If you ask any Yoga teacher if he or she needs improvement in communication techniques, you will receive a variety of answers. After all, Level 1 Yoga teacher training courses usually cover cueing, demonstrating, and assisting; so how much more can there be to optimizing your communication skills in a Yoga class?

Let’s review a few issues that should have been covered in your Yoga certification course. When you teach classes, are you listening? Some of us make the mistake of talking and explaining, so much, that we do not really listen to our students.

Worse yet, some Yoga teachers do not allow questions at all. There is a belief that questions "will interrupt the flow of the class." To prohibit Yoga-related questions during class is extremely unsafe.

What if a student is experiencing pain, while he or she is performing a Yoga technique in your class? Should he or she keep quiet about it? Should a student wait until after the class is over to mention his or her pain in your class?

Yoga teachers should be listening and observing their students at all times. To do otherwise is extremely unsafe. There is no room for unsafe habits in Yoga teaching methodology. One unsafe teacher shames all of us.

When teaching a Yoga class, we must be able to see two sides of every issue. Each situation, which comes up, must be governed by logic, compassion, and ethics. These guidelines are essential for us to build trusting relationships with our classrooms.

This requires each of us, who teach Yoga classes, to take the time to know our students, in an atmosphere of mutual trust. Seek to understand, and recommend solutions, to each student’s obstacles with complete integrity.

Among the many benefits of Hatha Yoga practice is enjoying a state of relaxation. If you have been practicing Yoga for a while, you might think this is a "no brainer." Yet, you cannot expect someone who has never practiced Yoga before, to automatically know the benefits. You have to use your communication skills, so that your students understand the benefits.

Relaxation, reduced stress, and being able to manage body weight are attractive reasons to begin and maintain a consistent Yoga practice. However, let’s take a closer look at the benefits of relaxation.

When you think about relaxation, what picture do you see in your mind? Most people would envision a vacation, when thinking about a state of relaxation. When should you take a vacation? Most people have created a vacation deficit and devote their lives to their career.

I have attended enough funerals and wakes to hear more than one widow state, "We were planning a dream vacation next year." This is a sad state of affairs, when married couples do not spend quality time on vacation, but will work "their fingers to the bone" at multiple jobs.

Why do people want to go on vacation? The reason people want a vacation is to relax the mind and see new sites. Yoga teachers cannot promise you will see new sites in their studios, but you can be guaranteed to feel better than when you initially entered your class.

Yoga classes help students to lower their stress levels, and they are much more affordable than a vacation. Therefore, Yoga increases the quality of life, until you are in a better position to take time off from work, and enjoy a dream vacation.

Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

Article Source: ArticleSpan

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