Question about partnering
I had a question from a fellow yogi about partnering (thank you Emma!). About how in a 90 minute class, it can sometimes break up the flow of the class. I totally know what the questioner means- there you are moving, flowing in class and then suddenly it stops; screeches to a halt like a car brakes before an accident.
Thing is though, you have to know what style you are taking and what style you are into. If you are into Flow, Ashtanga, or Power Yoga, you will not like at all the "stopping." If however you are into Iyengar classes, then you are in for tons of demos. The last Iyengar class I went to I think the first pose was the first of many many demos- and I happened to love it.
Anusara has generally speaking (although we don't have a set of rules about this) a tendency for demonstrations. If you are teaching and notice several people have misalignments then you need to address it. Otherwise you are not being of service to the students. And I'm not talking about their thumbs in Warrior 1. I'm referring to shoulders dropping in chaturanga. Or shoulders not plugged in in Urdhva.
Also in Anusara we do so many crazy-ass poses that students literally have no idea what you are asking them to do and they look at you as if you had three heads. They will ask me often, like today for instance, "can you show that pose?" I think students want to know what to do and how to do it properly.
The thing is that the teacher has to be a master in how to demo. A demo can be boring. Or it can be short, potent. and inspiring.
A good demonstration can change a student's practice for life. Can help them understand a pose, help them go deeper in a pose, help them come out of an injury.
Again, you have to be really good at it. A good teacher knows that if a student's left shoulder drops in chaturanga, it's going to drop in every other pose. Or if a student's right foot turns out, it's going to make that top of their right femur bone protrude forward, while also making that right shin bow out. So the teacher is on the lookout and can sweetly help the student individually without necessarily going into a demo.
Also because of Anusara's playful energy and because every Anusara teacher learns everyone's name, there is a sweet community vibe that often forms in class. Therefore student's feel comfortable enough to ask questions about poses. Often a student will ask about foundation in cobra or why their backs hurt in Urdhva Dhanurasana. I find it so moving that a student feels safe enough in my class to share with me these comments and I try my best to answer the question will keeping the class moving.
I would always take it back to my intention- am I here to give them a workout and ignore their misalignment if they have any?
Am I here to be of service to the students, to remind them of their goodness and help them feel good so that at the end of the class they leave feeling better? I think it really boils down to that.
I also have noticed that if I stay open and available when I'm taking someone else's class, I will always learn from a demonstration, even if I have heard it 100 times before. Why? Because each time is new. Because each day I'm different. And if there is a theme (and in Anusara there has to be a heart-oriented theme in every class) then the demo will affect me in a different way, since the most potent demos include the theme! But yes, we do in Anusara have a tendency to demo and I am guilty of it! I admit my guilt! Guilty as charged!!!
I have learned SO much from demos and I love to share my knowledge with the students.
As far as Inversions go, whenever I say "OK handstands everybody," if I don't demo there will be like four people who will be spotting the wrong way (by that I mean holding the legs instead of hips as the other student kicks up and/or standing in the wrong place...) A poor partner will be more harmful to a student's overall practice than a boring demo.
Again, it has only been because of demonstrations and partnering that me - a non gymnast, no-dancer, someone who was in a wheelchair at 15 because of several fractures in the spine and pelvis- me, moi, I can finally balance in the middle of the room in handstands, forearm balances and headstands. I honestly attest that I can do that because over and over, year after year, yogis helped me understand the alignment when I was upside down.
Lastly, it's important to remember that even though demonstrations happen often in an Anusara class, the Certification Video Self-Evaluation Form asks:
"Did you demonstrate only when necessary?"
and
"Were your demonstrations clear, succinct, and effective?"
Two great questions to ponder for all of us teachers...
I'm going to finish with one last thing: I've noticed that the most popular teachers are the ones who generally do little to no demos and little to no partnering. So if you are looking to have big classes, follow a rule which I have yet to follow: never demo, never partner.
Namaste!
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