Community center yoga is definitely a different scene than any studio or gym I have been too. The variety of students is great to watch as there are so many levels. I think it would be harder to teach as you have to gear your practice to be challenging to the experienced yogis and then make sure it’s not too advanced for the beginners that they feel left behind. Something Suzie did, which was great, was give each pose a beginner variation and an advanced variation. I did see that almost everyone would try the advanced version but then usually finished off the pose back at the entry level.
One thing I didn't get to see at Trish's class at the studio was a lot of common tendencies. Tendencies are things like incorrect feet alignment affecting the knee joint, rounded backs, bunchy shoulders, compressed lumbar spines and a lack of core engagement. At Trish’s class, the students are pretty well informed with proper alignment. I was kind of disappointed at Trish's class because these are the things I really need to see so I can see how they are corrected properly. Proper alignment is what makes yoga beneficial to the human body as it’s the only way to safely venture deeper into poses without getting hurt. Sure, you can do yoga without proper alignment and have it still be beneficial to you but the moment you start to try to go deeper without it, you could be asking for trouble. I mentioned earlier, most people DO try the advanced version.
As the class is so big, Suzie gave a lot of alignment cues verbally. I have practiced with her many times before and now that I am trained, the cues are awesome and make sense to anyone, not just the yogis. I asked her how she got to this wonderful rhythm of flowing poses and her perfectly timed speech resulting in a seamless class. Her simple answer; practice. Darn, I was hoping for a guidebook.
I did notice a pattern when she was putting students in each of the poses. It was:
1. Verbal instructions.
2. Quick demo.
3. Breath cue.
4. Corrections of common tendencies.
5. Motivation and thoughts.
6. Breathe, go deeper if possible and then release.
These 6 steps were done in one minute or depending on the length of the pose. This makes it simple for me to think about. I love patterns!! Now I just have to find my voice for each section.
Another thing, I noticed at the community center is that class was not taken so seriously. People were giggling in class and whispering to their friends how hard a pose was. There were lots of water breaks and some people not wanting to do a certain pose so they just sat on their mat looking around, rather than child's pose. One woman left the class before the finish. Maybe she had somewhere to be OR maybe it was because Suzie started core work, I don't know. I know I don't like core work either :)
None of these disruptions fazed Suzie at all. The women sitting cross legged on her mat, staring at her while she was instructing didn't make her nervous. The women, who left, didn't shake her confidence. Even the lady, who was doing extra crunches and sit ups while Suzie was trying to lead the class into Savasana didn't faze her. She just kept flowing. I have seen Suzie teach in a studio setting as well and she teaches in the same manner. I think what makes her such a great teacher is how confident and genuine she is in her class. She admitted when she first started she was so nervous that she would break out in hives. I find that hard to believe!
Here is my favourite picture of Suzie from her Facebook page....PERFECT Trikonasana Pose.
Thanks Suz for letting me watch your class and thanks to your students! Next week, I am going to go to a random teacher at the studio, who I have never been to any of her classes before. I won't have any expectations. Stay tuned!
Namaste xo.
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