This week I taught three yoga classes. I substituted for my teacher at my regular Tuesday yoga class. No newbies showed up, so I was teaching mid-beginners, advanced beginners, and maybe even intermediate level yogis.

I brought something to use as a script but ended up winging it.

My pacing was a little off. I started the wind-down a little too early and led them through a lot of twists and an extra-long savasana in order to fill out the hour.

I don’t think they minded.

I’m learning to go with the flow. I notice what people are doing when it’s time to start. Are they lying down, sitting, or standing? I’ll start with what most of them are doing.

I also ask if there’s anything people would like to work on.

The Wednesday night class was the second of my four-class series, Yoga for Novices. It is harder to teach true beginners, especially if they haven’t had dance, Pilates, martial arts, and other similar experiences with their bodies. There are some fundamentals that underly yoga. You teach body awareness, and you break asana down into small chunks.

My teacher helped me teach that class. Her 11-year-old son attended too, and he made it more fun. He is a creative kid. Can’t wait to see what he’ll be like in 6 or 7 years!

The class today was small, and again, I went with the flow. These people have been doing yoga for months or years and are fit. One woman wanted to focus on opening up her shoulders. The others wanted a variety of asanas and some inversions. Everyone got what they wanted.

I had no problem thinking up poses or pacing. I observed the students, and it just came to me what to do next.

I feel happy about this. I’m halfway through my yoga teacher training, and I can teach yoga without a script.

I’ve moved into conscious competence.

Very grateful to have this recommendation from a new student last night:

Mary Ann is a generous, patient, and experienced yoga instructor. She is flexible in her approach and can accommodate the needs of complete newbies and advanced students, adjusting poses for different experience levels, body types, degrees of flexibility, and health issues. She modifies poses using props, and she substitutes alternate poses that stretch the same muscle groups in a different way for more or less advanced individual students. For example, she suggested using folded blankets to achieve the desired straightness of back for a number of the floor poses, and she helped me experiment with the “supine pigeon” pose to find an approach that would stretch the right muscle groups in my hips without stressing my neck.

Mary Ann encourages her students to challenge themselves, always reminding them to listen to their bodies and learn when they can safely push their limits, and when they should pull back. Her feedback is helping me to be able to feel when I am performing a pose correctly and to understand what movements instructors are trying to elicit when they say things like “draw down your shoulder blades” or “tuck in your brainstem.” Mary Ann believes that yoga can make us all healthier, more energetic, and more flexible in our minds and bodies, and she shares her passion with an infectious enthusiasm and an empowering pragmatism.

Why do you want to teach yoga?

Yoga has made a big difference in the quality of my life, and I’d like to be able to pass that on to others who are interested.

How long have you practiced yoga?

I’ve lost track. At least 16 years of active practice (and when I didn’t practice regularly, yoga influenced my breathing, posture, and awareness). I started learning yoga from a book in 1982, watching Lilias Folan on PBS to de-stress and create energy. I began seriously practicing with teachers in 1998 to heal after a car accident. I’ve worked with mostly Iyengar, Integral, and Vinyasa Flow teachers in Dallas and Austin and have a home practice. At present I assist Eleanor Harris, substitute for her, and teach private classes while I complete my yoga teacher training. http://www.eleanorharris.com/

What is your favorite benefit from your yoga practice?

The level of overall well-being I feel from practicing yoga regularly.

What do you have to offer as a yoga instructor?

Knowledge, from studying, reading, and working with various teachers and styles of yoga. Encouragement, because I know that yoga is wonderful for the human body. Respect, because it is awesome to see students open up with yoga.

How would you describe the way you want to teach?

I teach beginning and mixed-level classes. I base my teaching on the students’ needs. I use diagnostic poses to see where to focus as well as asking students what they’d like to work on. I break difficult poses down into small chunks to make them easier to learn. With permission, I adjust students to help them feel a pose when words are not sufficient.

Do you require props for teaching or not?

Props are always welcome, and if they are not available, I can teach without them.

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