Day 15, by Kristy Alpert
The last two days at the teacher training mainly revolve around the final teaching round, a.k.a. “fun outs.” Basically we divided the group into four groups of five so we could each teach 15 minutes of a 75-minute class. Half of the groups taught a yang class (i.e., more power and vinyasa focused) while the other half taught a yin style class (more restorative and relaxing).
Two of the groups went today and two will teach tomorrow (I’m in the latter group teaching yang on the last day of the training). It was so cool to see that now that we’ve each built such a strong base of asana knowledge, basic yoga anatomy, and ideal class structure, each person has somehow managed to develop his/her own teaching style.
Girls that struggled to speak in front of the class taught with self-assurance and projection, while others who were confident in one aspect of yoga before arriving (i.e., power flows) were able to teach something entirely out of their comfort zones (i.e., restorative yoga poses).
Once the classes wrapped up, we went through some special scenario studies about how to handle students who may have special conditions (i.e., high blood pressure, wrist injuries, low back pain, pregnancy, etc.).
It’s crazy that everything is coming to an end so quickly. As we approach the final days, on one hand we feel like entirely different people now that we’ve stretched ourselves in so many ways emotionally, physically, and mentally; and on the other hand most of us feel like we’ve only started just a few days ago. Also, the vibe is distinctly nostalgic about leaving the group, but at the same time it’s so clear that we’re all stoked to get back to our home communities to start teaching our friends, colleagues, and students.
One day left. Still so glad I came!
Packing tip of the day: A song or poem you’re okay with singing or reading to the group during svasana practice. Some of us did silly songs, some were more serious; some poems were long, while others were short. The point of the exercise wasn’t necessarily about content, but rather to get us comfortable sharing something with our future students. However, it was definitely easier for the people that came prepared than the ones who had to come up with something on the spot.
