So I am going to start being honest here and say that since my move my yoga practice has been shameful. I have been busy here there and everywhere, and write this post while away with work. I planned to get settled in Calgary and establish a stronger practice, but waiting to get settled is still in progress. I was finding the only way I could practice was by getting myself to a studio. This way nothing else could distract me and I could give myself that time. This was wrong. Now I'm in a new city I can make the most of new studio offers. Usually as a promotion studios do an intro week or month for around $30 or $40. So I had hoped I could make the most of this. In a way this is a good thing so I could try different teachers and styles. I was so desperate to practice that I didn't care where I would go. But what started to happen was the complete opposite effect. I was getting irritated, bored and resentful. I realized I am an ashtangi!
What's an ashtangi some of you may ask? Well I practice ashtanga and they say certain types are attracted to this practice. People who are matter of fact, who like hard work, discipline, goals, expectations, and measurability. I teach ashtanga and vinyasa, but vinyasa is a sequence made by the teacher, but I learnt vinyasa, from someone who also practices ashtanga. My teacher, Shareen, has never disappointed in any of her vinyasa classes. Her classes were packed with athletes and I would say she had a cult following of students who like a class to challenge them. The reason I resonated with her classes is they were well structured and always well planned. She had a practice set all the time, and I could see she practiced her own sequences. She was direct with her instructions, never over talked and on occasion would lighten the work with a comical comment here and there, as she could laugh at herself if she accidentally said the wrong word here or there. Maybe Shareen has set my expectation at such a high level, and finding a vinyasa class with anyone else will never have the same effect.
When I was in Edmonton with David Robson, who only teaches ashtanga, he commented on how its good to follow ashtanga as it's an established practice. Its more than one person in front of a room, guessing what works for the class at that time. This was a great comment, and yes I agree but I used to love vinyasa as I always felt safe in Shareen's classes. BUT I have just had some really awful classes, in fact let me reword, awful experiences, that I am struggling to even contemplate doing a vinyasa class in another studio again. I don't want to blame the class, because upon leaving the class, many students would comment how amazing it was, how great the teacher was and how amazing they felt! I on the other hand, had other comments to share. Firstly when a teacher walks into a class of 15 people and asks what people want to do and they answer 'sweat' this has me worried. We are in a hot yoga room of course we will, so we could all lie down and feel lovely if that is the only goal. So has that teacher got anything planned for us, is she going to make it up there and then. Don't get me wrong, I have on occasion when I have had a class of 1-2 people asked them what they want to focus on, but I use sequences I have already taught, and I can adapt easier as there were a significantly less amount of people in front of me. Here I could pay close attention, give them direct guidance, advise them very specifically with their practice, and postures to suit their bodies.
Why else would I get so wound up, you may think, it's yoga, shouldn't it relax me. YES but when someone tells you to 'intuitively welcome any movement that feels good', or that you should 'spread your fingers radiantly on the ground' I can't help wonder if I was the only one who noticed what weird instructions these were. How can you spread your fingers 'radiantly'? Telling me to do that doesn't making me feel lighter, more calm, or zen. It confuses me as I firstly try to understand how you could use that word in such a context. I was told to 'ride' the flow, but there was no flow as the movements were linked so statically, and you kept me standing there why you tried to explain something you yourself couldn't even do. I felt unbalanced as you talked more when we were holding things on the left compared to the right. You told me to take child's pose when I wasn't even tired. You had me inhaling into flexion, when I feel comfortable exhaling here. You congratulated us, on how amazing we were but I don't need to be congratulated like I'm 5. I just wanted to practice, focus on my breath and have direct instruction as to how to perfect my posture.
I guess sometimes as a teacher you should never base yourself on who you aspire to be like, but focus on who you don't want to be. I would love to teach classes as good as Shareen, and that I am respected as much as she is, but I believe I have worked hard on creating my own style. I believe I teach as I know best, I teach to those how they need it, and I aim to read my audience and how to change the pace each day, based on their skill. I hope I explain enough to set a foundation for my students, but also allow them peace in the class to figure things out in their own bodies. I hope my classes flow, and make sense, with some excitement as I mix things up, but predictable enough that they can be safe as they transition and hold, and see the progression in themselves over time. When I am proud of them I smile to myself, and make note to share my observation at the end of class, as it resonates more with them here, when we are at the same level.
For now I will reach my teacher through the cyber world which will remind me of why I went deeper into my yoga journey, and excite me back into vinyasa again. Check out Shareen's classes at: https://www.youtube.com/user/ShareenYoga. You won't be disappointed.
What's an ashtangi some of you may ask? Well I practice ashtanga and they say certain types are attracted to this practice. People who are matter of fact, who like hard work, discipline, goals, expectations, and measurability. I teach ashtanga and vinyasa, but vinyasa is a sequence made by the teacher, but I learnt vinyasa, from someone who also practices ashtanga. My teacher, Shareen, has never disappointed in any of her vinyasa classes. Her classes were packed with athletes and I would say she had a cult following of students who like a class to challenge them. The reason I resonated with her classes is they were well structured and always well planned. She had a practice set all the time, and I could see she practiced her own sequences. She was direct with her instructions, never over talked and on occasion would lighten the work with a comical comment here and there, as she could laugh at herself if she accidentally said the wrong word here or there. Maybe Shareen has set my expectation at such a high level, and finding a vinyasa class with anyone else will never have the same effect.
When I was in Edmonton with David Robson, who only teaches ashtanga, he commented on how its good to follow ashtanga as it's an established practice. Its more than one person in front of a room, guessing what works for the class at that time. This was a great comment, and yes I agree but I used to love vinyasa as I always felt safe in Shareen's classes. BUT I have just had some really awful classes, in fact let me reword, awful experiences, that I am struggling to even contemplate doing a vinyasa class in another studio again. I don't want to blame the class, because upon leaving the class, many students would comment how amazing it was, how great the teacher was and how amazing they felt! I on the other hand, had other comments to share. Firstly when a teacher walks into a class of 15 people and asks what people want to do and they answer 'sweat' this has me worried. We are in a hot yoga room of course we will, so we could all lie down and feel lovely if that is the only goal. So has that teacher got anything planned for us, is she going to make it up there and then. Don't get me wrong, I have on occasion when I have had a class of 1-2 people asked them what they want to focus on, but I use sequences I have already taught, and I can adapt easier as there were a significantly less amount of people in front of me. Here I could pay close attention, give them direct guidance, advise them very specifically with their practice, and postures to suit their bodies.
Why else would I get so wound up, you may think, it's yoga, shouldn't it relax me. YES but when someone tells you to 'intuitively welcome any movement that feels good', or that you should 'spread your fingers radiantly on the ground' I can't help wonder if I was the only one who noticed what weird instructions these were. How can you spread your fingers 'radiantly'? Telling me to do that doesn't making me feel lighter, more calm, or zen. It confuses me as I firstly try to understand how you could use that word in such a context. I was told to 'ride' the flow, but there was no flow as the movements were linked so statically, and you kept me standing there why you tried to explain something you yourself couldn't even do. I felt unbalanced as you talked more when we were holding things on the left compared to the right. You told me to take child's pose when I wasn't even tired. You had me inhaling into flexion, when I feel comfortable exhaling here. You congratulated us, on how amazing we were but I don't need to be congratulated like I'm 5. I just wanted to practice, focus on my breath and have direct instruction as to how to perfect my posture.
I guess sometimes as a teacher you should never base yourself on who you aspire to be like, but focus on who you don't want to be. I would love to teach classes as good as Shareen, and that I am respected as much as she is, but I believe I have worked hard on creating my own style. I believe I teach as I know best, I teach to those how they need it, and I aim to read my audience and how to change the pace each day, based on their skill. I hope I explain enough to set a foundation for my students, but also allow them peace in the class to figure things out in their own bodies. I hope my classes flow, and make sense, with some excitement as I mix things up, but predictable enough that they can be safe as they transition and hold, and see the progression in themselves over time. When I am proud of them I smile to myself, and make note to share my observation at the end of class, as it resonates more with them here, when we are at the same level.
For now I will reach my teacher through the cyber world which will remind me of why I went deeper into my yoga journey, and excite me back into vinyasa again. Check out Shareen's classes at: https://www.youtube.com/user/ShareenYoga. You won't be disappointed.
