Missed the introduction to the Gaiam Yoga Club? Read it here!
I’ve really enjoyed going “back to basics” in this first week of the Gaiam Yoga Club. This week focussed on standing poses, working from the feet up and really working on the grounding nature of yoga, the feet, the toes, just standing in Tadasana. Things that, after many years of yoga, I find myself only thinking about when I’m teaching beginners. And it should be something I focus on all the time.
Each week starts with a video of all the postures that will be used during the next 5 classes. Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman have a practical approach to teaching the poses, filled with love, honestly, humility and (most importantly) humour. They also teach three different modifications of each pose and really encourage the viewer to do the pose most appropriate to them.
The next four days are made up of four practice sequences, each 30 minutes long and each focussing particularly on 2 standing poses and finishing with Legs up the Wall and final relaxation. I felt that I had completed a balanced practice each day.
The best part for me though is the sixth day, which comprises a breathing and meditation sequence. So many yoga practices focus on asana alone and I think it’s fantastic that a day is set aside for something else. The first week just concentrating on listening to the breath and again it felt good to get back to basics.
I do wonder how someone who is completely unfamiliar with yoga would get on with this, and it is hard to put myself in that position. I wonder how well a complete beginner would get on with Half Moon Pose, for example and I do think that everyone should try and get to a real teacher whenever they can (even if it’s only a few times a year) just to check your alignment. That said, with the added option of a pdf printout of each day’s sequence the Gaiam Yoga Club does cater to all learning techniques.
It did strike me that online yoga courses would come in super useful for people who travel a lot and don’t get to go to regular classes that often. Because you can listen to the class on your laptop and/or smartphone you really can take your practice anywhere with you. Like I said before, this is the way of the future yogi(ni)s!
Looking forward to next week’s practice!
The Gaiam Yoga Club is currently running two memberships – US$25 per month or US$65 per quarter (which saves you US$10). Both packages include a 10 day free trial period.
That sounds like a fantastic title for a novel!
Last week I was sent an email from the Gaiam Yoga Club offering me a free 12 week trial of their on-line yoga school if I would review my progress and experiences on the blog. Of course I jumped at the chance. As you know I’m a great believer in home practice and I think it’s really important to practice regularly. However, I am aware that a lot of people get on their mats at home and just don’t know what to do next. They need the support of a teacher, but can’t afford to go to class every day, or perhaps there isn’t a suitable teacher nearby. And I don’t know about you but however good a yoga DVD is, I find watching the same DVD day after day rather repetitive.
Enter the Gaiam Yoga Club! Teachers Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman have teamed up to bring a complete yoga course, from the basics of Tadasana to sequencing your own home practice, to buy online. I’ll let them tell you all about it:-
At the beginning of each week Rodney and Colleen will introduce you to a category of poses with modifications for different levels via online video. Once you reach weeks 10-12, they’ll introduce sequencing principles to personalize your practice, which will be taught through downloadable podcast.
On the subsequent four days of the week, you will receive downloadable podcasts and printable pose guides to help you refine the poses and principles. On the sixth day, Rodney and Colleen will lead you through guided relaxation, pranayama (breathwork) and meditation for enhanced well-being. The seventh day is for rest.
Because of the self-paced nature of the program, you decide when you’re ready to move onto the next yoga lesson. Feel free to repeat a lesson or a week if you wish and review poses from the online videos.
To support you in your practice, Rodney and Colleen will be posting blog entries regularly, and checking in on you through the message boards and online chats.
Be sure to share your experience through your online journal, participate in the message boards, and connect with our amazing community of yoga practitioners.
Sounds pretty good doesn’t it?
It has certainly given me plenty to think about (apart from the title of a novel!). Over the next twelve weeks I will let you know every Monday how I’m getting on. Although I am recieiving this course for free I won’t let that sway my opinion as I think constructive criticism is incredibly important. I will let you know about prospective problems with it as much as I will let you know about the good things!
I do think online classes and e-courses are the way forward and I am very pleased to be a part of this. It will be valuable experience for my own practice, teaching and yoga business.
So, away I go!
The Gaiam Yoga Club is currently running two memberships – US$25 per month or US$65 per quarter (which saves you US$10). Both packages include a 10 day free trial period.
