Your environment

[Kimberly]

Most of you have taught at least one class by now, or are preparing for your first teaching gig! What have you learned to date about the setting? The room? Temperature? How you set up? How loud the music is? Evaluate any lessons learned and share so your fellow students can learn from your experience!

[LAD92761]

I have now taught in 4 locations: Balancing Owl studio, Tartan Fields Fitness Center, outside at 5K event, and Narthex of New Hope Church. My required Karma hours are complete. I have learned a lot from all experiences!

1. Room set up: every location is different and you really need to check it out before you teach. I also recommend arriving an hour in advance if first time teaching in space to really get comfortable and think it through. For example, at Tartan the studio has other equipment so I’ve had to move things around to have clear floor space. Also at Tartan I had a wall sequence planned but needed to revise it as the room is loft style so full walls were limited. At the church, I changed set up from long and skinny to wide so my voice would carry better andcstudents could see better. At the studio, the other teacher had used many of my props in another room, so I needed time to carry them back to my studio for the students. You just don’t know what you will find so having time to get room ready is critical.

Room temperature is also key. Some you can change and others you can’t. I’ve been able to use fans at Tartan to cool space down before students arrived. Closing blinds can also help. Again you need to be there early enough to assure right temperature.

I’ve learned to only trust my sound system. I just bring my own.

As far as music, you need to watch volume. One student actually told me he has partial hearing loss so when he is in class I watch music volume as well as my voice volume.

Clocks…the one at Balancing Owl is hard to see if sun hits it, so have a back up plan. Also church does not have clock visible so I needed to bring. Not bad idea to have a clock you can have when needed.

Put phone on Do Not Disturb when you arrive at studio so you don’t forget! Also put on silence.

I always take 2 extra mats with me into teaching location. I bought my own straps for those off site classes.

Lastly when outside, being able to hear and see is critical. I’m actually working on that solution for free Yoga day class!

[regmarlew63]

To date, most of my karma classes have taken place in a very large and open space in the back of a church. While it was a quiet environment, with no foot traffic coming and going, and a beautiful wall of windows looking out to a peaceful quiet outdoor prairie; the large size posed some challenge with hearing music and glare from windows made it difficult for the students to really see me, and from the teaching perspective gave me that same visual challenge. In turn that limiting vision didn’t allow me to see students in detail. I could see their bodies, but was made aware later that i couldn’t see detail of improper hand/finger placement. I could have fixed this by changing the orientation of the class, which I did the following session, after taking a cue from Lori Davis.
I had a lot of different levels of experience, which was a bit of a challenge. I tried the approach of being basic in instruction, and reminding even the experienced student could benefit from gentle reminders that refresh our techniques.
I had waves of both confidence and nervousness while instructing. So, during the nervous parts, I kept reminding myself that I have been in training to do this, and mistakes can happen and try not to panic when I know I had made one. Reminding myself no one probably even noticed.
I was excited after the class. Especially when I was getting the smiles and compliments. But I will admit, my inner critic was fierce, after hearing one comment about something I maybe could have done better. Example; I assumed everyone would easily pick up on how to be in Child’s Pose. After beating myself up a bit, I turned it into a lesson of being sure I cue even the simplest of asanas.
The best advice I would give, is no matter how your class is going….smooth as silk, or what we are envisioning is a hot mess (which most likely is not) just keep moving forward!! You will get through and learn valuable lessons.
Regina Lewis

[EmilyD]

I haven’t taught yet…so I’m still waiting for the “what ifs” to hit…but here are thoughts on classes I’ve experienced as a student.

The setting really does have a big impact for me. I need to feel safe – both physically and emotionally for a good practice. I’m doing my karma teaching outside, so I worry a little that it won’t have that same “feel”, but I keep reminding myself that I’ll be working with young athletes who are used to focusing with all of the noises and traffic going on around them. I think it will be ok for that population.

Temperature is so personal! I like to practice in the mid-70s. Hot classes do things to my head – it gets to me and I find myself focusing on my discomfort rather than the practice I came to do. And it makes me dizzy. I do not see myself teaching in that setting any time soon – if ever! I think heat outside will be different – as you get a breeze and the fresh air is moving around you.

As for setting up, I think I am going to travel with my own speaker. I don’t want to have to stress about getting technology to work for me. It’s so hit or miss! And I need to be ready to ask people to move around in class a little. I’ve been to classes recently where one or two people put their mats down in an inconvient spot and made it hard for others to fit into a class.

And music, while I love it, can’t be too loud. I attended a class yesterday and the music was so loud it was distracting. It was there to hit noises from other parts of the studio. It was so loud that the instructor had to use a mic.

Please share your tips – I’ll take any advice I can get!

[msinghal]

6 out of the 7 karma hours I have completed so far have been at a vacant office and 1 at the 5K race. I have yet to teach at Balancing Owl.

From the office setting, here are my learnings:
1. It is extremely important to visit the location well before the day of. My room, although vacant, had an unusual layout. So, I needed to plan out my placement and my students’ placements to optimize their visibility. I set the props on those spots ahead of time so that students knew where to place their mats.
2. I preferred not to rely on the phone for too many things like the music, its speaker, and its clock. I carried a separate clock, and a Bluetooth speaker. I used my phone only for music. I placed the speaker in the middle of the room so that the volume is not too loud for some and too low for others.
3. I also arranged some candles and lights to enhance the ambiance of the space.
4. I created signs to tell students which way the make-shift yoga studio was.
5. I realized after the very first class that I must be mentally prepared for late arrivals.
6. I always arrived at least half hour early to each class, and then proceeded to adjust the temperature, lighting, signs, music, and props in the room.

[lisaclick48]

Doing yoga inside is a much more controlled setting then trying to conduct a yoga session outside. After much discussion with my main Oils contact, we choose to reduce the attendees list and stay inside. We discussed the following concerns – too much sun, air too hot, bugs or bees, neighbors being too loud or deciding to mow their lawn, storms or wind as we would be using essential oils during the poses, and our attendee list. After we reviewed our attendee list and that we would be conducting yoga mid-afternoon, we decided it was best to hold the session inside to ensure everyone felt comfortable and was safe from any harm. A controlled room with a/c and music in the background with no distractions and plenty of space for each attendee to stretch out. I had a complete run thru with my Oils contact so I knew how long it would take to get thru the poses and use of essential oils. Using a closed baggie with each the essential oil on a cottonball gave the students the ability to use the oil quickly for that pose or refrain from using it. It allowed me to focus on the pose and not take too much in between poses. With mediation in the beginning and poses throughout with focus on the chakras and oils, the session took almost a full hour. I will be conducting a much larger group on 6/9 and 6/23 so I assume it will take a bit more time for setup but I’m hoping to stick to the hour! More to share after I get my groove!

[CindyHurst]

If you’ve downloaded your playlist to your phone (in other words, you’re not dependent on an internet connection to stream your music), then I would suggest using Airplane Mode rather than Do Not Disturb. This will prevent any interrupting sounds or gaps in your music if you happen to receive a text or call during your class.

[betshellhaas]

I’ve learned a lot about setting and preparing the room. I take into account the type of class I’m teaching, whether it be in the morning or evening, I base the light in the room off of that. Typically, in an evening class I don’t even turn the lights on and allow the natural light to facilitate that. For mid-morning/afternoon classes I keep the lights on, we want people up and moving and ready for class to begin. For music I have been using my iPad and so far that has worked great for me. I’ve been creating playlists on iTunes and then put my iPad on bluetooth and I’m good to go! I have altered the loudness of the music during class. In savasana I might turn the music down more than I did for the class. Temperature is not something I’ve really had to deal with yet. However, I did a little when teaching a class outside. It was a warm day and I ended up with a sunburn on one of my shoulders. Therefore, going back I would have made the class at an earlier time. Another situation we deal with here at Tapestry is space. We can only fit about 10 people in per class. When we are getting full people sometimes have a hard time finding space for themselves and as the teacher, I try to make room for them. So far nothing has come up that I was not able to deal with. Each experience teaches me something new and prepares me more for the future.

[Beth]

I have learned that for my own personal preference as a teacher, I like some of the same things I prefer as a student. The lighting must be very soft and not directly overhead if possible. I was able to use some natural lighting as well in my space at OSU Newark. I also prefer to have the temperature be cooler, but I think that is situational. It has been very warm this month and although I like practiciing with a window open for some fresh air, it is really hard to practice in humiditiy. I was grateful for my class I had access to air conditioning. Being in a space without the windows open also allowed for my voice to travel more easily and to be able to control the volume of the muic. The space I used was a challenge only because each class, I had to arrive 30 minutes early to clear the room of tables and chairs. I also had to stay after to put everyting back, but I insisted on keeping this space instead of using the gym because it was more private and could be made to feel more like a studio.

I prefer when I practice to have music in a studio but when I first started teaching, it was very distracting. I have just completed my karma yoga classes, and I realized that the longer I taught the more comfortable I became with playing music. I found that my students really enjoyed the music as well. One of the biggest takeaways, was to spend time in savasana, more than you think you should. My students really responded well to this, but I suppose it really depends on the vibes of the group. I was always teaching after work, and to students who serve others all day, so they were ready mentally to relax, refresh an revive. This guided my room setup and how to set a calming mood for an eveing course.

[sally200]

My teaching takes place at a yoga studio, I chose a time that I feel will be good for me teach in the future. I am working on remembering names, and something special about each student, connecting to keep class going after Karma classes are done. The teaching environment is good. I use my own music/speake, finding out I like it as just background noise.

Prior to class, I play funky up beat drum music, bring the vibes as I greet students.
Quiet thing down before I begin. And yes, phone on airplane mode!

I chat with new folks about how their past yoga experiences, just to get to know them.

Next few week I will video some of my classes to test out my voice and learn more. The angle of the camera will only show me.

For me, I practiced and took yoga class and then my Karma all in one day. That is just too much, so I am changing that process.

I my challenge and would love feedback.
How are you displaying your sequence plan? iPad, paper?? I have trouble seeing the plan while standing?? I guess new glasses?

Sally

[CindyHurst]

I had a discussion with Anne DiBlasio this morning after class. There was an issue with the speaker which caused some disruptions to her music. She commented about how distracting that can be to a teacher – having to deal with fixing the music takes you out of your flow, potentially making you forget what you were going to say or do next. As a teacher in training, these are the things that I don’t necessarily think of or plan for. I feel very fortunate that Anne shared this with me. I thought about it on my way home from class – what would I do in this situation? Try to fix it, bring it to the students’ attention, just continue without the music… In all honesty, I didn’t even notice the issues with her music – and I was right next to the speaker. Anne obviously handled it seamlessly.
As much as I love practicing with music, should this happen in my class, I plan to acknowledge the issue and just continue without music. I know that it’s best for my Pitta self to just let it go and move on.

[dooley]

I have taught at Tarten Fields and the room there is not a yoga room per say. It is more of an exercise room. I was there an half hour early to make sure my speaker and music worked then I took time to meditate so I could get myself in the zone, which I really recommend doing, especially if you are feeling anxious or nervous. I would recommend visiting the place so you can see what props they have, where you need to set up and place your speaker or music, if they do not have one. Tarten doesn’t have yoga mats so I make sure that I bring a few extra mats with me just in case some doesn’t come with a a mat. They do have exercise mats, so we were able to use them if needed.

The temperature of the room is important! Being a person who is always cold, doesn’t mean I make the room warm to suit me. I made sure the room was set to be cool so the students who came to my class didn’t feel too warm, especially if we are moving, such as in a slow flow. I just made sure I had a long sleeve shirt or jacket just in case I was cold.

As for the music, I made sure it was loud enough for them to hear, but not too loud that they were not able to hear my cues. I would recommend having a few extra songs in your playlist just in case because I did realize I was a song short for one of the my classes, so I just replayed the last song for a few minutes until we were ready for savasana

[KHuttsell]

I have held classes in several different environments. A dental office, an outdoor pavilion and the Balancing Owl studio. Each environment presents its own challenges. I found the best way to “plan” for them is to visualize what could become a challenge in each space.

In the dental setting, I was concerned about noise from the entrance to the office since the office is open to the Worthington Mall. Therefore, I made sure I would have music that was loud enough if we experienced noise from mall patrons. Although, it ended up being a very tranquil environment. I also planned time prior to class to rearrange the furniture so we would have room to spread out.

For another class, I rented an outdoor pavilion in lieu of holding my class somewhere in the grass. This was to ensure there would be shade if it was sunny and protection from the rain if a shower rolled through. I knew the floor would be concrete so I borrowed enough blankets to be able to create a base layer for students to place their mats on. We also had some casual observers watch what we were doing – something I hadn’t thought about before I was teaching in a community park.

Most recently I taught at Balancing Owl. Since I was teaching a restorative class – I reviewed the number and types of props available so I could plan my sequencing accordingly. In addition – since this wasn’t a studio sponsored class – I had students RSVP to me directly so I could determine how many props would actually be available to each student. I did arrive early to set up mats and props for each student. It took longer than expected without the distraction of students arriving. So I was glad I arrived far enough to advance of the students or the props wouldn’t have been ready. Another item to consider when working at a studio is that you will have to help students during check-in and completing waivers. That aspects keeps you out of the room as you grow closer to class start time. I didn’t realize how distracting it was until I taught the studio class – as my other classes did not require a “sign in” element.

Music. I received so many tips about music in advance discussing the pitfalls that can occur. So I chose to bring my own Bluetooth speaker which I knew paired easily with my phone and how the speaker itself operates. I want it to be second nature to change the music – not an additional distraction. I always also download my music to my device. I do not want to depend on WiFi or cellular service to stream my music.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by KHuttsell.

[melross1]

Moving around the class so you can be seen and heard is important. I think it also helps with a sense of safety. People often want to practice with their eyes closed but want to know they’re safe, if they know the teacher is moving around on “watch” if gives a feeling of safety.

Temperatures are personal but I think the room should be kept in the low 70’s if possible unless the class is advertised differently.

I like music but I think it needs to be turned down to a low to moderate level. I have found people watch me and others around them so make sure you do a good job modeling what they neeed to do and they’ll follow you anywhere.

[Author]

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