Yoga Teacher Training Forum

I went to a great Yoga studio in San Francisco where students could take a little token (from a fish bowl on the counter) and place it on their mat if they did not desire an assist. So the teacher could see in class who did not desire assisting. I think this was a great idea and didn't draw attention to anyone, as it was very subtle. Does any one have any experience with something like this? Any ideas on what could be used as "tokens" that could be available?

Improving Yoga Student Safety

In general, Hatha yoga is not a dangerous activity, but it can lead to injury if a student is not practicing it safely. Adults who take yoga classes have a better ability to recognize problems with their own body than most adolescents who practice in yoga classes, but there is always the possibility that both youths and adults will ignore problems when they do recognize them. With this in mind, it is vital for a yoga instructor to recognize signs of complications in their students, and they must be able to kindly but firmly stop students if they are practicing yoga in a dangerous manner.

Improper yoga practices can lead to muscles straining or tearing, joint pain and instability, and even minor bone fractures. The injuries that are most commonly induced by yoga tend to linger for long periods of time; an injury that seems minor could cause pain or discomfort for months, or even years. It is the job of a yoga teacher to impress the importance of injury prevention onto their students. One of the best ways to improve yoga student safety is to make them more aware of the risks and the results of those so that they may better understand why they must be aware of their safety.

There will always be a chance that someone in the class will still ignore the warnings of the teacher, so it will always be a part of a yoga instructor's job to be constantly watching for unsafe practices within their classes. Therefore, it is best for teachers to implement methods of keeping a close eye on their students. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Adding an additional instructor, or experienced students designated as assistants, increases the visibility of the students and potential safety issues to the teacher of the class.

Offering smaller classes has many benefits, but not least of all is the decreased ratio of teacher to students that ensures that the teacher can watch all of their students more closely. Smaller classes also mean that the students in the class have more personal space, which decreases the risk of injury within the classroom overall. A smaller class size also leads to the students feeling more comfortable with their peers, and this could prevent them from hiding potential injury out of concern for what the other students will think, as this can unfortunately influence them in that way.

How to Prevent Common Yoga Injuries: Injuries may happen at any time and to anyone who performs yoga if he is not careful. Learning yoga should be done in the hands of an experienced professional instructor. By training with an instructor, you will be able to learn efficiently and safely. Aside from learning yoga techniques only from a professional, there are more ways to prevent common yoga injuries.

1. Do not overexert yourself. Stop comparing your movements to anyone in the room. Remember that each student is unique and each one has his own learning curve. Overexerting just to look great in front of others will only lead to pain and even terrible injuries.

2. Take a lesson at a time. Yoga is a succession of movements and therefore you must master basic techniques first before you proceed with complicated movements. You must master basic poses together with appropriate breathing so you can use efficient muscle movement as you perform different poses.

3. There are numerous yoga props so use them! Props are designed to perform yoga poses safely and efficiently. Props like wedges, bolsters, blocks, sandbags and foams are necessary to help students prevent injuries and pains and to ensure that they are performing various yoga poses accurately. A perfect example is the basic forward bend which could lead to back pains and a pulled hamstring if a student is not careful. Using a wide strap to anchor the foot as you pull your back closer could reduce these injuries significantly. Still another prop like a bolster could also assist students in a seated forward bend. A bolster prevents overexertion of the back and the legs as it supports the chest area when you make a forward bend.

Your instructor will definitely discuss what the basic yoga props are and demonstrate the proper uses of each prop for different poses; you should listen carefully and take note.

4. Use safety yoga props always. Your yoga mat is not just a mat to keep you clean as you perform poses on the floor. It is also designed to keep you on your foot and to prevent slips and falls as a result of doing different yoga poses. If you are performing yoga outdoors, wear simple footwear and do not attempt to go barefoot. A cushioned running shoe would suffice and if you are training on pavement, bring your yoga mat to protect your back and head as you lie down.

5. Avoid eating a full meal before your yoga class. Eating will only divert blood flow to the stomach and the digestive organs instead of being utilized by the muscles. The result is weak and inefficient muscles which may hardly be able to handle the huge demands of extreme yoga poses. There will also be less oxygen to the brain as a result of diverting blood to the digestive organs; you will feel weak, sleepy and tired which places you at risk of suffering from different injuries.

6. Keep to the position or the pose and do not alter anything. Poses are made for a particular reason and you can greatly increase your risk of suffering from an accident or injury when you do not follow steps and instructions carefully.

7. When training yoga at home using a DVD or from an online video, be sure to start with the basic moves and poses. Rely on quality videos created or published by known yoga masters and instructors. There are a lot of yoga self-help learning materials online and offline but you should always pick the best.

8. Aside from yoga, you should also practice other strategies to keep you safe and secure while learning different poses. One important technique is deep breathing. Deep breathing is a strategy that will allow more oxygenated blood into the different body systems especially the muscles, bones, ligaments, joints and all parts of the body that are involved in movement. By ensuring that all these tissues and organs are well-oxygenated, you will be able to perform yoga poses with ease. Deep breathing is also a form of meditation to help yoga practitioners make the most of mind and body healing in yoga. When deep breathing is efficiently used in yoga, you will be able to easily perform poses and movements as well.