Here you will find articles, newsletters and web links for yoga teachers. The YogaUK.com website was founded in 1999 by Andrea Newman to support and connect heart-centred yoga teachers who work hard to serve their local communities. All yoga teachers are welcome, from anywhere in the world.
The power of small actions
Dates for your diary -
The power of small actions When we teach yoga, it's helpful to keep in mind how much the little things matter. In planning our yoga classes we frequently think about how we are going to structure the session, choosing themes and practices that we think will engage our students. While variety and interest are of course important, the true impact of yoga teaching often lies in the small changes that we help our students make. The little thingsHave you noticed how a simple deep breath can sometimes shift your mood? Or how just a few moments of mindful movement can change your energy? Teaching a range of simple practices can have profound knock-on effects. “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” The butterfly effectI remember reading the short story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury - a story about time traveller tourists who go back to the prehistoric era and are told to take care not to change anything. Despite the warning, one of the travellers accidentally steps on a butterfly and brings it back home with him. On returning to their own timeline, they find that details in the world had changed. This has come to be known as the ‘butterfly effect’, a term now used by chaos theory mathematicians to mean that one small thing done now can have unknown and unexpected ripple effects going forward. Not every breath or yoga pose will change the world of course, but we can never know how a simple shift in awareness might lead to something significant down the line. RepetitionWe know from our own yoga experience that the cumulative impact of consistent, mindful yoga practice takes us on a journey of learning and growth. "A dripping tap will fill a bath." When we repeat yoga practices consistently, with a small amount of effort we can build new habits and new foundations. GoalsI remember a yoga student years ago who was determined to learn how to get her foot behind her head. After months of dedicated home practice, she achieved her goal! When I asked her how it felt, she shrugged and was visibly underwhelmed. She enjoyed the process and had been very enthused by her pursuit of the goal, but she found the final achievement disappointingly anticlimactic. The new ability didn’t help her in her life in any way and she didn’t continue with that practice. Yoga can offer many and varied benefits, but the most transformative and life-changing aspects of yoga often come from learning through regular, simple practices that may not have great visual impact, or that may become necessary during illness or injury. We can lead students towards the more subtle aspects of learning in yoga by offering new ways of looking at themselves and approaching their practice. SvadhyayaOne of the most rewarding aspects of teaching yoga is witnessing those moments when a student has a small realisation that sparks deeper self-enquiry, or svadhyaya. Maybe it’s a subtle verbal adjustment in a pose, or a brief moment of stillness that might spark reflections that impact career changes, or major life decisions, or lifestyle choices. These small insights can snowball, creating substantial improvements in health and well-being. AparigrahaAs yoga teachers, we often put our heart and soul into our classes, hoping to make a difference in our students’ lives. But we can’t of course control the outcomes of our actions. The principles of karma yoga remind us to focus on the sincerity and intention of our efforts, rather than the results, and then letting go of any desire for a particular outcome. Aparigraha is the concept of 'non-grasping' or 'non-attachment'. Teaching from the heartOur role in yoga teaching is to hold a clear and supportive space where students can find what they need. It's not about being clever or saying the perfect thing, but more about guiding our students with love and wisdom. In offering simple, consistent teachings, we can trust that all the small actions will collectively create an environment that offers potential benefits to all our students. In each of those moments, you could be planting seeds that may one day grow into something profound. Any thoughts? Do share at a community Q&A meeting, or in a chat space in the community hub. Community news Talking points New community members are very welcome at our Q&A meetings. We talk about all sorts of topics relating to yoga teaching, including class management issues, students with particular needs, thoughts around different types of venues, setting fees, marketing, aspects of anatomy. It's also fine simply to come along and listen in to the conversations. Special guest As an experiment, in September I'm hoping to have a special guest join us for the second half of the Q&A session. To be confirmed! I'll let you know more in the next newsletter. The next three Zoom Q&A meetings are: Friday 30th Aug 1-2pm Saturday 21st Sept 10-11am Friday 18th October 2.30-3.30pm Log in to the community hub for further dates, to say you're coming, to get email reminders, and to access the Zoom links - link from your Dashboard at yogauk.com. Back pain workshop This workshop on Saturday 26th October is free of charge to community members - log in to the community hub and look in the 'Events' space to say you're coming and access the Zoom link. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to any yoga teacher friends or colleagues who might be interested in any of the content. They can sign up to receive newsletters to their own inbox at www.yogauk.com If you are not a yoga teacher, or if you'd like to pause the Newsletters, please select the 'Preferences' link below and mark accordingly. You can alter these any time if your circumstances change. You can unsubscribe from Yoga Teaching and Learning at yogauk.com at any time using the link below. 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Yoga Teaching and Learning
Here you will find articles, newsletters and web links for yoga teachers. The YogaUK.com website was founded in 1999 by Andrea Newman to support and connect heart-centred yoga teachers who work hard to serve their local communities. All yoga teachers are welcome, from anywhere in the world.
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