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Yoga Class: How much talking is too much talking? ~ via Lindsay Jean Thomson
Less Talk, More Yoga.
“Oh. No. He. Didn’t…” the wide-eyed, gaping mouths of the audience seemed to shout (albeit silently) as the officiant preached the unholy trifecta of self-promotion, divorce and death at a wedding I attended recently.
As with most things, I couldn’t help but to relate the Father’s diatribe to…yoga. Have you ever been in yogasana class in which the teacher spends the first 10 or even 20 minutes talking about their personal life or the Divine-Goddess-So-And-So? Me too.
Like many people, my yoga practice started with the physical (asana) and developed from there. Now, as a teacher, I know how challenging it can be to incorporate and honor the other limbs of yoga into an asana class in a way that is accessible to the students—without interrupting the flow.
For me, a brief, heartfelt explanation or personal anecdote can help convey empathy as well as yoga philosophy. But the discussion shouldn’t overtake the asana practice if that’s the focus of the class. I offer my students the opportunity to ask questions so that they can pursue their yoga practice on and off the mat in the way that interests them because it’s not about what’s right for me, it’s about finding what’s right for them.
Students, teachers: How much talking is too much talking?
Lindsay Jean Thomson is a talker, no doubt about it. In addition to contributing to elephant journal, she has a blog, tweets and teaches in the great city of San Francisco at International Orange and yoga mayu.
Makes sense. The most important thing is to know your audience, I think, and tailor the class to them.
I've seen other blogs where Yoga teachers are coming under fire for not honoring Yoga's spiritual roots in their classes–for turning it into just a workout routine. This, in fact, is probably one of the top two or three topics for debate in the Yoga blogosphere.
My answer is give the class what they came for, whatever that is, but even in an exercise class, take a little time to make sure they're aware of the larger context of Yoga, so they can explore that on their own or in more traditional classes, if they choose to. I think that's pretty much what you said above.
I am the beneficiary of this approach. I started Yoga to improve my flexibility for tennis and ended up in Yoga philosophy, partly because my teacher spent just a little bit of time on philosophy in an otherwise rigorous exercise class.
Thanks for the blog.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
I agree with Bob. Give the students what they came for, which is typically asana. I'm a teacher and I don't do a whole lot of talking. I try to integrate the message into the flow, when appropriate. Besides, everyone's on their own trip, so to speak. I find that too much talking can be too "guiding." I've had teachers tell me what my savasana is supposed to feel like, which leaves me feeling very little savasana at all!
A great idea is to have a satsang after class, if time permits. That way those who want to hear more are able too. It also opens things up for discussion and is a great way to connect with students, so the relationship isn't so one sided.
Thank you for posing the question!
Aloha,
Laura Dunn
http://lauradunnyoga.com
http://lauradunnyoga.blogspot.com
My favorite teacher tends to tell a short story making her intention for the class sort of personal. Like Laura said she integrates the message with what the practice will be about (strength, softness, focus, ahimsa, etc.). I think sometimes a little story gives the instructor a personal connection with the class. As long as it's brief and is a compliment to your practice it's terrific. If it makes the practice about the teacher and not you then it's not good in my opinion.
Nancy
Having a theme in a class helps me as a teacher to stay focused on what i say to the students. Themes can use a story and more impotnantly can be woven into the fabric of the asana practice. Verbal prompts can be important ways to bring students back into focus durning the class and the philosophy can be intoduced in ways that make it practicle for students to intergrate into their practice and day to day life. I use sayingd from famous yogis saints spiritual teachers.
There was a well know teacher in my town who would teach a class then people could stay back for some chanting after chanting peole could stay back for a phiolsopical discussion if you made it that far there was a beautiful indian dinner made by his students, it was a long night but it felt so rich and full
That sounds like a great approach, seva.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
thanks for all of your wonderful feedback!
Interesting topic! You know, I've had classes in which the energy in the room and the familiarity of the students with each other/ the teacher somehow fostered a talkative, relaxed atmosphere in which the students almost banter back and forth. Sometimes encouraging one another, or alternatively laughing at themselves when working through a challenging balancing pose, or just saying whatever pops out! Those classes (though rare) always have felt very light and somehow just very 'real'. And on the other hand, I've enjoyed classes in which the room was almost silent except for the teacher's periodic guidance.
I think it just depends on how the students react and interact with one another…possibly just a product of the energy in the space that is created newly each day. I do always appreciate it when teachers respond to and respect what the class seems to want at that particular time.
words are useless, especially when spoken, and more-so when typed. yogasana teachers should simply sing mantra. om mani padme hum…
I know more about words than I do about yoga, and I know that they are not useless in print or when voiced. I think the important thing about words in a yoga class is that they serve to close, not to expand, the space between the students and the teacher. It's about the *way* we say things: the tone, the emphasis, the cadence. But it's also about the words. Chanting is often hauntingly beautiful or deeply moving, but it isn't always easy to identify with chanting the way we identify with words. I can think of so many moments in so many yoga classes when I am cursing my tight hamstrings and the teacher will say something about how where we are right now is where we need to be. Sure, we could tell ourselves these things, but we weren't raised that way. And in this modern society, we are not rewarded for that kind of ideology. I am not saying that I want to be coddled through 90 minutes of asanas, but we also go to yoga studios to practice *because* we are seeking some kind of voice outside our own. A little talk does a lot to create a feeling of energy between and among the mats on the floor.
I like that, Whitney.
Bob
I think if you can't make your point in five minutes or less at the beginning of a yoga class, odds are you don't know what the point is yourself. It's more important to find moments during the asana practice to emphasize your dharma, then to "blow your wad" at the beginning.
I tend to agree with Whitney that while chanting is cool, it can be a roadblock for many people, especially those just starting a practice. As a teacher, I think it's important to be as real as possible. Students know when someone is trying to play the "role" of teacher.