Homework Tips When You're Training To Be A Yoga Teacher

Posted on: 29 May 2018

A yoga teacher training program, such as from YogaOne, involves not only a significant number of in-class hours, but you'll also need to work on some homework throughout the course. The homework can vary according to the specific course outline of your program, and will typically including not only some reading, but also a lot of practicing the poses that you've learned in class. It can be useful to recruit a family member or roommate to help you with your yoga homework. Even if this person isn't a yoga enthusiast, he or she can still be highly valuable as you refine your skills in advance of getting your certification. Here are some ways to involve your homework partner.

Sanskrit Names

Although many yoga teachers use Western terminology when teaching, such as calling a pose "downward dog," for example, you'll actually learn the Sanskrit names to each pose when you're studying to be a yoga teacher. These names are important to know, but can be a challenge to master because there are several of them and they're obviously in a language that you don't know. Instead of simply reading the pose names and descriptions and trying to remember them, involve your homework partner. Have him or her read a name to you while you move into the pose. Based on the description of the pose in your manual, your study partner can indicate whether you're correct or not.

Flow Between Poses

Yoga students will eventually have to lead their class in a sample yoga class, and one of the big challenges of doing so is developing a series of poses that flow well together. This is an area in which practice makes perfect, so come up with a routine and then lead your homework partner through it. Pay attention to the flow between poses — you want him or her to be able to move from one pose to another with ease, rather than with awkwardness, and this should be apparent even if he or she isn't adept at yoga.

Prop Assistance

Yoga practitioners rely on props to help them achieve certain poses, and it's usually the job of the teacher to move around the class and ensure that each student is using his or her props correctly. Have your test subject perform a pose based on your instructions, and then approach him or her to offer assistance with a prop. While the person holds the pose, consult your training manual to ensure that you've positioned the prop in the correct manner.

 

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