Internship Q&A

With Satya-Rita S. Milelli, mentor in the IYT teacher training program

Here are answers to some of the questions Satya received from students in the March 2003 teacher training as they worked on their internships. Many thanks to Satya for sharing her helpful answers with us.

Question - re: Personal History Form / Intake Form

The Personal History Form seems too detailed for 1st time students starting a Yoga class....can I re-write it to make the language clearer, and to cover information that I would find helpful?

Answer:

In my classes, I use the IYT Personal History Form after students are in classes for awhile and I've begun to introduce some of the concepts of body, breath, mind/emotions, spirit, etc. For private clients, I might have them fill it out before the 1st session - most of my private clients have been attending classes prior to having a private session.

Perhaps this will help - by attachment, I am sending two forms (4 pages; 2 back-to-back forms) that I use with all my students: "Registration/Release of Liability Form" and "Suggestions to Enhance Your Yoga". The original source of these forms are the Kripalu Center and the PremYoga and Wellness Center. I cannot attest to the strength of the documents as far as being able to hold up under legal scrutiny; if that is a concern for you, you may wish to consult an attorney that specializes in contract law.

If you choose to use these forms, please make the appropriate changes in the documents to reflect your name and the style of Yoga that you are teaching.

Question - re: Yoga Nidra

The Yoga Nidra concept is new to me, I never experienced it before our training in March and I'm not sure what to do with this assignment - how do I go about writing a Yoga Nidra script?

Answer:

It might be helpful to experience the Yoga Nidra again before you attempt to re-write the script from the manual. If you have a tape recorder with a microphone, you could make a tape by reading from the script in the manual...then lie down and listen to the tape! Or have a Yoga friend read the script from the manual while you experience it. Or read the script to a few Yoga friends and observe them throughout the process.

From your personal experiences and/or observations, you can use what worked for you, putting the script in your own words with your preferred visual images. All in all - just be creative: explore the mystery, the awe - have fun with this assignment!! Make it your own.

Here are some resources for additional information about Yoga Nidra:

Audio Tape: Infinite Awakening –Principles and Practice of Yoga Nidra

by Richard Miller www.nondual.com

as per his website: "A complete program of deep relaxation, intensive self-inquiry and profound meditation that reveals our true nature as radiant presence."

Book: Infinite Awakening Yoga Nidra Workbook by Richard Miller

as per his website: "Companion workbook to the Yoga Nidra tapes for people interested in personalizing the practice of Yoga Nidra for their personal needs."

Book: Yoga Nidra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati

This is a very comprehensive book on yoga nidra; I believe that it was mentioned during training by both Joseph and Lillian. It contains many yoga nidra scripts, including one for the chakras and one for children. The book explains how/why Yoga Nidra works and is very easy to understand. It can be obtained through Natarajbooks (703) 455-4996.

Article by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra

Article by Swami Janakananda

http://www.scand-yoga.org/.

Audiotape / CD – Yoga Nidra Article by Parveen Chopra

www.lifepositive.com/Spirit/meditation

Question - re: Class Observation Form

The form on the IYT website does not have questions or areas to look for when observing a class; is there anything in particular that I should be observing?

Answer:

The class evaluation form on the website does not prompt you with questions; it is simply a place to write your comments / observations about the class you observed. Here's a few guidelines of things to look for when observing a Yoga class (you are not limited to these, nor do you have to make note of all of these):

Atmosphere: Was the room suitable for a Yoga class? How was the room temperature? How was the lighting? Was music used? If so, was it conducive to the content of the class?

Class: Was the level of postures appropriate for this group of students? Was there a sufficient amount of warm-ups for the postures? Was there a relaxation period at the end of the class? Did the class content have a sense of cohesiveness? Was there a theme to the class and if so, was it carried through from beginning to end?

Teacher: Did he/she greet the students and make everyone feel welcome / safe? How was this done? Did he/she have a pleasant voice? Was the tone and volume of voice appropriate? Did he/she make eye contact throughout the class? Did he/she move around the room or stay in one place? Did this seem appropriate for this group? Did he/she provide assists to students during the class? If so, how was this done - verbal, modeling, hands-on?

General: Overall, what made you feel good (or not good) about the class / teacher?