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Guest
April 27, 2015
Currently, I am teaching college students. Many seem quite tense. I believe that the entire point of my teaching will be restorative, while I try to make the classes interesting.
Do any members have any ideas about how to relax students who hold tension in the upper back?
Maryann
April 27, 2015
Hello!
i am a college student - studying music education - and play piano
i go sometimes to the yoga class offered here on campus, and i find it helpful, especially to releave the various tight muscles that are created when playing an instrument - many instrumentalists here actually have turned to yoga, and meditation, or tai chi, or the alexander technique, to help become more aware of their bodies and how they use them, so as to prevent injuries.
one of my favorite ways to relieve tension in my upper back is to stand with my legs wide apart, and just hang down with the arms linked by holding my elbows. i let the weight of my arms pull the torso down, and release in my upper back between my shoulder blades. it feels soo good.
i also really like the laying down twist position to help my back. and when you curl into a ball or hold one leg up while laying down.
the backward bend helps too to get joints moving, and release tension that you may not know you were holding.
i really also like the position where you put the soles of your feet together while sitting down, and lean forward. this opens up your lower back near your sacaryliac joint - and feels good when you stand back up. but you feel it in your lower back more when you try to keep a stright back in the beginning and extend through the lower part of your spine over and out in front of your legs, rather than allowing the back to curl right away. once you are extended you can curl your back a little near your shoulders =), to extend the upper back and release the neck.
i dont know the right names for a lot of these positions, becuase the classes i've taken for hte past 3 years have been pretty laid back.
hope this helps!
April 27, 2015
Are you serious? The faculty might appreciate Resorative Yoga, but the kids all have ADD. They can't spell right and they still become honor students. Look at the stats on Harvard graduates. They get great grades because their rich parents will scream if they don't.
Now back to YOGA for KIDS in college. Give them Power Yoga and Vinyasa, because that's all they will understand. They a bugging out in a yoga class beacuse the teacher just told them to turn their IPod off. Give them a thousand jumping jacks for a warm up and push them through a navy seals workout. Then turn the temperature of Yoga studio up so high that they vomit.
Now that's what they want. They never had a real PE program to begin with so torture them. Bikram has full classes and he pushes them, jumps on them, harasses them and they LOVE IT!
Please - forget teaching restorative to college kids. They want a cruel guru, because mommy and daddy never laid the law down.
April 27, 2015
Namaskar Presley,
Wow! I've had some bad hair days, but you are on a roll this morning. There is a hint of truth in some of it, but offering Restorative Yoga along side Vinyasa is a good thing. It allows students to compare the two styles. Student need to meet different Yoga teachers and compare styles.
We have all been a young Yoga student. Appreciate the knowledge you have and do show compassion if student in their 20's and teens show up to your classes.
Look at it this way: We don't have to live through being naive again, but we don't have to be the wicked Yoga teacher from the west either.
Om Shanti,
Priyah
April 27, 2015
Greetings,
I agree that Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Power yoga will be more popular with college students. It is the nature of all species. Younger adults will have more energy than older adults. This is nothing to feel hostility over.
On the other hand it is amusing when a young student can perform a gymnastic feat and declare themself an advanced student. This is where the misconception about the need for blocks and props comes from. In restorative yoga, props are used for better alignment. This is the sam principle in Iyengar yoga and both styles will work with anyone in any physical condition.
Sometimes you hear someone say "advanced pose." Hmmmmmmmm. What about the advanced Yogacharya who is over 50. Is he or she not "advanced" any more, because physical manuevers are more difficult than they were 30 years ago.
Let's throw samadhi out the window - I guess. Let's also say that yoga is a gymnastic event. Learning has no value and it's all about your physical performance. So you start as a beginner, you become advanced, and you finish as a beginner.
Okay, you know that's a crock. But let's jus come back to the point of this thread. If someone has tension in the back the following asanas may help.
CAT STRETCH
WIND-RELEASING POSE
SAGE TWIST
PALM TREE
FISH
LOCUST
FORWARD BEND POSTURE
CORPSE
Will all of these asanas help? Maybe, when teaching yoga to anyone with an ailment, there is some testing to see what works and what ds not. The back is tricky, because the spine must be worked in a number of directions without causing pain to your student.
One last thing: If you wake up on a Sunday mad at the world, that's Okay. Chances are, you didn't teach a yoga class today. Just be careful not to teach a class, when you are upset. Believe me, I have a student who deserves the Bikram jump on the chest when he's in CAMEL, but we must remember Ahimsa.
Best Regards,
April 27, 2015
" title="Laughing" />
I remember on 60 minutes Wednesday edition - that Bikram jump on the poor guy who was in Ustrasana (Camel Pose). What a message to send people who know nothing about Yoga.
I'll bet 75% of the viewers never practiced Yoga a day in their life and Bikram is appointed the ambassador of Yoga. The average couch potato choked on his chips while watching that. " title="Laughing" />
Speaking of which Ustrasana is a great backbend for creating vitality in the respiratory organs and it lets tension out of the trapezius muscles and the upper back.
Make sure you focus on your breath. If it is strained, you are pushing too far. Please stay away from abusive teachers, who would even think about jumping on your chest.
April 27, 2015
If you are too busy with college studies for a yoga class, online videos give you a flexible option. An ancient practice called restorative yoga has been gaining in popularity in the U.S. over the last ten years. Restorative yoga focuses on relaxing the mind and the body and proves to be advantageous to any who choose to take up this holistic practice. It is not always an easy thing for people to find a restorative yoga class or have the time to attend these classes. One increasingly popular option to this is yoga online at //www.yoga-teacher-training.org/category/videos/
These yoga videos can suit the otherwise busy lives of many or for someone who just prefers to practice on their own. There are many choices when it comes to studying yoga online. The most popular would be aura yoga sessions that are streaming from their site and these are Free!
The lectures and classes are usually geared for teachers, but if you have some basic knowledge of hatha yoga you can find benefits from aura's videos. Many people wonder about the benefits of practicing yoga online. These classes are great for the shy homebody or the person with limited time to get to a studio.
You can work on your yoga at a relaxing pace without thinking someone is watching or judging you. Also, you can choose the time for your session when it suits your schedule, which is something a yoga studio cannot provide.
No matter if your schedule stops you from attending classes or you just want to practice solo, aura online restorative yoga is the path to serene balance in your life. There are many videos and with a little work you can find routines that fit your lifestyle. Help is available if you are looking for a course. Restorative Yoga is meant to bring balance and calmness to your life and searching for the right session should not be an obstacle with aura online videos.
April 27, 2015
Diedward07
Students got those tensed upper back from the nature of studying, sitting all day and stooping to write and read. Follow this article to get some exciting information
Yoga Poses to Release Neck and Shoulder Tension
:)
April 27, 2015
thanks Ashmin.
It is also advisable to run a Yoga org in the school to be able to mobilize students to be more healthy aware and productive.
here is a great example :)
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