So, you have been asked to be a bit gentle, while teaching yoga. That is a good thing, as gentle yoga can have a lot of therapeutic benefits. Many students, especially elders look for such yoga classes. Now, if you have done the 200 hour yoga teacher training course, then it makes sense to also learn different modes of teaching a yoga class. The teachers who teach you yoga take different approaches, depending on the type of students, who attend yoga classes. So, you should also follow on their footsteps.
Things You Can Do For A Gentle Approach
- The first thing, that you ought to do, is to understand the expectations of your students. You have to determine, who your target audience is. The word ‘Gentle’ can mean different things to different people. So, understanding the difference is very important. A gentle yoga class may mean, that you have to be seated throughout the class. You may be helping your students get over injuries. That is another meaning of being ‘gentle.’ The class may also be a therapeutic yoga class. You also need to understand, if it is a restorative yoga class, with Yoga Nidra thrown in.
Once you have crossed the hurdle, of identifying what a gentle yoga class might look like, its time to move on to the next step.
- Decoding the meaning of ‘Gentle’ is the next step towards the approach design. The class may be something in between a seated class and a flowy one. You may be teaching something like restorative yoga or Yin yoga. And, both these happens to be gentle yoga. If you are teaching either of the above, your students may or may not be injured. They may just require some healing, relaxation, and gentle sessions. They may not be in a rush even, to get fit, as fast as possible. Mostly, it has been seen, that a gentle yoga class is one, that sees the same poses being done, but in a relaxed manner. So, you may be using more props and also make certain adjustments. Your students may take at least 5 minutes to get aligned as well.
- Many of your students, will not know, how to position the props. So, you as a gentle yoga teacher, have to help them out. You will be amazed to know, that props are found in the oddest places. Some of them may just be around you, without you noticing them. The wall is one of the props that we are talking about here. The wall helps all the practitioners to maintain balance. If you are in a seated pose, then also you can take support from the wall.
Now, these are all the facets of a gentle yoga class, that you must have understood by now. Now, let us find out, what all you should avoid in such classes.
Things To Not Do In Gentle Yoga Class
You need to keep in mind certain things, while taking the gentler approach towards teaching yoga.
- You must group seated poses together. In the same manner, it will be just apt to group all the standing poses together. Avoid flow from seated to standing to lying down, in a gentle yoga class. Many students may have issues, while transitioning between the two. There are many energy shifts as well, that occur when you are transitioning from one form to another. You can stick to one group of exercises, to minimize the damage if any, that may emanate, from not following the rules. You can also bring in modifications, when you are actually getting the students to transit from seated to standing pose. Ask your students to seek support from the walls, while standing or they can also lean on them.
- Another point that you should remember, is to limit the number of poses in such a practice. In the yoga teacher training courses, you will yourself get many such tips from the masters. The most proficient teachers, who have years of teaching experience will be in a better position to teach you such nuances in the yoga classes. Hari Om Yoga Vidya school is one of the schools located in Rishikesh, where you will learn such nuances and probably more.
- Moreover, your words and gestures also matter a lot in such yoga classes. You should avoid negative words as much as possible. So, if you feel that your student is having problem, in doing one certain pose, you can offer options instead of saying that, ‘you cannot do this pose’. You can also suggest the usage of blocks, to bring the floor closer to your student’s hands.
- There will be students, who are still uncomfortable. So, you, as a gentle yoga teacher have to advise them to take a softer stance. You can also ask such students, to themselves find their edge. It will make it easier for them, and also lessen the pressure on you.
Queries That Students Have About Gentle Yoga
Many of the students, will also have many queries, when you advertise that you are going to conduct gentle yoga classes. So, you have to address their concerns as well. Many students, may not be able to tell the difference between a gentle yoga class and a normal one. There may be others, who think that they are not flexible enough. Some may also have a fear of falling down, while doing yoga. There are students, who have limited mobility, so they always fear trying new things, even if it is for their own benefit.
Many students will sound worried and will ask you before the class, if there will be pain the body after the yoga class. Many even wonders whether, they need to put additional effort, while trying to get into poses.
So, you will learn about such things in the 200 hour yoga ttc in Rishikesh, as well. The schools teach you the intricacies of marketing your business. When you release your leaflets for others to know, or give class descriptions, you ought to explain, what you mean by the word ‘Gentle’. You can also explain the utility of the poses, and also write the words ‘relaxing’ and ‘soft’ in the leaflets. That way, the students will have ample confidence on you.
Poses That You Can Try
You can join the 200 hour yoga teacher training course, to learn more about the poses. The poses will help you to hold your ground, when it comes to ‘Gentle Yoga practice’.
- The Mountain pose is one such pose, which you can try out in the gentle yoga class. Tadasana is another name for it.
- Standing forward bend or the half standing forward bend are the poses, which you can try out. It is also quite popular as Uttanasana in Sanskrit.
- Warrior pose or Virabhadra asana is another pose, which you can try out as well. These poses will give the students enough confidence, so that they can stand up for themselves.
The other poses, which you can use in the gentle yoga classes are Downward facing dog pose, Bound angle or Butterfly pose, or the Staff pose. Hari Om Yoga Vidya School is one of the top schools in Rishikesh, which can give you the best training in gentle yoga.
