Comments on: Yoga Class: How much talking is too much talking? ~ via Lindsay Jean Thomson

By: annie

annie — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:12:12 +0000

Simple:

25% alignment
25% philosophy
25% breath cues
25% SPACE
that's how i roll anyway

By: ARCreated

ARCreated — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 03:02:42 +0000

I think this too depends on the level of the practitioner…not to be TOO generalized but I find that I "need" to say more for beginners and less for more advanced. sort of like newbies sometimes need more guided meditation in savasana (I know I did) and as you progress you love the silence more. I do agree about the "personal" stories though…I had a teacher that seemed to forget you were in a pose and tell a personall story…I kept thinking "does this have a point? will it end? I would have been better off in silence…instead I was clock watching 'cause I wanted her to stop talking I guess relevancy is important

By: ARCreated

ARCreated — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 02:59:14 +0000

I take a class like this…I LOVE it…we sing along with the play list and help each other with poses, years ago I would have been appalled LOL but now it is so "kula" I think it can be a bit intimidating for newbies however it fosters a deep sense of belonging. We watch out for each other.

I do tend to teach classes depending on who is there..and I always have a theme…always

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:05:21 +0000

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.

By: Bob Weisenberg

Bob Weisenberg — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:16:15 +0000

I like that, Whitney.

Bob

By: Whitney

Whitney — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:09:29 +0000

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.

By: inappropriate yogi

inappropriate yogi — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:37:09 +0000

words are useless, especially when spoken, and more-so when typed. yogasana teachers should simply sing mantra. om mani padme hum…

By: katie

katie — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:47:42 +0000

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.

By: Lindsay Jean

Lindsay Jean — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:35:38 +0000

thanks for all of your wonderful feedback!

By: Bob Weisenberg

Bob Weisenberg — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:43:01 +0000

That sounds like a great approach, seva. Bob Weisenberg http://YogaDemystified.com