I taught two yoga classes tonight, at a studio, just opened this fall, that serves lots of new students. One class was advertised as a vinyasa class - the other as a beginning vinyasa class. But the reality is, people just come to the class that is convenient for them - that fits their schedule. And in a place with lots of new students, almost everyone is a beginner.
Vinyasa, the practice of connecting yoga poses together with the breath, is inherently an advanced practice. Teaching people vinyasa who don't yet know the individual poses well is very challenging.
Tonight, my beginning class was at least as capable as the regular class. As soon as the vinyasa class began, I knew I needed to modify my expectations about what and how I would teach. Very valuable experience for me, but not easy or comfortable.
I was reminded of what one of my teachers describes as creating a container for each person's experience in the class. What more can I do? Each person experiences their own body in their own way. I can see certain things and make educated guesses about what is happening, but in the end, only they know. I can shape the class so that the container is as safe as I can make it, still present them with some challenges, and give them suggestions to focus and heighten their awareness.
I can't do their practice for them, or tell them how they feel in their own bodies. I can only create a container for their experience.
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