Recently my friend and fellow teacher Kirsty shared a post on her social media “Ever wondered what goes into a yoga class?” It resonated with me as, like her, prior to training to become a yoga teacher I hadn’t given it much thought. I think I thought all yoga teachers instinctively knew what to do, guided by attaining some kind of spiritual enlightenment after years of daily practice rather than learning (amongst other things) Anatomy and Physiology and the need for counter poses. Or perhaps it was like the Body Pump classes I’d attended in the past, where there was a new release each month for the instructor to learn. Maybe there was a yoga teacher equivalent of Les Mills?
So why am I writing this blog? In case you don’t already know I’m about to run a marathon. There’s countless memes about how marathon runners will let you know they’re running a marathon and I’m living that meme! I’ve been following a 16 week plan:
· Have I followed this to the letter? No.
· Has each run gone to plan? No.
· Am I going to beat myself up about this? No.
· Did I need a plan? Yes!
After years of experimentation, whilst I know what I’m doing when it comes to training for marathons, I still feel the need for a guide, some structure to my training. Without it I don’t think I would make it to the start line in the best possible shape, if at all.
The other question you’re probably asking right now is “What on earth has marathon training got to do with teaching yoga?” In any aspect of life it’s great when a plan comes together. The A Team were proof of that. However, when they go a little bit wrong it’s not the end of the world. There’s often lessons to be learned. There’s also a need for flexibility. Sticking rigidly to a plan can sometimes be detrimental whether that’s training for a marathon or teaching a yoga class. I will change my lesson plan during the class if something isn’t quite working. It is, after all, a framework for our practice together.
You may have heard the phrase “Fail to plan, plan to fail”. Ultimately for me as the teacher the success (or otherwise) of the class comes down to more than my lesson plan but it helps set both me and my students up for success.
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