Yoga “Stuff Happens”
As a yoga teacher, I often peruse the Internet for new ideas for my classes. The thousands of choices to pick from (including YouTube videos, downloads, yoga web sites and blogs) can be overwhelming and a real time suck if I’m not careful. Mae West summed up my passion for yoga when she said, “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.” For me, doing yoga, and knowing all I can about yoga, falls into that category.
In fact, it’s through this fascination with researching yoga that I had the pleasure of coming across Charlotte Bradley’s newsletter blog and website, “Yoga Flavored Life.
Even though we have never met in person, Charlotte and I seem to share many of the same perspectives. We both love doing and teaching yoga. We both love to research yoga. We both want to educate about yoga on and off the mat. We both have twins. Our twins are the love of our lives but they also drive us crazy; which brings me back to the need for much yoga in our lives. This cyber connection that we have formed has led us to a new idea:
I will be offering a blog specifically geared for YOGA TEACHERS wanting answers and interaction regarding silly but specific questions about teaching yoga. (Sounds like a Monty Python title.) Read on. I promise that the question of the week is listed below. You have to learn about me first. Grab a coffee and put your listening ears on for just a minute.
In my yoga research, I noticed that there seem to be very few blogs that deal with quirky, real life questions about what happens as we teach our yoga classes. For example,
- What do you do when someone breathes really loudly the entire class and it’s distracting?
- What do you do when someone farts or their stomach gurgles constantly?
- What is your worst manipulation nightmare?
- What direction do you prefer for mat placement in your classes and why?
If you’re thinking, “Farts and yoga in the same sentence? Eeew!” then perhaps this blog is not for you. Keep in mind that I qualify as a “free spirited” yoga teacher. I have been referred to as “irreverent” (the client said it with a wink) “random” (this client said she needs more spontaneity in her life so she likes my style) and “fun.” (OK, yoga can be fun and funny!)
Please know that I take my yoga seriously and the respect in my teaching is present. However, I strongly uphold my “Senior Quotation,” proudly displayed on page 72 of my high school yearbook, which states, “To every element of seriousness is an element of humor.” (Aristotle.) I see life with humor and that includes what happens (or doesn’t happen) when I teach yoga. Let’s face it, in our yoga classes, “Stuff Happens.” (Quotation not by Aristotle and paraphrased, of course.)
I invite you, whether a yoga teacher or student or both, to respond to my Yoga “Stuff Happens” blog question. What “stuff” happens in your yoga classes that you want to talk about and learn more about? Add your thoughts! Submit what questions you may have and I will offer them up for discussion. Let’s get some honest (but respectful) dialogue going on for these untapped questions! Our question this week:
What do you do if someone falls asleep during Savasana? What if they start to snore?
Leave your thoughts in the comments section below! I’ll respond to this question with my insights and yours next time around. (I can only imagine the Google searches for the fart question coming up later…)
Namaste,
Jill
Image courtesy of Rachel K