Dedicated to educating the yoga community about chair yoga, in general, and Liz Franklin's Yoga In Chairs(r), in particular.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
More Communication Skills for Yoga Teachers
By Paul Jerard
When Yoga teachers gather in a workshop to hear a lecture about communication - what is the first topic that comes to mind? Is it cueing skills, voice inflection, or when to ask a student for permission to assist? Those are important issues for anyone who teaches Yoga, but let’s take a look at many more areas that could use some work.
Communication is a two way street. How can we exchange ideas if students are made to feel “stupid” for asking questions? Granted, Yoga classes cannot operate like an open forum, if you have a lesson plan in mind, but a student who is experiencing pain should not have to feel bad for asking about it. Nor should he or she have to wait until the end of class to ask an impatient teacher about his or her pain.
Listen Empathically: When a student asks a Yoga-related question during class time, the Yoga instructor present, should listen to all of the details. There are times when a Yoga student asks questions, which are on the mind of many more classmates.
For some Yoga students, it takes a lot of courage to ask a question in a group setting. Some students ponder questions for days before asking them. Their heart rate may rise because it took courage to ask the question.
With all this said, listening is a primary communication skill. As a Yoga teacher, you are respected by your students, so do not violate a trust by bolstering your ego. The key is to listen intently, because you may have questions of your own, which will result in a deeper answer.
Who becomes a Yoga student’s best teacher during Hatha Yoga practice? His or her body, and mind, must eventually be the best Yoga teacher. If not, we have failed to give our students the gift of self-realization. To go further: Yoga students must learn to think for themselves. If they are dependent on a Yoga teacher, all the time, then our teaching method is flawed.
Why do I say this? If a student is not present for Yoga practice, we must make him or her gently aware of it. There is no need to make students dependent on us. Good students will always return to Yoga class.
Yoga must still be practiced after our students have rolled up their mats. Breathing, walking, talking, eating, posturing, and acting with mindfulness, is the sign of a Yoga practitioner. All of the amazing physical feats are nice, but any flexible Pilates student, dancer, gymnast, or martial artist, could do the same.
Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: Yoga in Practice, and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
When Yoga teachers gather in a workshop to hear a lecture about communication - what is the first topic that comes to mind? Is it cueing skills, voice inflection, or when to ask a student for permission to assist? Those are important issues for anyone who teaches Yoga, but let’s take a look at many more areas that could use some work.
Communication is a two way street. How can we exchange ideas if students are made to feel “stupid” for asking questions? Granted, Yoga classes cannot operate like an open forum, if you have a lesson plan in mind, but a student who is experiencing pain should not have to feel bad for asking about it. Nor should he or she have to wait until the end of class to ask an impatient teacher about his or her pain.
Listen Empathically: When a student asks a Yoga-related question during class time, the Yoga instructor present, should listen to all of the details. There are times when a Yoga student asks questions, which are on the mind of many more classmates.
For some Yoga students, it takes a lot of courage to ask a question in a group setting. Some students ponder questions for days before asking them. Their heart rate may rise because it took courage to ask the question.
With all this said, listening is a primary communication skill. As a Yoga teacher, you are respected by your students, so do not violate a trust by bolstering your ego. The key is to listen intently, because you may have questions of your own, which will result in a deeper answer.
Who becomes a Yoga student’s best teacher during Hatha Yoga practice? His or her body, and mind, must eventually be the best Yoga teacher. If not, we have failed to give our students the gift of self-realization. To go further: Yoga students must learn to think for themselves. If they are dependent on a Yoga teacher, all the time, then our teaching method is flawed.
Why do I say this? If a student is not present for Yoga practice, we must make him or her gently aware of it. There is no need to make students dependent on us. Good students will always return to Yoga class.
Yoga must still be practiced after our students have rolled up their mats. Breathing, walking, talking, eating, posturing, and acting with mindfulness, is the sign of a Yoga practitioner. All of the amazing physical feats are nice, but any flexible Pilates student, dancer, gymnast, or martial artist, could do the same.
Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: Yoga in Practice, and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Upon successful graduation from a Yoga teacher training course, many new Yoga teachers feel they still need some direction. After spending five months, up to years, with a Master Yoga teacher, Swami, or Guru, the new Yoga teacher has left the nest, but where should he or she go from there?
Let’s look at an organized way for new Yoga teachers to expand their knowledge, while pursuing their passion. After all, Yoga instructors cannot share the same interests all the time. With so many forms of Yoga, and a multitude of aspects to choose from, “the sky is the limit.”
Are you interested in Office Yoga, Prenatal or Postnatal Yoga, Chair Yoga, Yoga Therapy, Yoga for Stress Disorders, teaching Yoga to children, or another Yoga teaching path? There are many directions to specialize in, and it is best to keep the list small.
This brings up the first step in finding your direction: Write a list of goals, interests, and objectives, for teaching Yoga. There is something very powerful about “etching ideas into the subconscious mind,” with a pen and paper.
If you decide to enter deadline dates, for short-term goals, you might be shocked at the number of goals, which reach fruition. When you put ideas into writing, and take action, the success rate does go up.
Avoid procrastination, and do not allow excuses to run your life. This is a pitfall on a goal-setting path. I guarantee that you will run into obstacles. Nobody has a life without them; however, look at each one as a stimulating challenge.
Do not waste time on blaming anybody, or anything; this will make you stronger as you journey toward becoming a better Yoga teacher. This will also guide you in the right direction to meet the needs of your students.
Organize your list of goals by priority. Which goals are more urgent? Decide by projected deadlines - in measurements of days, weeks, months, and years. This will help you to avoid wasting time on long-term goals, when you have a serious deadline facing you this week.
It is human nature to try to avoid the tough projects. Yet, you are best off to tackle the difficult projects first. Once you have taken care of the toughest chores, a heavy burden has been lifted from your mind and you can think clearly.
Get rid of all distractions for optimum use of your time. For example: Cell phones, television, time wasting chatter, and Email must wait if you are in the middle of an important project or your studies. You do not have to live the lifestyle of a Spartan, but there are some times when the “technological toys” get in the way of real progress.
Lastly, reward yourself with quality time, when you have finished a project. Make sure that you take the time to enjoy your family, friends, and quality relationships. You are a Yoga teacher, who teaches the art of living, and you should also enjoy a balanced life.
Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA, hust 20 minutes north of Providence, RI. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Today, I am going to share a fundamental formula for running a successful business – it works for just about ANY type of business. It works for IBM and Chevrolet, and it also works for the restaurant down the street. In fact, I use it with most yoga studios.
Very simply, there are five steps to running a successful business:
1. Decide who will you serve 2. Find out what they want 3. Get it 4. Let them know you have it AND how it will help them 5. Give it to them
That's it. Class dismissed. Okay, so you want some explanation? Let's take it one step at a time. This will take a few minutes to go though, but I promise it's worth it. And, at the end, I'll give you a way to evaluate your own studio. I'll use an example of Kona's sandwich shop, a restaurant near where I live, then we'll also apply it to a studio.
1. Decide who you will serve. You will do far better in business if you can narrow down your audience. Select a niche (or a number of them). I like to consider three criteria in choosing a niche:
a) Can they comfortably afford my products or services?
b) Can I easily reach them (advertise & market to them)?
c) Are they likely to be interested in what I'm selling (Does it ease some discomfort or provide some pleasure or benefit)?
Kona's sandwich shop is near a state university. They aim to serve students – this is their primary target market. Here's how they do on the niche criteria. First, students are often low on cash, so they sell low-priced sandwiches. You can get a good sandwich and a drink for under $5.00 (they probably couldn't make it selling sandwiches for $12.95, as downtown restaurants do). Next, students are mostly located on the university campus. They can be reached through on-campus ads, university newspaper, etc. Finally, students need to eat, and a take-out/eat-in place like Kona's fits their lifestyle well.
What are successful niches for a yoga studio? Back pain relief yoga, pre-natal yoga, weight-loss yoga, stress relief yoga, etc. Many studio owners feel they serve everyone. This may be true, but your students want to feel like you specialize in their needs. If you offer weight-loss yoga, you can probably find potential students at Weight Watchers, Overeaters Anonymous, a local gym, etc. There are clear ways to contact them. If they are already participating in another program to help with weight loss, they can quite possibly afford yoga too.
2. Find out what they want. Kona's tried serving everything from pizza to baked potatoes over the years, but again and again, they found that students just want a basic sandwich. A low-priced one that is freshly made. So this is just what they serve. Looking at a studio, even though the class might be the same for some of the niches we've talked about, the reason people come is different. You MUST clearly know why these people might want to come to your studio. This means that you want to put coupons that say “Easier Childbirth and Less Pain – Try Pre-natal Yoga” in an OB/GYN's office. But the therapist's office gets the ones that say “Did you know that yoga can relieve stress and anxiety?”
3. Get it. This means get whatever you need to provide the product or service to your customers. Kona's got the ingredients and hired a staff of sandwich-makers. This is all they need. For a studio, this step means that you need qualified teachers and a space to teach yoga. If you sell products, it means buying inventory. That's it (It's much easier after doing steps 1 & 2).
4. Let them know you have it AND what it will do for them. The folks at Kona's are great at this. They advertise in just about everything that the university students read. They provide coupons, because students always want to save a buck. They let students know that the sandwiches are freshly made, taste great and will fill them up. We all seek to avoid pleasure an pain (though most people will do more to avoid pain than they will to gain pleasure). For Kona's, this means letting students know they will avoid the “pain” of spending lots of money. And, they will have the “pleasure” or benefit of having a fresh sandwich that tastes great.
Notice that when we talked about pre-natal and stress-relief yoga, we addressed this too. Pregnant women spend time in Ob/Gyn offices, so we want to put coupons or postcards there. And, we don't use generic ones either – they are simple and specific. Basically, they say “you won't feel as much childbirth pain if you come to our studio and do yoga!” That's all it takes to persuade many women to give it a try.
5. Give it to them. This means that you have to provide whatever your selling in a comfortable and convenient way. No one wants to wait in line too long for a sandwich, nor do they want to have no place to sit and eat it. Kona's has a sandwich assembly line with one person putting on each layer of the sandwich, so the customer gets it quickly. They provide lots of indoor and outdoor seating so customers receive a positive dining experience. Kona's has been one of the most successful sandwich restaurants in town for over 20 years.
In our sample studio, this is where the “rubber meets the road.” I believe in giving students an “Exceptional Experience” (as I've talked about in past newsletters). When a students leaves your studio feeling like they are truly a being of spirit and light (or their back hurts less, or they are losing weight, etc.) then you have successfully delivered what you promised. Not only will they be back, but they will bring their friends.
Now let's apply it to your studio. Ask yourself the following questions:
1. What niches do I serve? Do I advertise or market to them specifically (or do you just post generic yoga fliers everywhere)?
2. What is the real reason they might want yoga? What pain or discomfort in their life do they hope it will ease? What positive benefit will it provide?
3. Now that you know what they want, ask yourself: Do I have the staff and space I need to serve these people's wants and needs?
4. How am I targeting these potential students? Where do they spend time? Am I clearly letting them know what results they will see in their life from yoga (or do I just let them know they can come to my studio for yoga, but figuring out the results are their business)?
5. Am I providing an exceptional experience to my students and clients? Do they leave my studio feeling “Wow, that was great!”
It takes some patience to go through these (and some brutal honesty), but I have yet to see a studio that has completed these steps thoroughly and is not successful.
Namasté, Al Lipper Coach Al Lipper
If you found this information insightful, pass on the good fortune to others right now. Thank you! _________________ Coach Al Lipper Business Coach for Yoga Studios http://www.CenteredBusiness.com fcoach@centeredbusiness.com (805) 544-3938
THURSDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- Yoga's postures, controlled breathing and meditation may work together to help ease brains plagued by anxiety or depression, a new study shows.
Any time you are sitting at the front of the Yoga class, in a teaching capacity, your role must fit comfortably into Yoga teacher / Yoga student relationship guidelines. This concept of “role playing” is a difficult transition for any Yoga intern, regardless of past experience.
It is one thing to make sure you are concentrating on your breath, alignment, mantra, bandhas, or Mudra; but when you teach Yoga, you must focus on a room full of students with separate thoughts. With responsibility, changes come from within you.
Suddenly, the standard of your classes are in question – within your own mind. This is the real issue, within your own mind; your classes may be criticized, but do not criticize yourself in public.
If you have taken the time to develop a lesson plan, and guided a Yoga class from start to finish, do not ask any of your students for criticism. If another Yoga teacher offers some tips, you can always listen and learn, but your students have never taught.
You will also reinforce doubts from your students by asking them for a critique. Many new Yoga teachers go through a “learning curve,” but you do not have to make an announcement. Consider this: Every Yoga teacher, before you, went through the same leaning curve, so learn and avoid “beating yourself up.”
You must avoid self-doubt, and the appearance of self-doubt, when you teach Yoga classes. Learn to separate friendships from professional relationships. This is a “hard line to walk;” especially, if long-time friends are in your Yoga class.
However, you have a mission, a task to perform, and a Yoga class to lead. If you want your classes to be flawless, forget about special relationships during class time. You will be a better Yoga teacher, when you treat everyone the same.
Remember that if you praise one student for something, it would be fair to praise all of your students for something else. Yoga teachers, who take the time to show positive reinforcement to their students, cultivate an atmosphere of positive energy.
When you teach a Yoga class, your mission is “to serve.” The Yoga class is for the student’s benefit. Think about this, from the beginning, to the end, of your class. Be mindful of your words and be careful not to offend anyone.
When your students leave feeling better than when they came in – that is your reward. Do not seek praise; it is the natural product of a good Yoga class.
Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Teaching Hatha Yoga - Abundance is Under Your Nose
By Paul Jerard
Have you been overlooking opportunities because of “programmed thinking?” Some people, even Yoga teachers, feel they do not deserve opportunities. They scratch out a modest existence because they have been programmed for less than optimum results.
What a loss of creativity to mankind it is; to have a mindset, which reinforces a lack of action, in the face of opportunity. Some people of extraordinary character are humble, and this is a wonderful quality, but a solution that can help all of humanity should not be withheld for the sake of humility.
There are Yoga teachers with fantastic mental, spiritual, and physical talents, who can contribute much more for the common good of humanity, just by taking some action. If success, abundance, and achievement were bad things, why do so many people spend their time “day dreaming” about it?
A dream is a start, because an idea, in the form of a dream, has the potential for real possibility. Every “man made” creation started as an idea or a dream. Medicine, philosophy, mathematics, language, Yoga, and much more, sprang forth from ideas and dreams.
Patanjali put his own ideas, and those from the past, into print. Should he have withheld the Yoga Sutras from humanity for the sake of humility? Of course not, and creativity should not be stifled, as long as it falls within moral and ethical guidelines.
What can any of us contribute to mankind? Our ideas should be applied to solve the problems, which plague mankind. If you want to help, but cannot understand where you fit in - you might want to make a list of the talents you have.
Now, how could you apply your talents to help one person or a group of people? If you are already teaching Yoga, you can see a lot of potential to help others, but Yoga is not all you teach. Everyone teaches someone, something new, every day. You do not have to be a “teacher” to teach.
Therefore, share yourself with others, but be prepared for positive and negative reactions. If you know in your heart that your ideas will result in solutions, toward “the end of suffering,” and they will not harm anyone, then you cannot “sit on your hands.” Do not be afraid to take a chance, when you have a good idea, which can help others.
In the words of William Shakespeare: “To thine own self be true.” Take the time for self-realization and get to know yourself. If you think abundance will corrupt you, make plans to contribute to a worthy charity.
Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com/ He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Although Office Yoga practice resembles Chair Yoga routines, there is usually a difference in the mobility of the average participant. Chair Yoga is most commonly seen in senior centers, nursing homes, assisted living complexes, physical rehabilitation units and adult day care centers. On the other hand, Office Yoga is taught to the “work force,” which should be more mobile than the average senior citizen, but there are always exceptions.
What are Office Yoga warm up exercises like?
You can begin in a seated or standing posture, but most office workers should get up and out of the chair. Circular movements are good for massaging internal organs and swishing synovial fluid around the joints. Synovial fluid lubricates your joint surfaces and sends nutrients to the cartilage within your joints.
One of the most important things to remember is that slow and controlled circular movement for most joints is fine. However, the neck and knees demand special attention. The neck is not a “ball and socket” joint, so it is not designed for excessive friction. Any neck warm ups should be linear and you should avoid forcing or hyperextending your neck at all times.
The knees should avoid excessive rotation and friction. If you wish to swish synovial fluid around the knee joint, you should lift one foot off the floor and slowly move the knee forward and back. You can also move the knee in circles, with one foot off the ground, but the hip and ankles will move with it, which is fine.
Once both feet are on the ground, the knee is often the axis of movement. When performing Arm Swings, which are a common warm up exercise in Yoga class, the knee rotates along with a full body motion.
For example: When you swing to the left, the right knee bends, the right heel should rise off the floor, and there is no excessive torque put on the left knee. So the swing is controlled and you should be mindful of both knees in order to avoid excess friction, force, or torque.
Shoulder shrugs are a priceless warm up for an Office Yoga class. This is a stress relieving exercise, as well as a warm up. Many office workers have stress build up in the back, shoulders, and neck. With that said, the shoulder shrug is a preventative exercise for headaches, back spasms, and neck pain. These are just a sampling of the most common ailments office workers have from excessive sitting and typing.
Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
