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I really liked the website. It felt very inviting. Everything felt really professional and substantial, so I really liked that from the beginning.
I think in London, classes tend to be a bit more—some of the classes tend to be a bit more laid back, and the teachers are a bit more hands-off, potentially a bit more spiritual. That was the kind of setup that I was used to.
I think the main difference here is that the classes are dynamically structured, and the teachers are fairly—I want to say hands-on, although not literally—they’ll be around, they will guide you, they will assist you in whichever way possible. That’s a big difference.
The classes are smaller here compared to the classes I’m used to, and I think that’s a great thing, actually. The teachers are fairly—I want to say hands-on, although not literally—they’ll be around, they will guide you, they will assist you in whichever way possible and keep an eye on you and guide you gently in a very nice, friendly way. Again, the classes were smaller, there were fewer students, there was more space for the individual, which I find really, really important. I think the studio is great. It just feels like a really nice atmosphere.
What I really like about the teacher training is that it has helped me with my body awareness, and I’m looking at my own progress in a different way now. I’m able to say, “I can’t do this yet,” and I’ll take my time and keep bending my knees in downward dog, and that’s fine. Whereas before, there was always competitiveness in the air in classes in London. Teachers would offer variations, but they wouldn’t necessarily make you feel like you were still part of the group and you were still progressing if you were to take them.
I have grown a new acceptance around not being able to do things and taking your time in order to achieve them.
I thought the online curriculum was really well-rounded, and although it was very full-on at times and a lot of time sort of went into it, I appreciate the effort that you guys put into it as well. There was so much material given and guidance provided, and I’ve just learned a lot, which I really enjoy, especially in areas like anatomy and physiology. I have no background—I don’t consider myself to be very knowledgeable when it comes to these kinds of subjects, and it took me a while to get my head around it, but then when you do, it’s really beneficial.
It depends on what type of learner you are, but it’s incredibly helpful to be able to rewind, to rewatch certain things, to take your time. Even if you’re taking it in once, you’re able to look at it again and again. That’s really helpful. You can do it at your own speed.
I understand from what you said the other day after the assessment, when I said to you, “Hey Daria, I think you can make a fantastic teacher,” that you taught someone about distributed activation the other day and blew their mind. I think I have to go back to this idea of growing body awareness, which I experienced myself. That’s something I feel like I can really relate to other people now.
You can take away this notion that progress is happening, and it’s happening slowly at times, but if you keep at it, it will happen. I really enjoyed that—feeling comfortable with that for the first time.
People have different prerequisites. They come from different backgrounds, and some are more advanced than others, but ultimately that didn’t feel like it mattered so much. Everyone makes progress in their own right.
I think I would just generally encourage anyone who’s got an inkling, who’s got an interest—I think if you want to improve within your own practice and grow body awareness and self-awareness, I think that’s a great starting point.
One of the main things I’ve learned about the application is the—I think we call it receiver-orientated—kind of approach where it’s all about empathy, I guess. Ultimately, it’s about looking at your students on the day and understanding who they are and what their backgrounds are, and also what their expectations are ultimately. I think I’ve learned a lot about how to tune into that and really listen and find out more about the students to then adapt your teachings around that.
There is an emphasis on working with what you have on any given day and listening to your body. I think you learn to establish that as a teacher when looking at your students, but then equally I would have also learned to grow that more within my own practice. Every time I’m tired now, I know that there are certain poses that I should modify and not just push so hard as I would probably have done previously.
I’ve certainly improved some postures and gained certain mobility and flexibility, which is great to see. I think strength is also one of those areas where I feel my body has improved, especially the upper body and the arms, which is really great because it does enable you to go into poses in a different way and try out new things.
When I first came to class, I was not able to comfortably go up in a headstand. Actually, I was far from it. A combination of the teacher really breaking down the pose and explaining the different dynamics, in combination with a certain type of strength training continuously, did enable me to eventually master that pose, and that’s really great because you could see that progress happening bit by bit over time.