If you have yoga on your list of things to try in 2015, then I’m your girl. For January and February, I’m taking over a class at the North Shore Wisconsin Athletic Club from 7:00 – 7:55 pm on Thursday nights, in addition to a few Saturday yoga and pilates sessions. Check out my Class Schedule to see the full details. Most classes are complimentary for members and $10/class for non-members.
When I long-term subbed this class before, I don’t think my pace or themes were what the participants were looking for. I’m afraid I was a little too heady and cautious, which is probably safe to say for most things in my life.
My theme for my January classes is “challenge”. The first challenge is to myself to teach a hatha flow type practice. (To you yoga newbies, “hatha flow” means we just keep swimming during the duration of the class… Never spend too much time in any pose which doesn’t allow for many cues from me, but does give the participants a better chance to burn calories.) This is SOOO not my style, but if that’s what they want, that’s what they shall have. The second challenge is for me to figure out how to do this without any middle-aged shoulders giving out.
I’m not going to change my teaching style to take folks into positions they shouldn’t go into (I’m talking to you 60-year-old man who can’t touch your toes, but is diving into pigeon pose), but I am going to pick up the pace. There will be a lot more movement over these next few weeks to help treadmill runners get comfortable in a yoga environment. Is that you? Maybe we’ll throw in some extra push-ups or lunges to really make sure you gym rats feel at home. 🙂
I’m willing to get members more comfortable physically in the hopes that they’ll let me dive into the other parts of yoga — breath work, meditation, etc. — without too much complaint. Think it will work?
Whether you’d be able to come to my class or not, I’d love to hear from you – why do you do yoga?
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Even if members are coming to class just to get flexible, should I leave it there? My teacher training showed me there is so much more to a true yoga practice. I think it’s important, but what if the participant doesn’t?
I guess it all comes down to what makes us happy. It should make me happier to have a class of folks that got what they wanted vs teaching exactly how I am comfortable. Let’s give it a whirl together, shall we?
