Tag: yoga class
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Sympathy for the Unembodied
When I first encountered yoga in 2003, I took as many classes as I could. The movement, the people and the challenge got me hooked. I distinctly remember being confused by any cue that referenced my thighs or hips. The reason is shocking to me now: I didn’t understand the difference between the two. ‘Thigh’ […]
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Summer of Left
I am right-hand dominant. I catch myself thinking down the right side of my body. My right is more sensate, stronger, and more skilled with fine-tuned movements. As yogis and yoga teachers, we typically practice asymmetric postures starting on the right. This summer, I’m changing my practice and teaching with a focus on our left. […]
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Can you be too blissed? In a car, yes.
I started practicing yoga in 2003, with my heart set on figuring out what bliss felt like. Bliss is one translation of samadhi, the last limb listed in the Yoga Sutras. It’s also translated as absorption, boundlessness, or integration. Whatever you call it, it’s elusive. At the beginning of my teaching career I tried to […]
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“People aren’t broken. It’s our society:” An interview with Felicia Savage Friedman
I rolled out my mat and gathered yoga props for Felicia Savage Friedman’s class at the Kingsley Association Center, a community organization in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood. The class operates with different rules than I’m used to; people can come and go as they please. We are about 15 minutes into the practice when the last […]
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Being a Big Baby
Why is it a good idea to let babies play with blocks? It’s a mostly neurological one. Stacking blocks, creating new shapes, seeing how gravity works; this all adds variety to the baby’s world and fuels development of their interactions in it. Toys allow babies to develop their motor control. Playing with objects increases their […]
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Teach Yoga Effectively; Avoid these Seven Phrases in Class
As yoga teachers, we want to make the practice as clear as we can. But there are several common ways of speaking in a yoga class that make the instructions confusing. I’ve identified seven phrases we can toss out to make our teaching more effective. This list comes from the ‘Vocal Communication’ chapter in my […]
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Is your yoga teacher a wanna-be cult leader? Ask this question.
It’s reasonable to assume there are no simple answers when it comes to self-inquiry. Each of us has our own unique experience. Teaching and sharing our experiences in a yoga class isn’t easy. Some teachers rise to the challenge and become dynamic, thoughtful teachers. These teachers are dedicated to self-study, which means they are also […]
Richard Gartner | Frameworks Yoga 