Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga teacher courses are filled with information about asanas. Meditation, philosophy, ethics, anatomy and yogic methods will be covered, but in physical styles the bulk of information covered will be posture alignment, assisting, and modification. 

What should yoga teachers know about asana? According to an article response published in The New York Times “yoga exercises do not exist as an empirical object and the asana only subsists when an individual attempts to connect in it”. To take on teaching yoga as a profession, demands a lot of hard work, dedication and competency regarding to every aspect of this physical activity. The core requirement for conducting a yoga session is to have complete awareness or experience of how students should move their body parts, balance, focus and control breath while practicing specific posture.

The responsibility of a teacher is to help students in achieving and maintaining accurate body alignment during practice also guide them when to hold or relax in a pose especially for challenging poses to attain maximum benefits. A skilled professional should always be equipped with knowledge about asanas progress and sequence. For safe and secure guidance of yoga techniques it is important to have understanding of three main facets body strength, flexibility and stability of an individual practitioner. This practical understanding will be attained by knowing human anatomy and acquiring knowledge of bodily postures deeply. When the trainer is aware of muscles and skeletal system of body he/she will give much more correct and clear instructions to students about relaxing and contracting body parts in each pose.

The complete understanding of performing asanas is helpful for teaching diverse levels of students in a class, for beginners, intermediate and advanced stages the practicing criteria is different. For initial stages the teacher shed light about which parts of body are weak, injured, stiff or need development in flexibility and strength. Similarly for practitioners having health issues, age factor or any disability need modified versions and physical adjustments while practicing traditional asanas. Sometimes props, adjustments or modification are helpful in making yoga poses easier. The teacher should devise sequences of asanas that build proficiency and acquaintance of one pose to another, allowing students to feel their own body, muscular actions, effects of proper body alignment and breath control. It will also help to train students to know how body muscles and joints interact in a complete sequence of asana.

To teach beginners the trainer should use deep seated knowledge about elementary poses with much more emphasis on performing standing asanas. Gradually other poses are added later that include forward and backward bends, twisting, inversions, balancing and restorative poses. For ending each session teacher should guide practitioners to perform deep relaxation pose Savasana or corpse pose in an insightful manner for releasing all tensions of body and mind, drawing mind towards peaceful and stillness mode. All in all when it comes down to training the instructors it all depends on their adaptability, sensitivity and how well they can perform the poses.

One more thing that should be a vital ingredient for teachers is that they should always be calm, composed and ready to humbly respond to the student queries. They should have a fair idea of how to help a struggling student and make them believe in their selves as yoga is all about exploring one’s self and negating the negativity that surrounds us.

Some training programs include pranayama, but some teachers don't include much of it in their classes. What should a yoga teacher know about paranayama? Since yogic breath connects mind and body, it should be given more of a presence in modern classes. Paranayama is one of the most important limbs of Patanjali’s yoga sutra and considered as the fundamental aspect in all forms of yoga.

The breathing practice is all about releasing and channeling pranic energies store in human body. Deep inhalation and exhalation procedure helps to cleanse, nourish, nurture high level of physical health and mental clarity. Paranayama is derived from Sanskrit word Prana and Ayana in which prana means life force or vital energy that flow in body whereas ayana means expansion or extension. The expansion of vital energies by controlling and regulating of prana efficiently destroy all diseases and illnesses of body.

According to “Good Health and Vitality through Essential Breath Work”, the breathing book; the breathing process may affect human respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, muscular and psychic functions. Moreover it may also affect sleep, memory, levels of energy and mental focus. When an individual has irregular respiration his/her mind fluctuates and when breath is steady the mind becomes steady too. For attaining stability during yoga practice it is important to bring under control the breathing procedure. Regular practice of paranayama techniques has direct effect on nervous system along with influencing all body systems by providing sense of peace in mind. Latest scientific researches and clinical observations stated that excessive supply of oxygen aids in getting rid of all ailments from body as breath is the main contributor of life and also binds conscious in correct manner.

A competent teacher should be well equipped of comprehensive awareness and deep seated knowledge of paranayama techniques with applications of Bandhas, without it the practice can be injurious for student’s health. Teacher should educate students all four major aspects of correct breathing process that involve inhalation or Pooraka, exhalation or Rechaka, internal breath retention or Anthar Khumbaka and external breath retention or Bahir Khumbaka. There is another form of paranayama technique known as Kevala Khumbaka or spontaneous breath retention, an advance level exercise performed during higher stages of meditation. Simple breathing pattern like diaphragmatic respiration is helpful and good for students at initial levels as it increases their breath awareness, stability, steadiness and comfort level. Gradually transform beginner’s to advance level of breathing exercises by lengthening exhalation or holding up breath for extended time interval. Advice beginner’s not to practice advance paranayama techniques because they require much more still body and calm mind, do not allow them to overdo any breathing exercise which create discomfort.

It is essentially required for a teacher to be well aware of student’s health condition while performing paranayama techniques such as for asthma patient holding up of breath for long duration is not safe. The teacher may also remind practitioners to avoid exercises just after food intake, recommend them to wait till two-three hours or perform with empty stomach. It is the responsibility of a teacher to keep in notice that while performing specifically breathing techniques the room should be well ventilated so that fresh air may easily circulate in the area or it is better to choose an open air space.  

Hatha yoga is referred as the simplest and the most popularly practiced form of ancient yogic methodology, it includes Sivananda, Bikram, Iyengar and Kripalu styles of yoga. Hatha yoga practice is a phenomenal procedure of achieving balance between body and mind also attempts to free more restrained spiritual elements by performing physical postures, paranayama breathing and meditation.

The word Hatha is a Sanskrit word derived from two words “ha” which means sun and “tha” means moon, commonly translated as physical activity that brings union of opposite pair positive sun and negative moon. Sometimes it is also known as forceful or willful yoga because it requires a lot of bodily exertion.

This form of yoga helps practitioners to cope up with stress, to deal with depression and anxiety by relieving muscular tension. Hatha yoga practice offers a focused mental state to prepare for meditation and ultimately for attaining enlightenment. Regular practice of physical poses help in gaining flexibility, strength and body balance whereas relaxation poses are helpful in opening energy channels and allow positive energies to flow freely. Some particular body postures are helpful in treatment and prevention of diseases like diabetes, hypertension and arthritis also bring glandular function in balance by massaging and toning of internal vital organs.

A professional Hatha yoga teacher should have complete knowledge of therapeutic yoga system, detail awareness about yoga sutras and their application during practice session. The teacher must have full command on important issues related with this style of practice to guide students about how to find Ah Ha moment in their postures, how to go deeper in their practice during asana practice with controlled breath and relaxation techniques. Before conducting class, the teacher should well prepare with his/her individual practice and session plan; also have complete acquaintance of human physiology, anatomy and body mechanics to avoid injury or harm. The teacher should also familiar with when to offer physical assistance, adjustments and variation or modified versions of poses for people suffering from any disability and certain health issues.

The expert trainer should always know that which asanas are best to teach for driving energies in positive way as each practitioner has its own level of body flexibility, pace and mental consciousness. Every individual should advise to perform according to their own body limitations also guide students essential Hatha yoga asanas with their health related benefits. The expert professional always be acquainted with how and when to go deeper in the practice by using body postures and profound breathing. Prior to starting class, teacher may clearly instruct some necessary guidelines for students to follow about establishing right conditions to initiate and carry on practice session such as to perform yoga exercises with empty stomach is better, avoid drinking water in the course of practicing asanas, wearing of proper clothing, movement in correct sequence with accurate body placement and to avoid talking or speaking loudly while performing exercises because all the above mentioned points not only make disturbance in class but also cause interference in achieving focused concentration.