Author: Randeep Singh / go to all articles on Yoga Concepts
Yoga is a science that can be only
mastered with discipline.
By discipline I mean the regularity
to be followed in the day’s routine,
as well as in the practice of yoga.
A disciplined mind can achieve anything under the Sun.
I have already elaborated on
different guidelines and considerations one must
adhere to while doing Yoga asanas.
Similarly the student of yoga must follow certain precepts while practicing pranayama for gaining maximum from it. Both these form an inherent part of yoga rules principles of our yoga classes.
Principles of Yoga Clarified to the beginners
Here I will talk about the precautions and procedures that we follow in the Yoga sessions we conduct at our Yoga studio in Bandra West in order to impart the greatest possible results to our students. We also teach yoga online where we strictly adhere to unique online yoga teaching methods.
In our Yoga classes the first thing we do is talk to our new joiners about their understanding of yoga, and why do they want to join a Yoga class. Most of the new aspirants, beginning from the first conversation they have with me, mostly on phone, give away their ignorance on Yoga in the very first question they ask; What are the charges, and timing of your yoga classes in Bandra West? not question on the technical aspects of yoga.
This is because they take yoga at par with any other mode of exercise being promoted with glitter and glamour in our metros today.
Their first question is a means to know whether Yoga can fit into their pocket, daily routines and lifestyle or not. On the contrary yoga is in itself a discipline and a routine to which the aspirant of Yoga must adhere to, in order to benefit from it, and not the other way round.
Yoga is not just another form of a physical exercise, but a way of life. Its a user manual for how the a human life must be lived propounded by sage Patanjali thousands of years in yore, when the living was more in tune with nature and its forces. Even at physical level Yoga is way different from any other mode of exercise.
Ones an aspirant joins we enquire about the his/her day’s routine, any medical conditions at present or in the past, family circumstances, present flexibility levels, and age.
This information is used for customizing student specific instructions and modifications to be customized for the yoga practices being taught in our yoga classes in Bandra West. Keeping with the principles of yoga measurements of height, weight, blood pressure are made and recorded for comparing the progress made in the beginning of every month.
Thereafter the students are apprised of how yoga works out the body and the importance of regularity in attendance over the period of the required time lapse before they can begin to see the expected results from the regular Yoga practice they would undertake at our yoga classes.
Yoga Class rules we Adhere to
We start by conditioning the mind for the yoga class. The students stand in Sthir prarthasna while keeping the mind on the breath. The yoga trainer, well versed in the attributes of a genuine yoga teacher, instructs them to empty the mind of any thoughts of the day, past or the future.
A mind riddled with distracting thoughts is not suited to performing any yoga poses. Next the movements for getting into the yoga asanas, which are strictly based on the yoga alignment principles, are explained in a simple and understandable language to the students, the seemingly complex movements and the sequence of the movements is demonstrated by the trainer.
The students are asked to make the movements slowly and as per their individual physical capacities. The yoga posture must be practiced to the point of no pain, though the students are slowly encouraged to reach their limits in a particular movement.
The students are trained on aspects like attitude, action, and alignment for doing the asana the right way. The difference between the feel of the pain of a healthy stretch and a injury is explained to them. The class begins with simple yoga asanas being held for longer durations for balancing any heat present within the body.
A posture which exercises a particular muscle in a particular direction is followed by a posture which stretches that muscles in the opposite direction for creating balance within the muscle groups being stretched as per any professional yoga class rules.
The asanas are slowly intensified as the class progresses. keeping in tune with the waning stamina and enthusiasm towards the end of the class we begin with the standing postures leading to the sitting postures, then comes the lying down postures, we end with relaxing various body parts in Savasana , or relaxing by using sound in Nishpanda Bhava – followed by pranayama.
One of a very significant yoga class rules is that we integrated breathing patterns with the Yoga asanas by instructing the students to inhale wherever the body and the chest is opening outwards, and exhale while the body and the chest are closing inwards.
Our General Yoga Class Etiquette rules
The students are instructed on keeping their yoga mats clean and exposed to the Sun from time to time. The hands and feet must be clean before the yoga class begins. The water must be filtered, boiled and cooled before using it for kriyas like nasal douche. Catheters for kriyas like sutra neti need to be kept clean and dry before use.
The clothing for the yoga class must be minimum and lose enough to allow for easy movements and for the yoga trainer to be able observe the body parts in movement. The yoga asanas are modified individually for the students suffering from any medical conditions even in a group yoga class at Bandra West.
The presence of two yoga trainers in each class is helpful in taking care of individual requirements of our students even in a group environment. Our Yoga trainers are well versed in human anatomy and physiology, and the precepts of Ashtanga Yoga, they have an edge on advising specific yoga practices on specific limitations and medical conditions.
Our yoga trainers in our yoga classes teach out of experience than from the theory of the yoga practices. They are adept at differently intensifying a particular yoga practice for individual students based on their physical capacities and flexibility levels.
For post operated students, care is taken that no where the pressure comes on the affected part. Such students are advised not to practice Yoga techniques as instructed for normal practitioners for at least a year after the operation is undertaken.
We also avoid giving routine postures (without related modification) to pregnant ladies after five months of pregnancy and up to three months after delivery. Special movements and pranayamas have been devised by us for the same.
Students are advised on changes required for acquiring a healthy lifestyles, diet and related routines for gaining maximum from the yoga practices we teach at our yoga classes in Bandra West.
The state of mind of the trainer, and his ability to win the confidence of the students goes a long way in meeting the expectations of our students at Shahzadpur farm yoga classes in Bandra West, Mumbai.
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