One of the hardest things about Teacher Training is learning the dialogue. Bikram Yoga classes are 90 minutes long and the instructor speaks to the class throughout the 90 minutes, delivering a 90 minutes dialogue. Every Bikram Yoga class consists of the same 26 postures done in the same order each class. Some people might think that it would get boring to so the "same" class over and over again. Not so. In fact, doing the same 26 postures every class is a thing of beauty. It allows the yogi to meditate. It allows one to feel a sense of accomplishment each and every class because you can feel yourself make improvements each class. And, it gives the student a feeling of calm going into each class knowing that the instructor has been trained by Bikram himself and that the instructor will be delivering the "Bikram dialogue" they learned in order to be able to lead a class.
This morning I was a student in the 9:30 am class at my home studio in Yorktown Heights. The owner and instructors have been so supportive leading up to my going off to Teacher Training - it has been wonderful. They are giving me confidence. In the class this morning I switched places with the instructor, Delores, for one of the postures (Half Moon Pose with Hands to Feet Pose) and I led the posture for the class. It is so different to be up on the pedestal leading the class. I was inspired by how attentive all the yogis were and by how hard working they were. Even though I was nervous and it was all I could do just to speak the dialogue correctly, afterwards I felt a sense of gratitude towards all the other yogis in the class for us to have that time together.
Four more days and then I am off to San Diego Friday. I'll take classes between now and then; pack up; tighten up loose ends here in Yorktown Heights, and then it's off to Teacher Training.
Congrats on leading a posture! I chickened out of doing it in yesterday's class.
ReplyDeleteNot having been to a Bikram yoga class yet, I decided to do some research. Specifically, I wanted to take a look at some of the poses (http://www.bikramyoga.com/BikramYoga/TwentySixPostures.php)
ReplyDeleteLet me first say that the names of the poses are: (i) way too literal; and (ii) not very funny.
I think that all of the yogis need to lighten up a bit. For example, can we find a better name for the posture entitled "Hands to feet"? Or for the posture entitled "Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose"? I've got a few suggestions for you offline but I want to keep this G-rated for now.
Dear Mr. Burke - Thank you for the feedback. You make a good point about the names of the poses. If you think you have non-G-rated suggestions, wait until you take a class for the first time. I have a feeling most of your suggested names will be prefaced with something beginning with the letter "F" :)
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