The decision to teach others is one that comes with responsibility. The decision to teach others comes with the highest level of responsibility. The field of yoga is changing so rapidly, that manyteacher certification programs need to modify their curriculums accordingly in order to prevent injuries in classes.
How to prevent injuries in yoga sessions is one of the hottest topics in the practice right now. As the numbers of students continues to rise, it is becoming imperative for all teacher training facilities to raise the bar in their approach to teaching yoga safety, anatomy, and kinesiology.
Prospective teachers may wonder how facilitators will be able to add any new information into an already packed program. Most courses devote a reasonable chunk of time to anatomy and physiology, as well as teaching methodology. It would be simple to work injury prevention into these time slots or alternatively create an additional mandatory workshop into the program.
Possible topics to consider when addressing injury prevention could include:
• Adjustments: Gentle adjustments are essential as well as an awareness that all bodies have different limits of flexibility and strength.
• Communication: Learning to encourage communication from students is important. Before class begins, teachers should know to ask if any student has an injury or a problem area. In addition, addressing techniques for making students comfortable about speaking up are useful.
• Spotting Injury Prone Students: Warning signs for injury prone students range from physical condition, posture, and balance to even over-zealous personalities.
• Dangers and Precautions of High Heat Yoga: Extreme heat yoga can be dangerous. It is important to understand the signs of dehydration before teaching these types of classes. It is very important for students who are already on water pills to avoid hot classes.
• Guidelines for Older Students: As the older population moves toward yoga, some awareness about the limitations and even the objectives of this age group is necessary. This age group may not want to push themselves as hard as others do, and the use of props is very helpful.
• Health Release Forms: Future yoga studio owners could benefit by understanding the formats of health survey forms as well as appropriate legal language for avoiding liability.
One quality that makes a great teacher is the ability to understand that not all bodies and minds are created equal. Compassion will enable you to understand not pushing people beyond their limits, thus creating less incidence of injury.