| Some Yoga instructors feel that one method for | | | | helps a student "feel" where he or she should be. A |
| teaching Yoga is better than the rest; but which one is | | | | verbal explanation is close, but is not the same as |
| it? If a Yoga teacher does not give a physical assist, is | | | | feeling proper alignment while an Asana is practiced. |
| that wrong? If a Yoga instructor does not | | | | This is difficult, if you are from a culture where men |
| demonstrate poses, how can students who learn | | | | and women do not casually touch each other. |
| visually make progress? What about the Yoga | | | | Sometimes, some students just do not feel |
| instructor who makes an assist before verbally | | | | comfortable getting physical assist from their Yoga |
| cueing? | | | | teacher. So, what do you do? |
| There are many methods for teaching Yoga, but | | | | Firstly, before giving an assist, during Asana practice, a |
| students either learn by seeing, feeling, hearing, or a | | | | Yoga teacher should ask permission. If anyone has an |
| combination of senses. With this in mind, there is no | | | | objection, you are better off to demonstrate the Yoga |
| right or wrong method, but Yoga teachers should be | | | | technique or explain it verbally. It is not worth the |
| aware that some students may have a dominant | | | | potential conflict, and each Yoga student has a right to |
| sense when it comes to learning. This is why teaching | | | | his, or her, own space. With that said, "Tread carefully," |
| methods for Yoga should be integrated. | | | | when volunteering to give a physical assist to any |
| There will always be a Yoga student who does not | | | | Yoga student. |
| like your method, but you should be able to effectively | | | | Demonstrating Asanas also has its pitfalls for Yoga |
| communicate with the vast majority of your students. | | | | teachers. Too much demonstrating can make some |
| Ever since the first Hatha Yoga teacher trained the | | | | Yoga students feel like they are just an extension of |
| first Yoga student, there had to be a bonding for the | | | | your workout. Too little demonstrating and some Yoga |
| relationship to progress, and for Hatha Yoga to flourish | | | | students may grumble that it is easy for the Yoga |
| into the many physical Yoga sub-styles, we see to this | | | | teacher to say, when the Yoga teacher is "just |
| day. | | | | walking around." So, what do you do to please most |
| There are times when, despite all the verbal cueing | | | | of your Yoga students? |
| skills imaginable, a Yoga teacher must make a physical | | | | Make sure your Yoga students are exposed to a |
| assist. No matter what is said, some Yoga students | | | | combination of Assisting, Demonstrating, and Verbal |
| will learn more from a solid assist than by cueing. This | | | | Cues. In this way, you will have satisfied most of them. |