The First of Many...

On Friday, I taught my first class at New York Yoga!  In most regards this was my 'first real class' - first time at a real studio, first time having a strict start and end time, etc.  I have been teaching a weekly class and privates at my apartment for the last couple months and, though I knew this would be a different experience, the things that caught me off guard were not what I expected them to be - which was totally nerve wracking and exciting.

For one, the room is huge; there is a real sound system and a fan running. So lesson one - volume.  Not too tough, raise my voice. Check. Bottle of water inhaled over an hour because I haven't had to project this much since theatre in high school... Check.

 

The second obstacle was time. When I teach from home we set a time for everyone to arrive but we all settle in and begin the actual class at our leisure. I have a sequence prepared and a playlist that both go for a little over an hour - so that has been my time keeper. Class on Friday was 8:25-9:25am. At first I forgot about keeping time - oops - so remembering is a challenge in itself.  Then when I looked up at the clock I had 25 minutes left to class and it felt like eternity. I actually threw in a few extra poses because I thought I hadn't prepared enough. Incorrect because then I had to take poses out because twenty-five minutes flies by. 

At the top of class I got three requests... 

1. Do not talk through savasana.

Easy one - I agree that savasana is a time to soak in the results of the practice. Dharma talks are lovely and can have the first minute or two of settling in to this pose, but ultimately I like to leave the student space to just experience and be present.

2. Do not tell us 'ok just do it on your own'.

Not leaving students to flow on their own was a new thought to me - I think this depends on the class and the difficulty of said flow. This particular student was afraid of getting lost or forgetting the sequence. As the teacher it is up to me not to let this happen ever and to create a supportive environment for all students - so number two was my pleasure to oblige.

3. Keep the air on.

Check, check and double check.

Overall, I believe class was a success. My students laughed, smiled, took a pose or two more deeply than they usually do... and taught me a thing or two about teaching. I am already looking forward to the next class at New York Yoga Hot. If you would like to join me you can check out the schedule page for all the Donation Classes I am signed up to teach. These classes are pay-what-you-can and you can drop in the day of. No stress. 
Just yoga. Jai!