it really is a whole person process, and it's ok to have a bad day.
typically, i'm very open with my students. i've been not quite well for the last week (but not sick either), and so i gave them a heads up about it before class started. they then joked with me that i'm probably pregnant, and after class, they dragged me over to the drug store to do a test.
and no, i'm not pregnant. LOL
the truth is, if i'm messing up because i'm distracted, i just acknowledge it. it's ok to just be who and where you are. you want to offer your best, and sometimes your best isn't that great because of whatever else is going on.
that happens. it's ok that it happens--so there's no reason to 'feel bad' about it.
remember, it happens rarely anyway. it's one day out of thousands of great days and great classes. people aren't even going to remember. and anyone who is new will realize that this isn't about being perfect or what have you--it's about being yourself, whether you're beginner or advanced, teacher or student, or whatever. |
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Expert Yogi
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| Kym - one of my main lessons in adulthood has been learning to not blurt out all these things that are on my mind. It has NOT been easy! But I have had a few good role models, some of whom have made an art out of giving info without details. I have learned to say "sorry, I can't make it that day" rather than give an extended list of the things I have to do (or a made-up list if I am trying to get out of going!) etc. When I get muddled while teaching, no matter what the cause, I try to make a little joke (something in the air/stars, or now I've got to teach backward for the whole class) to get over the "bump." If that fails, there is "I've got too much in my brain today" or "I've got a lot of stuff happening right now" which are true, but don't leave my class feeling worse than I do. But sometimes that just doesn't work and you have to let it go. Like any other blip in our teaching, we do something we don't like, learn from it and move on.
I had to teach recently on the day of a memorial for a friend's 24 year old son who committed suicide. Many of the students probably knew the family and it would have been comforting for me to talk about it, but I focused on the students and the yoga and managed to get through it. I don't know if I could have done that even 10 years ago. I have to hope that, in my fifties, I am still becoming the person I really want to be. Its work and not always easy. But discomfort often brings change, so let yourself feel the discomfort and learn and grow |
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| Kym,
Remember that your worst class ever could be one of your student's best class ever. In teaching as well as life in general, I try to do my best and then try to accept the result without attachment. Beating yourself up because you did not live up to a ficticious ideal of how you "should be" doesn't do you or your students any good.
Namaste,
Jim |
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| If this is an apology, I accept.
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| Hello Kym,
One of the things we are taught to do in the Purna Yoga teacher training is a centering/meditation before we go into the classroom. Such a thing is not only to ground us as teachers (and thus leave our thingies outside the room) but also to connect us more deeply with the heart (chakra) so that we may share yoga from a place where the agenda is not desire, craving, or greed (pelvic force) nor one of ego and power (mental force).
We, as yoga teachers, are also human. So it is fine to have this experience, to look at it more carefully, and to handle it within the context of what Yoga is for you. If it becomes pattern rather than exception then there might be cause for some additional concern or action. But as an isolated event it is perfectly fine and there for you to learn from. In that respect there's no benefit from self-flagellation.
When we notice the conditions in ourselves that you are bringing up (and they may be silghtly different from person to person) then it is our practice - be it asana, pranayama, meditation, or all of the above - that brings us to a place where we can still teach without breaking down.
Of course breaking down is completely necessary in the evolutionary process as it is the precursor to breaking through. But of course, as you say, we'd like to do that breaking down on our own time not the time of our students. Now is a good time to ask the question "how do I prepare myself to offer yoga to others in the classroom". If the answer still works for you, retain it. If it does not, change it.
Edited by purnayoga 2007-11-02 4:21 PM
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| I have to admit, I was so afraid of the answers and I swore I would not log on for a week. I have to say, I'm nearly speechless with gratitude.
TE-yes, an apology as I eat crow.
Tourist-yes, I was admonishing myself as the words were coming out for being non-professional-I know better.
Neel-I usually experience a complete release of all my junk when I teach, this was unusual and it really took me for a ride.
Purna, normally, I take at least an hour before class to center. That may seem like a lot, or not enough to others, but I normally stop everything and think about my class, my intentions, and sometimes run through some asana . This particular class, I had a meeting right before. It was like a convergence of mistakes that led to me messing up like never before! I was truly sort of shocked as it was happening.
Thank you for the responses. The one thing I held onto, like y'all said, was that I'm human and by not being perfect on that particular day, it might have somehow served someone. Loka samasta sukino bavantu-right? (and excuse the spelling, I can barely spell english which is why I rarely write in sanskrit.)
So, I'm going to think about it some more. Think about what happened and what I could, or could not have controlled, learn from it, and move on. I do know that my mind was going 90 to nothing that day and I had no stillness before class, which clearly I need.
Edited by Kym 2007-11-02 9:41 PM
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| Kym - 2007-11-02 6:40 PM
...Purna, normally, I take at least an hour before class to center. That may seem like a lot, or not enough to others, but I normally stop everything and think about my class, my intentions, and sometimes run through some asana . This particular class, I had a meeting right before. It was like a convergence of mistakes that led to me messing up like never before! I was truly sort of shocked as it was happening.
I have one thing to add to this Kym. For me, when I reference "centering" it is both drawing the vital force of the pelvis and surrendering the mental force of the mind to the heart center. With this definition, that which is in or going on in the mind would be an obstacle to centering. So for me thinking about my intention or my class or doing asana would not abet me in the centering process.
Of course there is no one process and no one centering. The term however (again, to me) implies bringing the five koshas in toward the central channel which, for now, I will call the Self. So what works for me (and may not for others) is to connect with my heart center, draw my awareness into the sushumna nadi, and share that light when I go into class. Perfect I am surely not. But this is how we clear the tube that is the teacher. |
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Expert Yogi
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| For me it is all about the invocation to Patanjali. That is my centering and transitional thing. I can be scattered and brainless while coming in, giving the announcements etc. and even have "moments" during the initial oms, but somewhere in the process of the chant, I click into teacher mode. I chant the invocation again in the last moments of savasana and then I often realise that whatever had been on my mind before the class is ready to resurface. |
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| tourist -- it's always the same chant for Iyengar classes, right? Same for Anusara, always the same invocation, and I totally get what you mean about a chant like that centering you. At the studio where I trained, we learned at least a dozen chants, so you'd never what what the teacher was going to "spring" on us. Not that variety is bad, just not particularly centering, now that I think about it. And going off-topic a moment, back to my thread from the other day about my first Iyengar class, that was another thing that disappointed me: there was no invocation. Having never heard it, I was really looking forward to the experience of a brand new chant. One more question: when you say you chant the invocation again in the last moments of savasana, do you do that just in your mind, or aloud for the class? Just curious, that's all. |
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| we just chant Om at the beginning of my classes--anywhere from one to three oms, and sometimes Om Shanti at the end if i'm really feeling it. and i usually don't. Om is enough.
it's a great centering tool, any kind of invocation, and i use it as well as any students. we take a few deep breaths before hand, and a few after, and then we begin moving. |
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| yeah...
i'm just getting started with this teaching business, and a lot of the time i feel like i have very little idea what i'm doing up there.
i can't help but think back to one of my teachers saying, "for the first five years, you should be paying them to take your class."
...
i am aware that i'm probably my own harshest critic, and that (some of) my students do express their happiness with my teaching, but sometimes it can be fairly brutal. especially when i'm teaching people who have taken from more experienced teachers.
i suppose this is the learning process, and i suppose that one must pay their dues.
...
actually, a lot of times i see people responding well to my instructions...
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| karmann -- thanks for the info on the chanting. Level 2 only, eh? I wonder why... |
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| my whole deal is discretionary like that. that is, sometimes i'll do it in level 1, and sometimes in some level 1 classes but not others.
it really depends upon the 'vibe' of the class. not everyone is ready for chanting to be added into class yet. for some people, they're uncertain if they want to do yoga at all, what it is--they're nervous or scared. for these folks, everything can be intimidating, so i try to keep it as casual and encouraging and inclusive as possible.
in such a class (typically a level 1), i'll guide through a small centering exercise before movement. after a few months, once they're "hooked" and happy to be there and excited about it, then i'll teach them how to Om, etc. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Yes, it is almost always the same chant. For starting the class in particular, that is generally the routine. Three oms, call and response invocation, some words of gratitude and begin. I think BKS only began asking teachers to do this in the late 80's or early 90's when he found students were becoming more receptive to this aspect of yoga. There is a little discretion for the teachers - some never use it in Level I classes and start in Level II, but others use it all the time. I personally don't use it for Intro classes that we offer through the local rec centre, partly because they are only 1 hour classes and I need the teaching time and partly to give the students a bit more time to get used to the whole yoga thing before we get really far out and start chanting
I chant aloud near the end of savasana, which is entirely optional. Visiting teachers like Ramanand Patel and Faeq Biria chant at the end of savasana and as a student, I always felt it was a wonderful sense of completion to a class, so I checked with my teacher to see if it was ok and started doing it. Every bit of feedback I have had indicated that students really like it and I think it helps them learn the invocation by hearing it all together in one voice. And over time, I have found that it does help me to feel a sense of completing one class and let that go, especially when I teach two in a row. |
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| karmann - 2007-11-04 11:05 AM About 7 years ago I took my first yoga classes. After about the 3rd or 4th class at the end of asanas the teacher began to chant. I was quite alarmed. My first exposure to yoga (not counting the one class I took about 7 years ago as well, when I started crying uncontrollably during savasana) was just over three years ago, and chanting was an integral part of the class (hah, that's a pun, considering my teacher's roots  ). But there is no sense of alarm for anyone, I think, because of the way she introduces that element of the class (in all levels of her classes, btw). She invites everyone who knows the chant to join in, or participate in the call and response, whichever it's going to be that day, and the option to just let the ears be soft and listen is always there. No pressure to participate, because as she explains, because just by listening one is participating. We're all part of the same vibration. It's so simple. tourist, I really like the idea of listening to the chant again as one comes out of savasana. I've had several teachers use a bell to indicate it's time to come back to the world, and for some reason, I find that a little jarring. Also, depending on the teacher's voice (volume and tone), just having them start speaking again has been disturbing at times as well. Well, instructing me to begin deepening my breath, et. al., isn't disturbing, but maybe that's only because I'm so used to that. I've had teachers start to reiterate or revisit their themes as a segue to finishing savasana. I don't think I want more lessons at that point. My brain's in a different place then, and either hearing a familiar chant or simple physical instructions would be best. But then again, maybe that's just me. |
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| To back up a little to the "have you done this" thing, last week I had a similar sort of class. I kept messing up left and right (I never do this), kept tripping over my words and saying things that to me sounded completely stupid/stilted. After class I just told them I blamed the Halloween candy for the blood sugar fluctuations responsible for my tripping all over my words. We all had a good laugh and that was it. I think a little humor goes a long way sometimes. I felt like an idiot, but, thinking to my own teachers, it's nice to see a little humanity in them sometimes. So your students saw that in you, and I'm sure they appreciated your openness.
We can't be "on" all the time. We're only human! I thought yoga teachers were super-human, ultra-well-adjusted and always-calm... until I became one. |
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| i think it should be noted that for some people, no amount of various presentation about the chanting, no matter how universally it is described, there are people who will be/are turned off by it completely.
i have presented it in a variety of ways in my classroom, participation is optional, and so on. and every once in a while, i still get someone who is very much against chanting becasuse they see it as honoring another god, or doing something religious that is outside the bounds of their religion.
i live in a very conservative christian area. many of them are technically "not allowed" to practice yoga if it is taught as a spiritual discipline and not a physical one only. i've had people bring their pastors to talk to me and find out if my yoga class would be spiritually appropriate for them, or if i was inviting evil into the classroom.
to some, i have explained what OM is about, what it means in it's context, and how it's a universal sound, how it's ok to n ot participate. some consider even listening to the chant to be participating. I've had some pastors give their people the 'ok' to take my classes, and some pastors do not give it.
and, i did run into an interesting group of israeli jews who also were encouraged to not practice yoga because of the chanting. it would be ok if we did hebrew chanting/prayers instead, but not in hindu/vedic chants. since i use OM in regular classes, those classes are "out" for those students--even if they're just listening.
so, it's not just that a given teacher isn't explaining it well, or isn't making it accessable--but literally there are some people for whom chanting is a real, spiritual problem. |
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| I think that starting students with asana with the goal of later starting them on chanting or whatever is dishonest. If you want to teach chanting, great, teach a chanting class. Teaching Sanskrit chanting to most Westerners out of context makes about as much sense as Indian cricket players saying Hail Marys in Latin. (Both the Sanskrit chanting and the Hail Marys stimulate alpha waves and are otherwise meaningless outside of the context of their respective religions.) I think that asana and pranayama should be taught seperate from chanting and philosophy/religion. Otherwise, you are trying to convert people instead of sharing valuable tools for them to use as they see fit.
I agree with zoebird that we should be inclusive in our teaching and not teach in a way that makes yoga inaccessible to a large section of the population. I used to do Tae Kwon Do and one of it's tenets was "if you want to teach philosophy, do so with your example." This is often the best approach in a yoga class.
If you are actually competent in teaching chanting and philosophy/religion as well as asana, teach a seperate class where the students are coming for that. Please don't try to slip it in for the people who only want a workout. It is disrespectful to both the students and the chanting. |
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| jimg - 2007-11-05 12:42 PM I think that starting students with asana with the goal of later starting them on chanting or whatever is dishonest. If you want to teach chanting, great, teach a chanting class. Teaching Sanskrit chanting to most Westerners out of context makes about as much sense as Indian cricket players saying Hail Marys in Latin. (Both the Sanskrit chanting and the Hail Marys stimulate alpha waves and are otherwise meaningless outside of the context of their respective religions.) I think that asana and pranayama should be taught seperate from chanting and philosophy/religion. Otherwise, you are trying to convert people instead of sharing valuable tools for them to use as they see fit. I agree with zoebird that we should be inclusive in our teaching and not teach in a way that makes yoga inaccessible to a large section of the population. I used to do Tae Kwon Do and one of it's tenets was "if you want to teach philosophy, do so with your example." This is often the best approach in a yoga class. If you are actually competent in teaching chanting and philosophy/religion as well as asana, teach a seperate class where the students are coming for that. Please don't try to slip it in for the people who only want a workout. It is disrespectful to both the students and the chanting. I'm not sure if this response was meant for me in particular, since I seem to be the only one on this thread who hasn't had a bad experience with chanting. Just in case it is, I just want to be completely clear and say that I don't teach chanting in my classes, nor do I plan to, because that's not the yoga I feel competent to teach at this time. I enjoy chanting when I attend class. Must I teach everything that I enjoy practicing myself? Chanting "om" three times at the beginning of class and once at the end is all I do, and whoever is receptive to that will continue to attend my classes, and that's that. My teacher makes no apologies for the chanting that's done in her classes nor tries to disguise it that her classes aren't just asana; it's a known fact, and still the classes are way packed. I don't think there's anything dishonest or non-inclusive in that. |
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| i don't think it's necessary to teach them separately, but i do think that students should have an idea of what they are getting, and so if the classes include chanting, philosophy, etc, then it should be asserted in the advertising. people then know that it's going to be part of the class and there's no "bait and switch" aspect.
i find that most of the questions i get in regards to the advertising is what sort of chanting is done and for how long. some people want to learn many mantras. others want as little chanting as possible. some quesiton whether we use only hindu chants, or if we use others (buddhist, catholic, jewish, etc). and others question whether it's required or not.
when i don't have control over the advertising (such as in a gym scenario), then i describe at the beginning (if there's a newbie) what is happening, etc.
most people, btw, have no problem with an Om or 3. the majority of my students--new and old--participate. there are a few who do not. and there are a very very very few who choose not to participate because of it (i can count these people on one hand). |
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| OrangeMat,
I did not mean to address you in particular, but rather to address the issue, chanting. I only have a problem with chanting if it it part of a "bait and switch" scenario, an attempt to "convert" or if including it makes a class non-inclusive to people who have a different or no belief system. We all teach in different areas which have different demographics and need to take that into consideration in how we structure our classes. I think that chanting should be advertised as part of what is being taught or it should be a seperate class.
Namaste,
jimg |
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have you ever done this?
