work in progress

I spent a chunk of my Friday afternoon running through the yoga sequence I developed to finish off my 200h yoga instructor certification. Teaching this class to my teacher and peers is the final step for me to complete in order to be certified. That is, if my class is good enough to meet my teacher’s expectations.

Developing a set of asanas which will build up to and prepare the student for the selected peak pose is just the beginning of what she expects of her teacher trainees. The class must also contain certain components including the chant of aum (or other), some inclusion of pranayama, one or two principles from the eight limbs, and a theme which should not just be talked about at the beginning of class, but rather, woven into the sequence.

At this point in the game, I have my list of asanas leading up to my selected peak pose. I have selected my theme and my yogic principle from the eight limbs. I am now on my mat, stepping through the sequence, making adjustments where needed.

I am finding that there is nothing like moving through the set of asanas (exactly as they are listed out) to reveal the flaws in the sequence I’ve developed. What seemed like a good idea on paper does not quite flow as seamlessly as I hoped.  Where these areas in my sequence don’t flow as well as they should, I have made the necessary modifications to insure that they do. And while it’s coming together nicely, I think I’d like to make a few more changes to make it a little more interesting and less repetitive.  As if I am choreographing something as important as a ballet, I want everything to flow perfectly.

That’s asking a lot but, as I figure it, I must shoot for the stars so that I will have a better chance of success.

I must say, I now have an even more profound respect for my teachers for being able to create these masterpiece sequences week after week, day after day. A lot of thought goes into making sure the student’s body is warmed up properly before leading them into a more complex posture. Making each class now and interesting is an art that takes time to cultivate. Although I am sure the way I am developing my class is not the way of these experienced teachers, this is the process that makes sense for me right now. Hopefully, it will come easier after I have been doing this for a while.

I must admit, after completing my Ashtanga practice in the morning, moving through a rigorous Vinyasa sequence later the same day is pretty tough stuff. My body isn’t used to me putting it through this much in one day — especially in the heat of July. And I have much more work to do on this, so I need to be careful not to overdo it to avoid injury.

It’s exciting…so long as I don’t think about having to actually teach my class. It’s a work in progress and I’m just taking it one step at a time. First I need to create something that I feel is worth teaching, then I can do the work to overcome my fears of not being good enough, and just make it happen.

Namaste to all of my teachers, my fellow yogis and yoginis, and to all of my friends & family who continue to stand by and wait for me to finally finish what I started nearly 2 years ago.