TT Finale 5/24/2020 Recap
Hello teachers,
I'd like to share something that has made a HUGE impact in my teaching and social life: "The only thing that truly matters in public speaking is not confidence, stage presence, or smooth talking. It's having something worth saying."*
You are worth being heard, and I hope your time sharing with others, practicing Svadyaya through journaling and reflection, learning about Satya, Visshudha and practicing different methods to teach has rooted that deep within you. You are worthy. Your words are worth being heard, but don't forget "Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is now the right time?" I am here to remind you that you have something worth saying, and when you focus on that, teaching will soon turn into what feels like having a conversation with a dear friend.
Thank you so much for your effort, time and dedication to this program! It has been an honor to see you all grow, and I look forward to working with each of you one-on-one to complete your requirements and get you graduated. If you missed Sunday, here's the link you'll need to watch as soon as you are able to, so you are all caught up: View Video on Youtube here.
As a reminder, in addition to the Graduation Requirements in your manual, you will also need to complete ALL listed work on the 2020 TT Portal at NorthwestYogaSociety.com, and meet with me 4 times for 1-on-1 coaching either via zoom, in-person, or you can wait until Phase 3 and meet in-studio at Bent Yoga (or at the Mukilteo LA Fitness). Then, you are done! Just message me and we will go over your graduation requirements, then I'l send you your Certificate!
Additional, you get the OPTIONAL choice of practicing in-studio at Bent with me in Phase 4 up to 2 times (just e-mail or text me to schedule) to get you interview-ready! You also get 2 months Unlimited Yoga at Bent once we enter Phase 4. And lastly, we will schedule a final group Graduation Party late summer or early fall, depending on the Phase. This is a bit extended (it feels like the year of yoga teacher training, doesn't it?!), so if it doesn't feel very "officially over" right now, I understand! You can celebrate now, and all year long-it's no small thing you've done/you're doing! This is hard, humbling work, but so worthwhile.
I so appreciate your continued flexibility, and am very proud to see the work you've all put into your teaching. Keep practicing, with self-love. Use your manual and stay connected. And remember: focus on having something worth saying (benefits, modifications, encouragement, inclusivity, energy, etc.).
Much love,
Mandy
*Quote from Ted Talks by Chris Anderson, a book about public speaking I'd recommend.
Updated Thursday, May 21st, 2020
Hello all! Welcome to your last week! This week you have a few things to do:
1. Review the Graduation Requirements in your manual and send me an e-mail letting me know how you are doing and what date you expect to be done.
2. Complete the Final Test and Survey by our class on Sunday (last one!).
I'll see you today at 6pm for our Live Zoom session!
Meeting ID: 262-889-363
Password: satya
Hello everyone! If you missed Sunday, 5/17, please view the video here where we discuss how to look at a challenging pose, identify what muscles need to be engaged or stretched prior to attempting the poses, and how to incorporate complimentary poses into your teaching. The rest of the session we practice taught. You ALL are doing great in this challenging time!
I'm happy to share the following things!
1. Once we enter Phase 4 as a state, you will get 2 months of unlimited yoga at Bent Yoga. I'll let you know when that happens!
2. Once we enter Phase 3 as a state, you will get to practice teach with me in-studio, up to 2 times. This is optional but recommended, to prepare you for wherever you'd like to teach in the future.
3. Once we enter Phase 4, we will have a final Community Class at Bent-when you can invite your family and friends-and our graduation party.
We will meet this Thursday at 6pm for a LIVE Zoom class, and this Sunday for our FINAL 12-4pm session; please us so we can end training strong! We will be discussing the yoga industry and next steps after training. I'll upload your work for the week later today.
I'll see you all soon! -Mandy
UPDATED THURSDAY MAY 13TH, 2020
Hello beautiful teachers!
Our theme for this week is Dhyana, or meditation in Sanskrit. Try adding in a little more meditation into your life to create a moment (or more) of calm, peaceful quiet. Read the bottom of this e-mail about a simple meditation method.
Let's go over what our last two weeks of training look like (it always feels too soon)!
Today 5/14: You have 2 very special recordings, instead of 6pm Live with me.
Sunday, 5/17: 12-4pm Practice Teaching with feedback
Thursday, 5/21: 6pm Live Zoom class with me
Sunday, 5/24: 12-4pm Zoom-Business of Yoga
1st Recording: a 1-hour Chakra-balancing Vinyasa yoga class led by the talented, wise Jill Jacques from SUP Yoga. She pre-recorded it just for you! I hope it helps. Pay attention to her sequence and her inclusive and thoughtful language. View it here and we'll talk about it on Sunday!
2nd Recording: a 1-hour arm-balance Workshop led by Monica Perez-Thorne breaking down Crow Pose, Handstand, Tripod Headstand and Side Crow so you can teach them to your students. I've attached the PDF for you since what's in your manual isn't updated (delivering in the next few days!), and the workshop link is here:
I know there's a lot of logging in, links, and online classes to watch. I commend you for being flexible and continuing to get your homework done and practice teach. Remember you get 4 hours total of in-person or online 1-on-1 coaching with me to practice teach, so continue to schedule with me while my calendar is open!
I've seen great progress in you all, and am proud of your effort. You're almost done with this major step towards becoming the teacher you want to be. Keep at it and trust that you're where you should be.
Oh, and once more, I would LOVE to get your questions answered and to hear your feedback as we come to the end of training-good, bad and indifferent. I'm determined to ensure you all graduate with the ability to teach yoga to a group of adults, and am confident you're all on the right track, even though two weeks doesn't seem like a lot of time left. But, if there's something I can modify to help you achieve that goal, please let me know so I can help.
Much love,
Mandy
MEDITATION
Your manual contains more detailed steps to teach and practice meditation. As a reminder: When practicing and teaching meditation, you can start simple.
Step 1 RELAX: Relax your body and your mind, whether you’re doing dishes, sitting in Easy Pose or laying down in Savasana. You can meditate anytime and anywhere.
Step 2 CONCENTRATE: Be interested in what you are doing. You can focus on your breath, repeat a phrase, use male beads/prayer beads or visualize a flower, a peaceful scene.
Step 3: EXPAND: Light, sound, power, wisdom, calmness, peace, love & joy: choose one of these qualities to immerse yourself in. They are said to be avenues towards self-realization, as they are elements of our true nature. Work with what you feel, then allow those feelings to expand until you come to the truth that we are all connected, all the same, together. Then hold onto that throughout your day.
On Sunday, we reviewed a Vinyasa Sequence and the poses in that sequence, discussed Ethics in Teaching Yoga, and talked about Prenatal Yoga and modifying for special populations. Please review the attached PDF-the special populations section at the end. I am having trouble accessing the recording, but will post it as soon as I can.
Remember we have class on Sunday, 5/24 since we took a week off during the beginning of the stay-at-home order. Just two more full weeks of training left! Keep studying and practicing.
Home work for the week will be uploaded for you.
Bikram-style 60 minute Class-IF YOU MISSED THURSDAY, 5/7, WA
Remember, as you're studying and practice teaching, all you need to say is:
English Pose Name
3 Cues (Verb-your body part-direction)-cue from the ground up and watch your student to see what you need to say.
Keep it simple. Once you have that done, add in benefits, Sanskrit and deepening cues.
This week! Updated May 5th, 2020
1. Continue to practice teach on your own (in your car, alone or out loud while you're doing dishes, hanging with your kids, or whenever you can squeeze it in-just say the words out loud). Be prepared to teach 30-60 minutes in all remaining classes (notes are okay). The more you practice-even if it isn't where you want it to be, the better. Use the self-assessment tool, say the English pose name and use the "Verb-'your' body part-direction" for 3 cues for each pose, give yourself grace and be patient. You got this!
2. Continue to take advantage of practice teaching with me, while my schedule is devoted 100% to you. Ask questions, reach out to me. I am here to help you succeed.
3. Continue to familiarize yourself with and work to memorize (notes are okay!) the sequences you would like to teach in the future. Modify as you'd like, they are YOURS. Keep in mind that wherever you teach, the sequence will probably be different, but these commonly-accepted sequences are great places to start.
Thursday at 6pm, join your fellow teacher trainers for a LIVE Bikram-style class, putting together what we studied on Sunday. Following class, a review exercise and your open-book quiz for the week will be online (you WILL have a final Test at the end of training, so review your manual often-especially the pose break-downs).
Meeting ID: 262-889-363
Password: satya
IF YOU MISSED CLASS, WATCH THE BIKRAM VIDEO ABOVE.
This Sunday 12-4pm, join us as we review Sanskrit & poses, discuss ethics in teaching, and talk about teaching special populations.
Meeting ID: 865-7830-8486
Password is: yoga
Oh, and you'll be receiving something in the mail soon-once you receive it, open your manual! I updated and added some pages for you. Please replace the existing pages with the NEW ones, and recycle the old ones when you're done. Thank you!
Updated Wednesday, April 29th, 2020
This week, I need you to focus on practice teaching a sequence you like-or portions of one-that you could see yourself teaching in the future. I understand teaching online or just 1-on-1 is difficult, and not the same as in-studio, but it’s as close as we can get to replicating an in-person experience. I encourage you to trust the process, be kind to yourself, and remember that if you work hard in practice teaching, you’ll be prepared to teach upon graduation. And oh, how lovely it will be to teach in-person! It’s going to be AMAZING, I promise you that!
Due Sunday, May 3rd:
TEACHING SELF-ASSESSMENT
Practice teach to a family, friend or fellow teacher trainer. Fill out the assessment (use your journal) before and after class. The PDF is below. Note: I did a version of this for the first several hundred classes I taught and it was instrumental in helping me find my groove as a teacher. Let me know if you have any questions on using it and feel free to add in a question or two.
Due by Sunday, May 31st:
THREE SEPARATE 1 HOUR COACHING SESSIONS:
Teach me on Zoom or in-person for 1 hour (a sequence or portions of a class-we will have an hour total together to work on what you want to work on). Just a reminder, that this, along with all homework, is a graduation requirement that is one of the strongest tools you have to improve your teaching and level up your confidence!
Note: Deb sent me a great article and I had an idea that came from it: I’ll be encouraging you to remove your "self view" from all Zoom meetings. This should help reduce the fatigue we feel after feeling like we are "on screen" for all our Zoom interactions. Teaching isn't a performance, whether you're in-person or online. It's all about your students' bodies. When in doubt, look at them. Your cues will come from what their bodies are doing.
Due Sunday, April 26th, 2020
NEW: Practice or listen to this 90 minute traditional Bikram hot yoga class. This is a great example of the traditional 90, but please note the way she teaches. Instead of instructing "move your toes and heels in one line", she says "your toes and heels ARE in one line", which is just a description. Think about how empowering and encouraging instructing someone to do something is as opposed to just describing what they may or may not look like.
Create a 60-minute Yin sequence just for you-view the requirements in the PDF from our Traditional Chinese Medicine & Yin Yoga lecture. Practice it, modify as needed, then journal about it.
Wheel of Live Exercise-scroll down to view it!
Review & Quiz: allow for 1 hour total, but you can split it up as needed. Scroll down-it's below the Wheel of Life exercise.
Live Sunday 4/26/2020 12-4pm
Recurring Zoom Meeting ID: 810-4879-0637
Password: yoga
Link to PDF here.
Live Thursday 4/23 Yoga Class @ 6pm (you can watch later if you can't attend live)
Recurring Zoom Meeting ID: 262-889-363
Recurring Password: satya
If you missed Taylor's class, the link is here.
Optional: Tuesday 6pm Yin Class with Mandy.
Sunday, April 12th, 2020
I hope you all got to spend your sunny Sunday with loved ones. If you missed some or all of the session on Ayurveda, here is the youtube video link and the PDF that goes with it. If the youtube link doesn't work, try this one.
Thursday, March 26th, 2020
Please allow 2-3 hours to complete this week's videos and exercises (in lieu of Thursday night 8:30-9:30pm). Do them in order, please :) Must complete before Sunday morning:
1. Sequence Activity: Modify (add/remove/change) the Hatha Yoga Sequence from your manual to include an additional twist, 2 additional core strengthening poses, and a flow (like Cat/Cow, Sun Salutation, or any 2+ poses you link together with breath.) Write it down in your journal with today's date, titling it "Hatha with twists, core and a flow" so you know what it is later.
2. What is Kirtan? This is Kirtan. Once you've listened, click here.
3. Practice Teaching Activity: Click here.
4. Take this Dosha Quiz at home in preparation for our upcoming discussion Ayurveda. Write your answers in your journal. Share what you are online in our facebook group (optional, but fun!)
Sunday, March 29th, 2020
We will be "meeting" from 11:30am-3:30pm to discuss the History of Yoga, Types of Yoga & to watch the masters teach, so you can appreciate even more the various styles that we get to enjoy today.
Missed it? Video recording online here.
If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please let me know! "See" you soon! -Mandy
Sunday, March 22nd, 2020
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