By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed
Including a period of meditation into a Yoga class can be challenging for some Yoga teachers. Many Yoga classes are only an hour in length, and teachers may find it difficult just to get their class through a well-rounded practice, much less getting the class to meditate for any period of time! The stress of making sure that your class receives the benefit of a balanced series of poses, including Shavasana, can be overwhelming, particularly for new Yoga instructors.
The setting and time of day that you are teaching may also make a difference in the pacing of your class. For example, if you are teaching a quick, forty-five minute class at a health club during lunchtime, you may feel quite pressed for time. However, learning how to create a krama or sequence of Yoga poses that offers your students a well-rounded practice, in addition to quieting and calming the vrittis of the mind will help to offer your students the full benefits of Yoga practice.
There are a number of simple ways to include a period of meditation into your Yoga classes. A period of meditation may only last of few minutes, but even a brief period of time when your students can pause to reflect on how they feel or take a few deep breathes, will be beneficial. Slowing down enough to inhale and exhale fully will also help to balance the nervous system, release tension and energize the body. Some of your students may not even realize that they are not breathing deeply until you create the space and time for them to focus on their breathing.
In order to incorporate meditation into your Yoga classes, creating an introspective atmosphere is an easy way to demarcate a period of quietude. Your own internal atmosphere as well as the atmosphere of the room are important when your are setting a meditative tone. Remember to keep your own internal state quiet. This will allow your students to relax and slow down. Additionally, dimming the lights and playing soft, meditative music for five to ten minutes, at either the beginning or end of a class, will create the space for a seamless period of stillness and peace.
© Copyright 2013 – Virginia Iversen / Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
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