Two Hundred Hour Yoga Teacher Training Manual

BECOMING A TEACHER Teaching yoga is a wonderful and a privileged profession. Any person with faith, effort, and altruism can become a yoga instructor. Teaching yoga is about the desire of bringing, in an active manner, a few grains of sand, to help stimulate the transformations of a person, helping them to reconnect with the divine, with that innate infinity that exists inside of each one of us. “Namaste”, the Indian salutation, means that we all are one and take part in the same big Universe. Spiritually, there are no boundaries between human beings. Teaching Yoga goes beyond being an instructor in a gymnasium. Becoming a good teacher of yoga requires knowledge of the fundamental aspects of Yoga, philosophy, anatomy, and methodology. The science of Yoga focuses on the alignment of Asana, biomechanics, and an understanding of movement. Teaching Yoga involves modifications and variations of the Asana to accommodate the body type and level of conditioning of the student, the respiration, and sequences of classes, as well as the basic organization of classes. We all have a wonderful teacher inside of us. We all have a past, a history. We all have karma to clean. The only thing we have to do is to awaken the sense of desire, through inspiration, admiration of beauty, and the innate need to grow spiritually. We must become a reflection for others, not only with words, but also with vibration of love, light, and truth. We will learn that the easiest way to find ourselves is to get lost in the service of others. CAPTURE THE ENERGY LEVEL OF THE STUDENT An alert mind includes a clear and communicative voice. A teacher is creative, innovative, maintains a fresh and vibrant body, is charismatic, positive, has a good sense of humor, and is inspiring. TECHNIQUE To be a yoga instructor is to be a guide to adventurers in strength, and energy, to lend a sense of security to help students get to a magical place. The Yoga teacher wants to use all his experiences and his technical knowledge to guide the group in a positive manner toward a happy destiny. The success of this journey depends of the ability to connect energetically with the mind, body, and heart of the student. Each student ¡s unique; this is the challenge for the teacher. The same techniques will not work for everyone. It is important to be alert, be creative, improvisational, and find new ways to motivate, inspire, and educate. Each individual has a certain level at which you can reach them to turn the practice into a success. There, exists a relationship between the depth of the teachings, the number of students, the feeling in the room, the level of maturity and authority that can be maximized. The group of students senses this level and must trust the teacher. When the teacher has experience and knows how to execute the lessons, the teacher can be the most effective.A teacher with experience knows how to cultivate the abilities, how to connect with the largest number of students. Technical knowledge makes life easier, gets things done faster and more securely. Technical knowledge comes from training and experience; however, this is not enough. The teacher must also cultivate her own creativity to come up with techniques to make a connection, to develop the student. Through this connection the teacher can transport the student to a magical place where the heart extends with natural form and where everyone is enriched. Truly the service of teaching yoga is a divine privilege, every student is a gift. ALIGNMENT The shoulders and the hips support the trunk. The best possible alignment of these areas facilitates the best possible alignments in the Asana and the advancement in the abilities of the student. The first Asana for proper alignment, the principal aligned position, is the “mountain” pose, Samasthithi or Tadasana. Find this pose in every Asana. The principal spinal alignment of this pose reoccurs in all of the Asana so that we are searching for a return to this alignment in moving in and out of all the other Asana - we are “pulling the body” into or through Tadasana. In seated, twisting, and inverted positions, we try to arrive at a partial alignment of Tadasana as can be readily understood through your own practice. When an Asana is repeated, “Muscle memory” allows the Asana be more easily reached. When the articulations of the body are in the right alignment, the muscles attached to them naturally establish themselves in the right place and bring success to your work. To understand alignment, we need to understand the type of the body that the pupil has and which is the form of the Asana performed. The proper alignment comes from the inside of the body and is related to internal energy, the prana and the mind of the student. If the alignment is only superficial, it will show in a lack of integration of the position. A dynamic symmetry is the base that connects the interior with the surface of the body. If the alignment is composed and defined in each aspect, it forms what is called “a blueprint” (the architect’s ideal design) and thus, the body learns how to move following the “design” of its own blueprint. It is important to establish the right blueprint to prevent bad habits or that lead to injuries. This Blueprint has its very fine energy; it varies between people and during the lifetime. As we age, the blueprint changes, and it changes as we practice as well. It changes with conscious effort, seeking transformation through exercise and nutrition. In the blueprint of the body we can also recognize genetics, rhythms, past habits of exercise and rest, and other aspects of life.