Grace Yoga


Sunday, April 13, 2008

Re: My Podcast: New comment on "Grace Yoga Podcast by Arlene Bjork"

Today, I received the following feedback from - Anonymous, [5:00 AM] on my podcast page:


"Overall, the routine is nice, but you fail to state which posture I'm supposed to be in, in particular in the standing section in the middle. There are some very vague instructions about having parallel feet, "spreading your wings" (in what direction?), and bending and unbending your knees. Somewhere between prayer twist (I think that's what it was) and triangle pose, I got very lost whereas I don't think I would have in a class with you. I felt this way a few times, so I wonder if this particular recording is good for remote instruction."

Arlene's reply: Perhaps my verbal cueing skills were not up to par that day. I need to listen to that podcast again. Due to the fact that I seldom demonstrate postures in class, I hope that students in class and those that practice remotely listen intently to the cues for what they should do exactly at that moment. Great feedback "Anonymous" that it would be helpful to name the pose before I cue the instructions. It is not my intention for anyone to get lost during class. But I am so grateful that "Anonymous" had the courage to give me this honest feedback.

"I don't know if you realized, but you were laughing at someone's having a metal rod in her back."

Arlene's comment: I was laughing at myself or alluding to the metal rod I have in my back. If I assumed that everyone knew about that, I apologize. At this time in my life, I could laugh about it because I cried a lot about it in 1985 when I had the surgery. Yoga opened a once impossible avenue for me. I laughed because it is amazing how life takes you to success through adversity.


"If we're supposed to put our issues away on a shelf for practice, I'm not sure why you needed to bring up your email rage, even if it's about how you successfully managed it. It's not helpful to highlight our negative tendencies and ask "How many of us have...?" It's distracting at best."

Arlene's reply: If these moments of "thinking out loud" distract you, I apologize but I won't say that it won't happen again. Just speaking for myself, when I practice a challenging Vinyasa it is comforting to hear my teacher drop in and say "have you ever felt?, have you ever experienced?, "well we can deal with that like we deal with our practice, using the breath, etc.". Knowing that I'm not the "only one" in whatever struggle I face is comforting. I have more negative tendencies than positive ones, so I try to work through the negative ones one at a time on the mat. Sharing the fact that I don't have the mind of a saint may help someone.

Thank you "Anonymous" for your feedback and taking the time to write to me. If you are a yoga teacher or hope to be one, these are great notes to keep to remind yourself of what you yourself will not want to do as a teacher. This is part of "finding your own voice" as a teacher. You gather what you like, what you dislike, and craft a way of teaching that is your very own. What matters most is that you create a beautiful connection for and with your students. If you are a student and my style doesn't appeal to you, now you know that a different podcast may be appropriate. It is becoming more apparent to me that I reach students, most of whom I don't see because they are remote, so it is important for me to be more sensitive to their needs.

Perhaps "Anonymous" you can reply back so we can continue this dialogue.



Arlene Bjork
Free class downloads and newsletter at http://mygraceyoga.com

abjork@mygraceyoga.com

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