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| My wife and I have been taking yoga for 2 years. Recently we took a beginner yoga class at a local Iyengar Studio and I'm wondering about the class and its progression. The studio offers beginner and intermediate classes. The sessions are 2 month sessions 1 class per week. The last class each month is a restorative class. The quality of instruction is great, I have no doubt the instructor is well qualified. But I question the pacing. We spent the first two nights on tadasana and one warrior pose. The remaining session was spent on two other warrior poses, the restorative classes and a cursory down facing dog and an inversion for about fifteen minutes. We thought we'd give the studio another try so renewed for another session and basically repeated it all over again. Part of the problem is it's a beginner class so you have a mix of experiences and some who do not practice other than in class. Those that have a little more experience or at least are practicing at home have to wait while the instructor focuses on the others. My wife asked if she could move up to the intermediate class and told she wasn't ready. How do you get ready if you are stuck in a class that doesn't progress? We elected not to repeat the session a third time and are pursuing a different (non Iyengar) studio. Is it normal for Iyengar studios to pace this way? |
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| yes.
iyengar teachers, if they are trained in the official iyengar way, are highly trained teachers, and generally the more highly trained the teacher is, the lower the level of class they'll teach.
the process of learning iyengar yoga is slow. at the studio where i learned, there were four levels offered. usually, one took the level 1 session (beginners) for 20 weeks (two 10 week sessions), and then, assuming the student demonstrated proficiency at those postures, they were given the go-ahead to advance to the next level. after that, the teacher told you when to take the next level, you generally didn't ask.
whether you know it or not, the classes are progressive. no one "gets" a posture in just 8 weeks or 20 weeks. but, once an individual has reached a certain level of proficiency--and the teacher knows what s/he is looking for before advancing the student--then the student is encouraged to go to the next level.
it may be that you don't have enough flexiblity or core stability or whatever to "progress" into level 2, and therefore you need to stay in level 1 for now to develop those things with the level 1 postures so that you will be able to do the level 2 postures.
iyengar is a very meticulous, rigorous discipline that takes a lot of dedication. a lot of people do not like it because it is so slow to advance people and detail oriented.
and so, they go to studios that are "speedier." but, i have run into problems of student's progressing themselves--they come to my level 2 (i'm not iyengar, but i do teach leveled classes) well before they are ready, and then they're overwhelmed and frustrated. whereas, if they'd asked, and i'd told them to stay in level 1, they'd be prepared for level 2 when i told them to advance. (most of my students advance to level 2 after 2-3 sessions of level 1--each session is a 10 week session). |
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| Thank you for your response. Undoubtedly I learned things about the poses that were taught I didn't know and probably would never learn at a different studio. I'm going to give this more thought. |
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| There are different ways of learning and therefore also different ways of teaching. Iyengar classes usually teach details first. Other styles of yoga often teach the bigger picture first and then fill in the details. It really isn't a right or wrong, but more of a question of which approach works best for you. The problem with Iyengar classes is that they move really slowly and often the students never see the forest because of all the trees. The problem with the other approach is that often the students learn a lot of bad habits that have to be unlearned later. Ideally, you want attention to detail within the big picture. This is often an elusive balance, but necessary for real progress. A really good teacher will be able to teach both the details and the big picture in any style and at every class. |
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| Our classes were 90 minutes. Two poses per night would be fine but repeating the next session the exact same way was what had me wondering. We learned 8 poses in 4 months. The best of all worlds would be to take the Iyengar at that studio and a flow class somewhere else but my lottery ticket hasn't come through for me yet. |
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| Try the flow class and then see which you feel more comfortable with. What does your wife think? You mentioned that she is also taking yoga. If you don't try the flow class, you will always be thinking that maybe you made the wrong choice staying with your Iyengar class. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Russell - this seems quite unusual to me based on my years of Iyengar experience. While teachers used to spend inordinate amounts of time teaching every detail of every pose, the current teaching coming from Pune (where the Iyengar institute is) is to teach the "shape" of the pose to beginners, give a well rounded class that is sequenced as a full practice and move through the Level I syllabus within an 8 - 10 week time frame. I have been to workshops that worked one pose for hours, but rarely a class. Are there other Iyengar teachers at this studio you could try out? |
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| Hello Russell.
If you are asking specifically about the nature of Iyengar classes then it would be prudent to take in information from those teaching it - or practicing it. I am neither.
If you are asking about the pacing of curricula in a yoga context I can give you one of perhaps a thousand perspectives.
I believe a balanced teacher (one who is not stuck to a script or a dogma) delivers what is needed by the student while at the same time not sacrificing their truth in doing so. While that can be a bit more challenging when it is stuDENTS and not stuDENT it is still an attainable goal for a skilled and growing teacher.
In the class you were in it may very well be that your needs were not met. And that is to be examined just as you are doing in this very post. It does sound to me as though the teaching plan could have been expounded on both safely and with respect to the level of the students. But I was not there and do not have the benefit of seeing bodies, movements, actions, and alignments.
As Tadasana is NOT standing but IS a standing pose it has a great deal of value upon which to build a beginning student's practice. I would not spend 90 minutes teaching beginners three poses. Nor would I spend 90 minutes teaching beginners 22 poses. But I am not an Iyengar teacher, though I do teach in that lineage.
I feel that we as students should not become too preoccupied with our level of proficiency. Anyone can move their body here and there, huff and puff, break a sweat, chant like a foghorn, and show off. It is quite easy. But to actually be in asanas, to mine the residue of them, to create a traction for the growth of human awareness, that is not the work of the faint of heart.
Likewise to protect oneself not just in the moment but over time is absolutely in line with the philosophy of yoga whether it is the Bhagavad Gita, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, or Patanjali's Yoga Sutras that you follow (hopefully all). That protection is nurtured by way of a mindful progression with an emphasis on developing proper action and alignment. Perhaps your class will do such a thing. Perhaps you'll need a broader class plan, or perhaps you need to do 40 poses in 90 minutes. Only you can know.
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| I took what I now believe to be a very Iyengar based set of classes in the early 90s. (I never knew to ask or care what type of Yoga it was). We would essentially explore 1 pose per class. Of course, my memory of each class is not that detailed after this many years but this is my strong impression. We would work each pose in such acute detail that I found out about parts of my body I never knew existed, much less had any control over. We would use straps and blocks and have dowels to check our alignment and pelvic tilt, etc. We were taught how to sit, how to walk, how to sleep. Proper Alignment was the only goal of class. It was like no other Yoga class I had ever been to. It was some of the best, most useful, foundational instruction for me. At that time. Now I am exploring flow Yoga and learning new things about mind, body and spirit. But I still like to go back to precise alignment and long holds, as a touchstone almost. The main thing is, start where you are. If you feel this class is not working for you, explore your options. One option could be to really get into the details of the pose. A level 1 class can be quite challenging if you work your own edges. Another option could be to try a more flow style or a more power style or a more restorative/yin style. |
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| purnayoga - 2008-03-07 3:49 PM
I feel that we as students should not become too preoccupied with our level of proficiency. Anyone can move their body here and there, huff and puff, break a sweat, chant like a foghorn, and show off. It is quite easy. But to actually be in asanas, to mine the residue of them, to create a traction for the growth of human awareness, that is not the work of the faint of heart.
Excellent! Thank you. |
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| Hi,
90 minutes Tadasana.... I think at the place I attend my Iyengar classes a lot of students would run away.... especially in the beginner's classes.
However. It is possible to study one asana for the rest of ones life. There is so much to discover in that one single asana. Not boring at all, but sometimes it just takes time to see it and experience the benefits.
I attended classes where the whole class was spent on getting one asana right. For example take headstand. So this class was a 'headstand preparation asana' class. Setu Bandasana on a wooden block getting the position of legs and tailbones right, usefull for headstand. What are my legs doing when I'm in headstand? How does it compare to when I was on the block? Am I still cramping my buttocks? Or am I able to move the tailbone in, and lift my legs to the ceiling, holding feet together? Very cool stuff.
Especially in the beginners classes a lot of focus is on Tadasana. To get awarenes for all those important aspects of the poses. But also other important standing poses like Utthita Trikonasana. If you get a few basic poses right, it will include benefits for the more advanced poses!!! For example, is it possible while turning out one leg, to have the arms steady? During time I tend to 'forget' about basic aspects of poses. That's the reason I like to attend 'beginners' classes sometimes. It helps me getting the 'basics' right, so this way also beginners classes are advanced classes!!!
Cheers,
Merijn |
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Beginner Class
