How Should the Topic of Pranayama Be Covered in a Yoga Teacher Certification Course?

When teaching Pranayama (Yogic Breathing Techniques), to a student who is new to Yoga, you realize that beginners take their breathing for granted. It is natural to take breath and life for granted.

Breathing happens naturally, or conditionally, without giving it a thought. At the same time, breathing makes life, itself, possible. In the Yoga Sutras, Maharishi Patanjali mentions pranayama as the fourth limb in the Eight Limbed Path.

Pranayama has therapeutic value, and it is the most basic tool for creating a mind / body connection. Through pranayama practice, self-realization and presence in our Yoga practice are discovered.

As you sit on a mat practicing meditation, asana, pranayama, mudra, bandhas, japa, or any Yogic method - this is just practice for daily life situations. All of these aspects should be part of your daily life, regardless of the location of your Yoga mat. The easiest method to transfer into daily life is pranayama.

How many people practice pranayama with every breath of life? Actually no one can do this because it is impossible to monitor your breath, with complete awareness, for days at a time. You have to go to sleep sometime. The moment you go to sleep, your breathing will not be monitored, and it will take an unconscious course.

However, if you make a concerted effort to practice pranayama throughout the day, you will feel much healthier. There are some pranayama techniques you can perform, during the day, without making anyone aware of it. The only awareness required is yours alone.

During 200-hour Yoga teacher training sessions, it is not necessary for interns to learn one hundred pranayama techniques. On the other hand, any pranayama taught in a teacher course should be thoroughly covered and practiced repeatedly.

Of the many pranayama techniques to choose from, Bhastrika, Kapalbhati, Anulom-Vilom, Brahmari, Udgeeth, and Ujjayi are essential. There are many more valuable methods, but these six techniques are priceless. Interns must be properly guided and monitored, as they will teach these techniques to their students. Complete understanding of six to ten techniques is essential.

Therefore, the ability to completely understand the therapeutic application, and how to perform each technique, is much more important than quantity of pranayama methods learned.

At the 200-hour level, it is better to know the application and mechanics of six essential pranayama methods thoroughly, than it is to learn one hundred techniques. Consider this: After the teacher training is over, how many graduates will remember more than six techniques?

© Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com

He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

How Should the Topic of Asana Be Covered in a Yoga Teacher Certification Course?

If you are going to teach Hatha Yoga classes, there are many subjects to cover, but asana (posture) is often the starting point of most Yoga teacher training courses. It could be debated that we should follow the Eight Limbed Path, as explained by Maharishi Patanjali, by reviewing the first two limbs (Yama and Niyama) before asana.

However, let's put this debate aside and discuss the details of teaching asana to the public. In the average 200-hour Hatha Yoga instructor training program, more than half of the course time is spent covering the intricacies of asana and pranayama (Yogic breathing techniques).

When a student is young, asana can change the body's physical appearance within a year or two. Sometimes, results are seen at a faster rate. The body can develop strength and flexibility within months, but depending upon age and health, physical appearance can take a while longer.

On top of this, there is no fear of creating a huge muscular body by practicing asana. This is one of the reasons why Yoga has become so popular among women. In general, most women do not want a huge muscular body, but they do desire a physically toned appearance.

Beneath the superficial physical appearance of a toned body, the energy channels open, the nervous system's functions are improved, and a natural detoxification process begins to take place. The reason so much attention goes into asana is because the positive results have made it very popular for students of every age.

Specific asana sequences can be recommended for particular ailments. If you have an ailment, illness, pain, or a pre-existing injury, and gradually receive positive results through asana practice, this physical aspect of Yoga can change your life without any side effects. To suddenly be pain free, after years of chronic pain, is a life changing event.

A competent teacher guides his or her students to avoid pain, common mistakes, and to master the best possible alignment. Each student's skeletal body is different. As a result, students should be encouraged to do their personal best, but to avoid making comparisons to others or engaging in self-criticism.

Demonstrating, cueing, and assisting are some of the tools a Yoga teacher uses to help students focus on inner awareness, pranayama technique during asana practice, and alignment. These teaching skills are developed within the certification process, but they continue to be improved as a Yoga teacher matures.

© Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com

He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html