By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500
Regardless of how much previous training a Yoga teacher has, it is always exciting to learn new techniques from Yoga teacher training videos online or DVDs. The following are a few tips for anyone, from interns to gurus.
Review your video first. This step requires us to be spectators and enjoy the film, much as we would at a cinema, or in our living room. The difference being that when we review a video for Yoga techniques that we may demonstrate in our classes we should be taking notes.
It seems that the art of taking notes is based upon patience, more than any other factor. Some people want to pop a DVD out of the box and begin practicing immediately. This is one of the ways that beginners are often injured at home. You might think that a Yoga teacher would know better, but it is highly probable that anyone can be injured while watching television and performing a full inversion.
Therefore, time invested in taking notes is not wasted. In fact, the mind is imbedded with the memory of a technique, during the note taking process. Although we are trying to be a paperless society, it is hard to get that same feeling when typing notes on a laptop. If it works for you, then by all means, save a tree and transfer the information from your mind to your laptop.
Some teachers have a preferred time for practicing with a DVD or online web clips. To be honest, any time you have some flexibility in your schedule, is an ideal time to review Yoga techniques. I’m sure that some of you would prefer to do it in the morning, before breakfast, because your stomach is empty.
On the other hand, if you are a Yoga teacher, who has to meet early morning clients for private sessions, or teach early classes at the local fitness center, the morning Yoga DVD practice may not fit into your schedule so seamlessly. During the day, there are usually open frames of time after classes, or before classes, that give you an hour or two for reviewing videos.
If a video is focusing on asana, only; you may want to set aside some time for pranayama and meditation. At the same time, one can easily focus on integrating pranayama with asana practice. One good example of this is practicing Ujjayi pranayama, while performing asanas.
In summary, to get the most out of any Yoga video, always review it first, before practicing along with it. In this way, you will understand the creator’s lesson plan and be prepared for any surprises that may occur along the way.
© Copyright 2010 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
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