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| Hi everyone,
This is my first time posting, but I've been following the forum for awhile!
I started practicing Bikram in early June, and I love it. In general, my local studio has been a great place to practice. However, recently I've started going to early morning classes (I've practiced almost solely in the evenings to this point). They are silent classes, and I've realized that the "instructors" are actually not Bikram certified instructors at all. The people who teach the class are students at the studio with strong practices, but they are not certified instructors.
Is this legit? I love the way I feel when I go in the mornings, and it's great to be able to clear out my schedule in the evening, but I feel like I'm not getting the same quality instruction. It seems unfair, since the cost for these classes is, of course, the same... Any feedback would be appreciated!
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| I don't know if the instructors are really "instructing" if it is a silent class. I also don't think that Bikram permits "silent classes" per se, so this might be an individual studio initiative.
My personal thought is that if the am is a silent class, there can't be instruction going on -- it is assumed that you all know what you are doing. After all, in my area, silent classes are restricted to those who are experienced students specifically because there is no dialogue to guide you through it.
I personally think that if you know that the am class is silent, then you know that there won't be any instruction in terms of dialogue. If you prefer to be guided through a class, a different time is a better choice.
As for non-certified individuals at the podium--since the class isn't being "instructed" through dialogue, an individual with a solid practice serves as an exemplar rather than an instructor in this case. I wouldn't have much issue with this since I would be purposefully selecting a class that is by its very nature, free of instruction...
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| Patty--welcome to the forums. Sounds like your studio is offering you a place to practice and the class leader an opportunity to get some experience leading--perhaps in preparation for going to Bikram's teacher training--it's up to you decide if the cost is worth what you're getting. You could address that with the owner(s) perhaps suggesting a reduced rate. I know what the answer will be though... |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Even in Iyengar studios (and we are very fussy about certification) experienced students can now and then lead a class. There is no change in the fee.
Don't most Bikram students do monthly passes? |
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| Speaking "legally"? NO NO NO, definitely not legit! And you're not getting the same quality of instruction, because you're not getting instruction at all.
If I were on a monthly pass, I probably wouldn't mind going to one of those classes just to practice, but I would never pay for it. If you're paying for a Bikram class, you should GET a Bikram class. Every Bikram class by definition includes 1) a Bikram instructor and 2) instructions. What they are giving you is something else. |
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| I remember going to a studio, paying for a class (I was a visitor) to find that they were short instructors and played a freaking CD of a Bikram's class. I found out when a student turned the lights on, plugged in a portable CD player, pressed the play button and turned up the volume. THAT sucked. I personally have no issue with silent classes cause they have their value. If I want instruction, tho, a qualified LIVE instructor is, well, mandatory in my opinion!!!
In this case, it seems to me that there are a number of different class times offered by the studio and the silent ones are noted on the schedule. Since a member can attend any class they choose, they can simply not choose to go to a silent class.
Edited by freiamaya 2009-12-28 7:48 PM
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| they should just call it open practice |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Sounds like my kind of class!! I am dead serious. For some of us that have been practicing this type of yoga for all these years would pay more just to not have to hear the dialogue any longer!!
Which is why....I meet up with a couple of Bikram people once a week to have a Bikram class to music. We love it and it keeps us going since Bikram Yoga is no longer available in our area. Keep practicing this type of yoga and you will either understand this....or, love the dialogue so much that you'll want to hear it forever and will even have it memorized...or move onto another type of yoga,  
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 574
| Why not learn and use sign language? |
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| Do they turn students away if they are not "experienced"? And what is qualified as "experienced"?? I have done one silent class in my life, and it was as a fairly new student. Maybe 3 months... we whipped right thru it in probably 70 minutes and I just did a lot of wondering if I was doing things right. It is totally not legit to do silent classes with uncertified teachers in the Bikram world, but I suppose if they are telling you they are silent, then the choice is yours. I know if I don't have someone watching me thru class, I definitely tend to slack off a little! And what benefit am I getting then?? |
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| perhaps learning the self discipline to not slack off? 
i think i wouldn't charge for this sort of class. i am planning to have 'open practice' time at the studio, where the teachers will "babysit" the room (offer assists, make sure the person is safe, answer questions, etc). students give a "donation" and that $ goes directly to the teacher. of course, they would be certified teachers because they would be assisting.
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| That's a swell idea ZB! A local studio here does something simlar. She calles it a "I'm Sore" practice--a play on Mysore where you do you're own practice with the overseeing you outlined. |
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| The way I've seen it, if you are a new student with less than x months of regular practice under your belt (x is the time determined by the particular studio as it is an individual studio initiative) then it is strongly suggested that you attend another class. This is so that the weekend warrior Bikram's participants don't have a class where they feel lost and don't know what they are doing. Some feel lost even if they've been practicing for months 4 times a week. Others never feel comfortable. On the other hand, there are those who feel they are ready for anything after attending a couple of classes.
It is no different in my opinion that the situation I've seen at alot of studios who state that new students can't take the 6am class. I've seen this at more than one studio.
Meh, if it is on the schedule as a silent class and I prefer to take an instructor-led class, there are other classes I can attend. This is the beauty of Bikrams -- mutliple class options each and every day, rather than a once-a-week course for twelve weeks where you have to conform to a set schedule. |
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| yeah.
it's something i've done in the past and no one came around, but i didn't do it for very long before the studio owner put a kabosh on it. i didn't even use heat. i just kept the studio open in the afternoons and we did in-house advertising only, there was no cost--it was just for me to practice assisting more. (i love assisting!).
even though it would be no biggie, he just decided not to hold it after no one came for a month. i figure something like that takes more than a month to get rolling, but whatevers.
we're planning on offering a number of free things through our studio: 1. meditation hours in the studio; 2. a runners club; and 3. a "power prammers" club (moms and babies either worn or in strollers, resistance bands, and a mat--using parks and outdoor spaces to get together and get fit).
there are, of course, planned "ulterior motives."
running is a big deal in wellington (people are running all the time in wellington, particularly at lunch), and so we thought that it would bring them in to try other things like yoga, massage, etc to "improve their performance" not only will we have weekly or daily or whatever runs, but we will also have race day stuff (a booth offering free massage, yoga, etc at the races), and support for our team-racers that's fun like a pre-race carb loading supper and a post-race party.
the meditation thing is just to get people who are there already, or in the area working, to come and try something free that will relieve stress, and maybe they'd be interested in something else that we offer (i think that the first 15 minutes of each or twice an hour we'll offer a free meditation "lesson.") .
and finally, because i'm going to have on offer a lot of family things--pre and post natal yoga and massage, acupuncture and stuff, family yoga, storytelling and hootenanies--i thought this will be a way for moms to get a free community and some fitness and fun that might draw them into these other "classes." we'll be charging only for adults; kids are free, with a limit of 3 kids per adult (just to keep things reasonable space-wise).
i love being able to offer things that ryan and i want to do, and we'll encourage our practitioners to offer things on a regular basis so that people will try them out, but they can do it or not. we just want to put forth what we want to do.
so, yeah. |
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Non-certified teachers instructing silent classes
