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| Hi! I am a longtime lurker, and looking forward to any advice you would care to share. I am going through a 200 hr TT program this summer and I would love to know what thoughts or reflections you have about your experience. Do you have any advice you'd give to your younger self when you went through a training program.
I am an ambitious overachiever by nature, and I am trying to find some balance- keep the self-discipline but find joy and inspiration in the training even if it means going slowly, not pushing my body too hard, etc.
Thanks for any thoughts!
Mistress M |
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| I'm graduating next month from a 10 month, 200+ hour YTT. The only advice I have is to savor the experience. :-) |
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| I was devastated after reviewing my notes from my first TT module. To put it lightly they sucked. Of course I hadn't been in school for 15+ years. So no wonder - but there was no way I was going to be able to really work on integrating the knowledge if I couldn't take better notes.
Googled note-taking and found this.
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/notes.html
My advice is to look through the PBS listings and find what looks to you like the most boring uninteresting show. Watch it with two goals in mind. 1) Being an active listener. 2) Taking useful notes.
Yes most of what is covered in your teacher training program will be interesting and stimulating. But according to Yoga Alliance guidelines a variety of material is covered. You want to be able to absorb all of it.
If this is an intensive program the advise might not be the same - you might want to refine your question some. I'd also go back to the program organizers and see if they make recommendations on how to get the best out of your experience. Books to read before? Material you can cover before you get there, etc.
Best wishes. I'm 7 modules (9 a year) into a 3 year program. It's a fantastic experience.
Vic
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| Thanks for the advice, Vic. That link is great.
I am doing an intensive (4 weeks, YogaWorks). I really love their intensive approach to alignment, but the Ashtanga Vinyasa keeps me out of my head and in my body's experience.
Good ideas all around, much appreciated!
MM |
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| Live what you learn.
Bring it into your life (hopefully it will be more than just asana but start there if that's all it is).
I actually learn better when I avoid note-taking. Granted, reflecting on the lecture is different when there are no notes. But I find actually giving all of myself (attention) to the topic helps me to incorporate it into me. But that is just me. I know others who write every single word and then categorize those into binders.
I've also found it very important to self-nurture during these sorts of things. Be very clean - clean clothing, clean feet and hands, clean armpits (deodorant not antiperspirant) and a reduction of the less light filled things in the diet. More veggies (green leafies and root), more hydration, more rest and a lot less outside interference. Fewer doorbell rings, cellphone rings, and less tv.
Edited by purnayoga 2008-04-29 11:41 PM
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| PurnaYoga,
One of my teachers loves to say "it's ok if the dog eats your notebook" - 'cuz we should know the material so well that we don't need the notes and binders.
Did you read the materials I linked to? They actually recommend an active listening approach. Reminding us that the mind moves so much faster than the speaker talking - so it takes an active approach to remain present. Sound familiar?
Did you really go through 2000 hours of teacher training without taking notes?
We take quizzes and tests. And I think even though it sounds a bit like memorization - this is the first step before the material can be applied as needed. I couldn't imagine not having my notes. But I also have a study buddy. An on-line group just for fellow teacher trainees and we even hold skype study sessions. So much to learn.
Of course I don't know how any of this applies to a one month intensive???
Vic
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| I'd say, figure out your learning syle and honor it. Oh, and don't compete. When I look at my younger self, I see a very competitve girl. Some people were plain more gifted than me, and that's that. Honor them with nice thoughts (or verbal!) and then live in your own skin.
Edited by Kym 2008-04-30 10:03 PM
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| You caught me a bit off guard Vic since I did not mention my training hours. You picked that up from another post I gather.
There were certainly times where notes were appropriate. For example when Aadil gives a nutritional lecture. I find notes there to be very, very helpful. After a while (maybe 200 hours lol) I would get a sense for what I need to immerse myself into and what I could afford to split my mind for.
It's the same with teaching. I cannot see how a new teacher could "afford" to split their mind in class, teach to the group, and work individually with one student (or several, all needing therapeutic modifications). So in the beginning I'd surely take some notes no matter how illegible they'd turn out.
We have testing as well. So if I didn't have notes and I wasn't able to connect to the wisdom on a deeper level, well I'd be in trouble. But it merely exposed areas where I was not fully connected to the learning and I could then choose to amend my connection or continue it:-)
Edited by purnayoga 2008-04-30 10:24 PM
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| I got the advice of teaching "your yoga" here, and - though I'm still practice teaching as I finish my training - I am finding that it was very useful advice. If you're like me, you may need to experiment with teaching, get feedback from people, and learn the lesson "from the inside out", as it were.
For me, I'm a note taker. I learn better visually than aurally, so just listening would absolutely not work for me. The process of translating (parsing, prioritizing, and categorizing) the data into something visual works a number of brain pathways that can make it easier to remember. So know what kind of learner you are and use that to your advantage. (If you are an aural learner, ask if you can bring in a recorder, for instance.)
And, practice teach. It'll be harder in an intensive, but find friends who will let you practice teach more than just a pose or two - a half hour, an hour, or even a full ninety minute class on them. It can help you solidify what you learn in your lessons in a way that talking about it or doing practice teaching in training just doesn't quite do. |
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| nuclear_eggset - 2008-04-30 11:57 PM I got the advice of teaching "your yoga" here, and - though I'm still practice teaching as I finish my training - I am finding that it was very useful advice. If you're like me, you may need to experiment with teaching, get feedback from people, and learn the lesson "from the inside out", as it were. For me, I'm a note taker. I learn better visually than aurally, so just listening would absolutely not work for me. The process of translating (parsing, prioritizing, and categorizing) the data into something visual works a number of brain pathways that can make it easier to remember. So know what kind of learner you are and use that to your advantage. (If you are an aural learner, ask if you can bring in a recorder, for instance.) And, practice teach. It'll be harder in an intensive, but find friends who will let you practice teach more than just a pose or two - a half hour, an hour, or even a full ninety minute class on them. It can help you solidify what you learn in your lessons in a way that talking about it or doing practice teaching in training just doesn't quite do. Great comments and advice. I, too, am a note take by nature HOWEVER in YTT I have taken less and less notes each session. Having the 200 hours spread out over 10 months helps, b/c I can absorb and research and integrate each module. The student teaching has also been eye opening for me. And heart opening as well. Balance was mentioned in the OP. Great! For me, YTT did bring me a little off-balance as it is so exciting and a little overwhelming and so obsession and fear crept up. We have studied the Sutras throughout and had many discussions and exercises that are introspective and can bring up emotions. The asana work can be strenuous because of the amount of material that gets covered in a compressed time frame. So, yep, balance and eqanimity are definitely good things to seek duringyour experience. Best of Luck, |
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Advice for Trainee
