By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Recently, I received an Email from a colleague about local Yoga students and their desire to "skip" meditation. It seems some Hatha Yoga students find it appropriate to get up and leave before meditation starts. In the area, where he is located of the western United states, no Yoga studios [...]
By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 Once you have decided to become a Yoga teacher, you begin to see behavior in the Yoga class differently. You are no longer a Yoga student, but a Yoga teacher who is trying to cover the class lesson plan, within a specific time frame. Most Yoga teachers work with adults, [...]
By Paul Jerard Hatha Yoga teacher ethics should be thoroughly covered in all Yoga certification programs. With the current laws about harassment, all Yoga teachers, and anyone who works with the public, should beware. The less said, in your Yoga class about trivial matters, the better. Just like Yoga teachers often say to their students, "Stay [...]
A few of the more vigorous and contemporary Hatha Yoga styles have limited meditation practice within the class structure. This is not a rule, but the students are just more interested in "getting a workout." Pilates is one of Yoga's 20th Century offshoots and has no meditation practice at all. On the other hand Ashtanga Yoga classes are very vigorous and do contain meditation, as part of the lesson plan.
If you feel like a "fish in water" during a Yoga class you are not alone. However, when teaching Yoga becomes your own long-held aspiration, your spirit will not be fulfilled in the "daily grind." You begin to feel frustrated in commuter traffic, and during office hours, when your dream job of teaching Yoga seems out of reach. So what do you do next - if you really want to become a Yoga teacher?
Bhakti Yoga is the Yoga for divine worship and devotion to God. It helps, if you practice this with other Yoga practitioners who share your same religious beliefs. This will avoid conflicts and create a strong bond within the group. This form of Yoga has not become as popular outside of India.
As a result of this reality, this requires protective action on the part of all Yoga teachers. Look at this as a prevention program and a compliment to your current liability insurance policy. "I didn't know," will not save any of us from the wrath of the law. If you think teaching is not a business, you may have to explain that to a judge and jury.
Despite what you learned in Yoga teacher training, there are many who practice Yoga for the physical benefits only. I'll never forget the first-time experience of teaching Yoga in a commercial health club setting.