One thing I've noticed recently is that the goals and expectations of students graduating from teacher trainings is polarizing; there are some students who strictly wish to enrich their practice, and have no desire to teach. And then, there are some students who would like to make teaching yoga a full time vocation.
I love working with both ends of the spectrum; the first group tends to be less nervous about the process, and they laugh a lot! But, I am an entrepreneur at heart, and as I watch the trainees learn, I just can't help but think about how they might best be able to offer their talents and thrive as yoga-preneurs.
So, when a friend of mine, a nurse at the neo-natal intensive care unit at Rush University Medical Center, contacted me about producing some aids accessible by computer for her nurses who deal with long hours and huge amounts of stress, my first thought was to take it to our current teacher training group.
Together, the trainees and I talked about the specific environmental conditions that lead to high stress levels for the nurses; life and death situations (babies, no less!), issues with parents, doctors, and long hours. These nurses regularly work 12 hour shifts. We talked about how the postures, breathing and philosophy of yoga could help the nurses. The trainees each thought about specific techniques that would be helpful, and came up with a plan for a short video or audio file.
The students developed their sequences at home, then taught them to the entire training group during class so we could offer suggestions for wording, timing and other refinements.
My intention was to film and edit their mini-class for them. Some of the students are still refining their sequences, but three produced their projects themselves. Again, as a class we reviewed these projects and offered more suggestions. These three students made more refinements, and then produced a finished product. We posted this on our web site for the nurses, and anyone else, to access.
Now, why do I feel this was a valuable exercise? Technology is changing the yoga industry. It's easier than ever to share ideas, mini-classes, and techniques to larger groups. For a teacher hoping to make yoga their main vocation, it is worth becoming familiar with using technology as a tool. Videos, blogs, websites; all of these are ways we can share our ideas with a larger audience.
Technology is not for everyone, but a little exposure can have surprising results. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "A mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions." I love that quote, and feel it applies perfectly to a yoga teacher training. I love offering many dimensions to the teacher training. To view the students projects, please click here.
I love working with both ends of the spectrum; the first group tends to be less nervous about the process, and they laugh a lot! But, I am an entrepreneur at heart, and as I watch the trainees learn, I just can't help but think about how they might best be able to offer their talents and thrive as yoga-preneurs.
So, when a friend of mine, a nurse at the neo-natal intensive care unit at Rush University Medical Center, contacted me about producing some aids accessible by computer for her nurses who deal with long hours and huge amounts of stress, my first thought was to take it to our current teacher training group.
Together, the trainees and I talked about the specific environmental conditions that lead to high stress levels for the nurses; life and death situations (babies, no less!), issues with parents, doctors, and long hours. These nurses regularly work 12 hour shifts. We talked about how the postures, breathing and philosophy of yoga could help the nurses. The trainees each thought about specific techniques that would be helpful, and came up with a plan for a short video or audio file.
The students developed their sequences at home, then taught them to the entire training group during class so we could offer suggestions for wording, timing and other refinements.
My intention was to film and edit their mini-class for them. Some of the students are still refining their sequences, but three produced their projects themselves. Again, as a class we reviewed these projects and offered more suggestions. These three students made more refinements, and then produced a finished product. We posted this on our web site for the nurses, and anyone else, to access.
Now, why do I feel this was a valuable exercise? Technology is changing the yoga industry. It's easier than ever to share ideas, mini-classes, and techniques to larger groups. For a teacher hoping to make yoga their main vocation, it is worth becoming familiar with using technology as a tool. Videos, blogs, websites; all of these are ways we can share our ideas with a larger audience.
Technology is not for everyone, but a little exposure can have surprising results. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "A mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions." I love that quote, and feel it applies perfectly to a yoga teacher training. I love offering many dimensions to the teacher training. To view the students projects, please click here.
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