Anatomy , Safety And Accessibility is Important In Teaching Yoga

I’ll be honest with you: the first 3 years  of my teaching I didn’t understand yoga anatomy at all.  I tried to concentrate really hard and remember everything that other more expereinced teachers would say , the  information seemed like a  foreign language.I remember one day when a student asked me about her IT band, my stare was just this side of blank.That was when I realized.. I need to start understanding the body .

Anatomy and Accessibility

I felt badly about how little I knew, and that I couldn’t do more for the students who had paid money for my teaching ‘skills.’ It motivated me to study on my own, so that I could better answer students’ questions and perhaps actually offer some guidance as to how to modify poses or take care of their bodies. The more I worked at it, the more all the pieces began to fit together into the shape of the human body. (But let’s be clear: this is a process that has taken several years, that is still ongoing, and that I expect will continue for the lifetime of my teaching career.)

I began to take more seriously the concept of “first, do no harm,” and recognize that not all poses fit on the  body types that come to class. That people do not fit into poses , poses have to change to fit the person.I believe the real skill of a teacher lies not in how gymnastic their own practice is, but in their ability to give everyone something to do. “Just don’t do this pose,” has got to be the most frustrating thing for a student to hear, especially if they’ve come to class with special needs or an injury and are hoping you can help them.

Safety First

Speaking of injuries: did you know that over 5500 yoga-related injuries were reported in the United States in 2007? Given that statistic is almost eight years old, I bet the number has grown since then (and I bet there are even more unreported ones). And here’s this gem from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons website: “Common yoga injuries include repetitive strain to and overstretching of the neck, shoulders, spine, legs and knees.” Isn’t that just pretty much your whole body at risk? It’s vital, then, that as yoga teachers we truly understand what it is we are asking of the bodies that have given themselves over to our instruction, and we make informed decisions as to what those bodies should or should not do.

With that said, there will always be the student that ignores your instruction  , I’m of the belief that you’re not responsible for any negative outcome.

Helping Your Students

Here’s the bonus: the more you know, the better teacher you become. I  think there is a middle path .. Asana can heal but also can harm. I find teaching good alignment not only helps keep your students strong and possibly injury free , but it also helps them find the steadiness and ease that should be in each practice. As a yoga teacher it is our responsibility to stay well  informed and educated, so  your students have confidence in the choices you present to them for their practice . It’s also entirely possible that you’ll end up loving anatomy so much, you’ll morph into the kind of bona fide yoga dork that teaches anatomy to other yoga teachers! That is where I am at now .. I love it and love teaching it to others.

Intentions v/s Resolutions

The number of Americans who make New Year's resolutions typically hovers around 40 percent or so, and has held pretty constant for decades now.Each year, that's tens of millions of Americans who plan to change something in their lives and research suggests that 60% fail.

Top 10 New Years Resolutions

• Lose weight

• Quit smoking

• Save My Money

• Pay Off Debt

• Quit Smoking

• Manage Stress

• Work out More

Tony Robbins says the first pillar of success is setting a clear intention. He tells us to get crystal clear on what it is we want.Setting an intention requires action to truly have meaning. Simply “intending” to do something, to make a different choice or the move in a particular direction is not enough. Real change requires the fire of actions united by a common intention.

What is the difference between a resolution and intention setting? Setting an intention is like drawing a map of where you wish to go – it becomes the driving force of your consciousness. Without an intention, there is no map, and you’re just driving down a road with no destination in mind.

That said, an intention cannot be forced. It’s a seed that you have to sow, and then let reap on its own. You can’t set an intention that you don’t believe in. If it’s done forcefully, the purpose of the intention is ruined.

Perhaps this year’s "resolution" can be an opportunity to take a deeper look at we want out of this life.To develop our intention and focus so we get crystal clear on the direction we want to go.A good way to explore this is on your yoga mat. Yoga offers us the possibility of many kinds of profound transformation. 

At the heart of yoga is the practice of changing our habits. Habits, or samskaras,  are patterns of thinking, feeling and acting, some of which support the life we want to lead, and some of which lead us away from it.

Patricia Walden,  says, “If you want to change your life, you have to be willing to change your life.” In our busy lives, if we want to make a new commitment, often something else has to go. We probably can’t attend yoga class every Tuesday night without eliminating something else. The good news is that while creating space for something new might not be easy, it is possible, and often yoga can take the place of something less important, or perhaps even something we wanted to give up anyway! 

Yoga can be a  powerful tool for liberating ourselves from unwanted, ingrained patterns. Through it, we can identify, acknowledge, and progressively change them.Then our intentions and focus become crystal clear .