Thursday, July 24, 2008

advanced yoga classes

Currently I have been teaching some group yoga classes that are "open" level, with students ranging from brand-new to yoga to more advanced students, all coming to the mat with different expectations and goals for the hour. You don't want beginners to be overwhelmed, nor do you want advanced students to be bored. The challenge for me as a teacher is to find a happy place for everyone: getting newbies aware of foundation poses safely, and cuing more advanced students on finessing their practice further and providing more difficult modifications. The great thing about yoga is, that no matter how an advanced/flexible/strong yogi you are, there is always something new to learn. It could be a new pose, it could be uniting your breath with flowing movements, it could be patience, with yourself or other students. Every moment, every day of practice is different.

This article from the NY Times addresses the need for separate, advanced level yoga classes: Yogi, Take Me to a Higher Place. My suggestion, if you're not finding the challenges you crave in regular studio classes: rally a few like-minded yogis and schedule a private session package with me. We could meet monthly, bimonthly, whatever works with your schedule, and work the advanced poses you are missing in class. I can also put together a sequence so you can keep working on the advanced poses at home.

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