Are you interested in methods for improving Yoga student safety? The safety of students can be improved by encouraging open and forthright communication, between a Yoga teacher and his or her students. Whether or not a student is new to your class, encouraging open lines of communication is of paramount importance when you are guiding a student through a series of physical postures and pranayama exercises. Over the course of weeks, months or years, a student’s physical and emotional health may shift and change with various experiences in life. By encouraging open communication, you will be able to guide your students in their practice through your professional feedback and recommendations.
For instance, if one of your students has just found out that she is pregnant, you may want to recommend that she attend a prenatal Yoga class, rather than continuing with her Ashtanga Yoga practice for the duration of her pregnancy. Similarly, if one of your students has recently undergone a surgical procedure, you may want to find out more information about your student’s current recovery process, and to obtain authorization from his or her doctor, before allowing your student to continue with an advanced beginner or intermediate Yoga class.
These are only a few of the personal health conditions that can affect the appropriateness of a specific Yoga posture or class for any individual student. However, each student with whom you work is, of course, a unique individual. By encouraging open and frequent communication with your students, you will be able to find out if they need a modified sequence of Yoga postures, different pranayama exercises or a different type of Yoga class all together. The idea of establishing a time to speak with each one of your students on an individual basis may seem overwhelming at first, but with a few designated time periods in place to speak with you about any health concerns regarding their Yoga practice, your students will feel more comfortable approaching you on a regular basis.
You may find that a great time to speak with your students individually is fifteen to thirty minutes prior to the start of your Yoga class. In order to open up the space and prepare for your students without feeling rushed, many teachers arrive at their studio or classroom space early. This gives you a chance to turn the lights and heat on and to place Yoga props in an easily accessible spot, if you are using props today. By announcing to your students that they are more than welcome to come to class a few minutes early to speak with your individually, you will be providing them with a time when they can let you know about any health concerns that may impacting their Yoga practice and to ask for your recommendations.
In the same way, by announcing at the end of your Yoga class that you will be available for ten or fifteen minutes after class ends to address your students’ individual concerns, you will be establishing a quiet time when your students may speak with you privately about any specific physical and emotional health concerns that may be affecting their practice. This time period will also provide you, as an instructor, the opportunity to recommend certain modified postures, breathing exercises, or even a different style of Yoga, to individual students who are experiencing any number of health challenges.
Virginia Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a writer and an academic support specialist. She is currently accepting Yoga and health-related writing orders and may be contacted at: [email protected].