This week, I taught a bigger class with 11 pax, including my friends, their friends and my two classmates. One day before my teaching, Jess told me that I could be more sensitive at the level of my students. She reminded me the importance of teaching with better delivery such as breakdown the poses and show them the easiest one (instead of final pose) in order to let the beginners feel less intimidating.
On the next day, half way through the class, I realised most of students were not physically ready for too much cardio or strength poses. I reduced the difficulty on the spot, changed the plank knee crunches to plank hip dips; removed a few other poses and replaced them with some more manageable poses. I appreciate my friends for their eagerness to learn and keep trying although a few of them started to look exhausted towards the end of the class. In the end, I decided to change my headstand to Ardha Pincha Mayurasana with leg lift because it is important to practise with safety.
After the class, I was anxious to get feedback from my teacher and friends. I wanted to know how my friends feel about the class and the professional opinion from my teacher. I asked a lot of questions and wanted to find out more details about their experiences. I’m glad that some of them enjoyed the class, they felt that the class was challenging yet manageable, they could understand the instructions, and they liked the shoulder and thigh press when they did the supine spinal twist before Savasana.
At the same time, I found out that I have some issues with my voice. I knew that my voice is always very soft and gentle, and could be at higher-pitched at times. Due to my weak neck muscle and poor breathing, it was very difficult for me to do Bhastrika without accidentally using my throat. When I was teaching my class, I tried my best to raise my voice to make sure everyone in the class can hear me. However, my method of using voice could be wrong all these while. When I listened to another instructor teacher conducting her class, I can literally felt her deep voice vibrating through the glass sliding door, which I need to start learning how to train myself to have a deeper and more charming voice. If I have neglected the training of my vocal in the past, I should start doing it now.
This time I am going to do a Relaxing Morning Stretch Class for Beginner. This is a theme I always thought I will like yet I never teach before. I sincerely hope that my students will feel energised after my class. Thank you for giving me another opportunity to practise my teaching during my YTT journey.
Since this is my last post, I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and deep appreciation to my teachers and classmates. You all have inspired me so much for the past few months. Every weekend I wake up with excitement because I know that I can start my day with a bunch of great people. Each of us has different strength in yoga and have completely different type of personality, but all of us share the same love for yoga (and all of us are nice people :P). We endure the tough part of training and sometimes laugh at each other’s jokes. I hope the end of the course is not the end of our friendship. I will always remember the time we spent together. THANK YOU VERY MUCH everyone!!!
24th and 25th Nov
Charis Lam
