Howdy folks. I'm a horrible blogger this go round. I previously had another blog and faithfully blogged every couple of days. Now I think about blogging a lot more than I actually do it. My life is much different now and I am a lot busier so that is my excuse and I'm sticking with it!!
Anywho, Woke up feeling so happy and grateful this morning. I was able to get another yoga training under my belt this weekend. I completed YogaFit's level 3. I learned more about poses, some different teaching techniques and also delved into the chakras. Very interesting. I love learning and taking classes, workshops etc. I'm totally a school nerd!! I'm really thankful that I was able to take it. The trainings are really expensive and time consuming so each one I complete is a huge accomplishment.
I'm also attending a Christmas party this evening with my super cute honey!! Very excited to show him off :) Hope all of you are doing well and in the holiday spirit. Take the time today to breathe and count your blessings. Even in the crazy times when life feels overwhelming, we all have something to feel grateful for. Until next time, love and lollipops!!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Teacher's Kids and Yoga
You know how they always say the preachers kids are always the ones acting up. I think that is true for any profession where you are trying to prove so hard that you know what you are doing and have things under control that your kids will act like... well kids. I've recently been teaching yoga somewhere where I've been bringing my 3 year old son to every class since February. As I said he is 3 and occasionally acts like a three year old. He does extremely well and I'm always so proud of him for hanging in with me at yoga classes(children's yoga only). But alas that has come to an end, there have been some complaints so no more take my child to work days. This makes me incredibly sad for several reasons. 1) I've just been trying so hard to balance work and motherhood when I don't have the ability to put my child in daycare and I don't have family around to help out. I also absolutely have to earn some income in order to you know have a place to live and eat. 2) It makes me sad because my son has been as good as he could possibly be and anytime it feels like someone is judging you or your parenting sucks!!! Granted I'm not delusional. Did having my son around add to my stress level? Absolutely! Did he sometimes interupt class and I would have to take a second to deal with him? Absolutely! I just thought that teaching kids yoga and having my own kid wouldn't turn out to be a problem especially when I was doing everything I absolutely could to make my work world and my mothering world connect as smoothly as possible. Anywho, I only have a few weeks left of this teaching stint and I have a friend who hass offered to watch my child for free. What a blessing!! I know all I can do is continue to strive, to work as hard and as honestly as I can and to live my best life. The universe has continued to provide for me and I have to have faith that everything happens for a reason and that everything works out in the end. Right??? Until next time, love and lollipops.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Ah-ha!!
Follow up to my last post. Finally found some calm in the chaos of teaching 9 year olds yoga. My friend and fellow yogi Elliott stopped by last week to observe my class and offer me support and feedback. It was great just having a fresh perspective. If I have learned anything from studying Buddhism this year it's that things are not always as they appear. What I construe as reality may not actually be reality but rather a by product of my own opinions and ideas towards it. Elliott observed my class and helped me realize a few things that helped the next few classes go much smoother.
1) Silence is Golden- Me going silent is much more effective than asking them to get quiet (or yelling). The teacher standing at the front of the room still, silent and giving the death glare is a very effective tool for getting students attention. Usually one or 2 students notice and then the other kids notice that things have stopped and it immediately sends a ripple through the room as everyone tries to figure out if the teacher has gone cuckoo for cocoa puffs or what.
2) Let Them Talk- This age group is particularly energetic and full of ideas and opinions. Give them opportunities throughout the class to share some of those ideas. Also just to let them get some of the chatter out, ask them to repeat things. With the yoga language being in Sanskrit, use it as an opportunity to teach them the pronunciations. Demonstrate the pose, say the word, have them do the pose and also repeat the word.
3) Let Them Show Off - I noticed that even the kids that are the most difficult like the opportunity to show what they know. Instead of demonstrating every pose I told them we were having a pop quiz to see who could remember what we learned. I would say a pose (Tadasana) and point out the first few kids who were able to jump right into it. They like the attention and it gives my body a break from demonstrating everything.
4) Get Off The Mat- As the teacher instead of staying glued to the mat, walk around the room. The last class I didn't even get a mat for myself. I started at the front of the room and then kind of roamed around and would stand by whoever was causing difficulties and do the poses from there.
5) Don't Be Afraid of Consequences- In life there are positive and negative consequences for our actions and of course that goes for on and off the mat. In class I was trying so hard to be loving and tolerant that I forgot that being stern is okay too. For the students who have a hard time staying under control, I ask them to leave the main floor and sit on the sidelines. They can use that first opportunity to get under control and then they can return to the floor. If I have to ask them to leave the floor a second time they are done for the day and I give their name to the classroom teacher. Most of the kids want to play like the are Jo Cool and nothing bothers them but they really don't want to get into trouble.
6) You Can Only Change What You Can Change- I have this horrible space change in the middle of my classes. We start off in one room and then about 20 minutes into our 45 minute class we have to switch rooms. It's awful and I hate it but I don't have a choice about it. So I can choose to keep being really pissy about the situation or I can just deal with it and make the best of it. I can't change the room change but I can change my approach and attitude towards it.
So I think those are some pretty fab realizations that my yogi Godmother Elliott helped me realize. I'm so appreciative and thankful for her help. These suggestions have helped me tremendously and I know I can continue working and growing as a teacher. It's all a process right?? Until next time, love and lollipops.
1) Silence is Golden- Me going silent is much more effective than asking them to get quiet (or yelling). The teacher standing at the front of the room still, silent and giving the death glare is a very effective tool for getting students attention. Usually one or 2 students notice and then the other kids notice that things have stopped and it immediately sends a ripple through the room as everyone tries to figure out if the teacher has gone cuckoo for cocoa puffs or what.
2) Let Them Talk- This age group is particularly energetic and full of ideas and opinions. Give them opportunities throughout the class to share some of those ideas. Also just to let them get some of the chatter out, ask them to repeat things. With the yoga language being in Sanskrit, use it as an opportunity to teach them the pronunciations. Demonstrate the pose, say the word, have them do the pose and also repeat the word.
3) Let Them Show Off - I noticed that even the kids that are the most difficult like the opportunity to show what they know. Instead of demonstrating every pose I told them we were having a pop quiz to see who could remember what we learned. I would say a pose (Tadasana) and point out the first few kids who were able to jump right into it. They like the attention and it gives my body a break from demonstrating everything.
4) Get Off The Mat- As the teacher instead of staying glued to the mat, walk around the room. The last class I didn't even get a mat for myself. I started at the front of the room and then kind of roamed around and would stand by whoever was causing difficulties and do the poses from there.
5) Don't Be Afraid of Consequences- In life there are positive and negative consequences for our actions and of course that goes for on and off the mat. In class I was trying so hard to be loving and tolerant that I forgot that being stern is okay too. For the students who have a hard time staying under control, I ask them to leave the main floor and sit on the sidelines. They can use that first opportunity to get under control and then they can return to the floor. If I have to ask them to leave the floor a second time they are done for the day and I give their name to the classroom teacher. Most of the kids want to play like the are Jo Cool and nothing bothers them but they really don't want to get into trouble.
6) You Can Only Change What You Can Change- I have this horrible space change in the middle of my classes. We start off in one room and then about 20 minutes into our 45 minute class we have to switch rooms. It's awful and I hate it but I don't have a choice about it. So I can choose to keep being really pissy about the situation or I can just deal with it and make the best of it. I can't change the room change but I can change my approach and attitude towards it.
So I think those are some pretty fab realizations that my yogi Godmother Elliott helped me realize. I'm so appreciative and thankful for her help. These suggestions have helped me tremendously and I know I can continue working and growing as a teacher. It's all a process right?? Until next time, love and lollipops.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)