Teaching Hatha Yoga - Keys To Student Development
Do you want to develop successful students? Of course you do. Every Yoga teacher is proud of their students. The student who overcomes a disability, and the student who changes his or her life for the best, are stories which make all of us feel satisfied that we became Yoga teachers.
How do we point students toward self-development? When a student takes responsibility for his or her own practice, this is the beginning of empowerment. It is wise to inspire your students to, at least, perform a short practice at home.
We have all had a phone call from a potential student who can only come to class once a week. This is fine, if the student takes the practice home. What about the student who tells you he or she cannot meditate alone? What about the student who has no time?
Your answer might make them laugh. Here it is: Do you have three minutes per day to spare for Yoga? If that is not possible, their problem is time management or procrastination. In reality, who cannot spare three minutes in the morning or evening?
Next, ask your students to try one minute of meditation, at home, per day, in the morning or evening. Ask them to observe only and not to judge. Breath awareness is fine for new students, because it is easy for home Yoga practice. Keeping their eyes open, or closed, does not matter, but they should try both methods.
The next student task for home is pranayama (Yogic breathing). Anyone can find one minute to spare for pranayama practice. Let's be honest, our students breathe all day, but some self-discipline is required to breath with rhythm for only one minute.
Any method will do, but Bastrika, Brahmari, Ujjayi, Udgeeth, Nadi Shodana, Dirgha, or Kapalabhati pranayama, are good choices. Obviously, it would be best for students to choose one or two methods for a one minute session.
Now, you can guide your students toward a one minute asana home practice session. This would be two postures, which are counter-poses of each other.
However, I often suggest they try seated pelvic circles, which are practiced in many Hatha classes, but you see them, most commonly, in Kundalini Yoga practice. This practice massages the vital organs, eliminates toxins, is good for skeletal health, and stimulates internal energy.
Students can sit in Sukasana (Easy Pose) or on a chair. Then, they would slowly rotate the torso 360 degrees, in slow and gradual circles. The spine should be straight, as possible, the entire time. After 30 seconds, they should rotate in the opposite direction.
So, now you have it: A three minute Yoga session. You will discover that some students have a procrastination issue, but most of your students will tell you they continued to practice Yoga for many more minutes. Between us, three minutes for Yoga is better than none at all, but the true purpose is to create a "spark."
It is up to our students to "keep the fire going." Yoga at home will improve their lives, but they have to get a taste of it, in order to realize the deeper joy of the practice.
Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html
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Small college assignment due today!?
Hi! I'm in college (freshman year) and in one of my classes called "Student Development" I'm required to interview two people about their chosen occupations. The only requirement is that they have worked full-time for at least 10 years... anyways, I might have procrastinated doing it a little, and it might be due today and well, I can't really think of anyone I can call without getting huge long distance charges, and I could just make it up, but my conscience would feel better if I at least did some work to get it. SO! It's a twelve question survey, and any help would be appreciated. Also, if you could put what your job is and maybe what city you live in, that'd be nice, but you don't have to. So the questions are:
1.Identify the reasons that you currently work?
2.What influenced your decision to choose the field of work you are in currently?
3.What are the most satisfying aspects of your job? Least satisfying?
4.Do you see yourself doing the same thing 5 years from now?
5.Is there any other occupations that you think would make you just as happy or happier?
6.In what way does your work support your main purpose in life, if it does at all?
7.What advice would you give to me about choosing a vocation?
8.What advice would you give me about my education?
9.What advice would you give me about the role of money in work and in life?
10.What factors do you think contribute to happiness and how is work/occupation related to happiness?
11.How would you define success?
12.How does work effect the other areas of your life (i.e., marriage and family, community/religious involvements, recreation and hobbies, etc.)
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Rape & Male perspective on the rapists?
A few articles about this subject were a little bit surprising. One from Journal of college student development (37 (4), 470 - ) states that a man feels disgusted and ashamed of his own gender when he comes across a female victim, even though he never met her.
Another article adds that during this "introspective" hatred of his fellow men, he is bombarded by media and women across the board as if all men are evil until proved otherwise. This lumping of him with those he disgusts the most, makes him so resentful that he would not be willing to contribute positively on a social level to prevent or ameliorate the problems leading to rape and becomes defensive if not hostile against the system.
What do women think of this?
Professor, I should've written down the citation. I know, my own professor is always asking me to keep up with that. I read that article and the first one from somebody's research material and just jotted down citation from the first.
You made me feel so busted!
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I want to switch majors, what major would be the best, based on the subjects I've taken?
I just transferred to a 4 years university from a small community college. I'm a Biology major on the pre-med track so far, but I hate Biology and I've lost all the love and interest for sciences. I still would like to be a doctor and it will be hard and painful for me if I never accomplish it, but I'm really finding out that sciences are not my thing. I'm not very sure which major to switch to, but so far my #1 options are Communication or International Studies. Here are my subjects and grades:
*Speech Communication - C
*English, Writing 1 - C
*English, Writing 2 - A
*Health - B
*Psychology - C
*Anthropology - A
*Arts - A
*Student development - A
*Sociology - A
On this semester I'm taking Biology, Math and German.
Other than those subjects I listed, I have taken a bunch of subjects that were non credit because English is my 2nd language.
What majors are like related to the subjects I've taken so far?
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