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OPEN MIND OPEN BODY Teaching Tools |
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Easy
and Enlightening Partner Exercises for a Beginner's Yoga Class Partner
exercises give students a chance to interact with an idea, action, or pose
in a new way. In a beginner's class, it is important to choose partner
exercises that are easy, effective, and have extremely low risk of causing
injury, no matter how a student approaches the exercise. Below are three
simple but fun exercises that require little skill other than basic
mindfulness. Partner
Exercise 1: Hands-on Breathing in Child's Pose Intention:
To help both partners increase their awareness of how the back body
breathes. Directions:
Have one partner (A) enter child's pose. The second partner (B) will kneel
behind partner A, and place their hands on A's lower back. Partner A will
breathe deeply, focusing on the sensation of Partner B's hands on their
back. With this focus, the breath moves into the lower back. Partner B can
assist A's awareness by pressing lightly on the lower back during the inhale.
This provides resistance to the breath and generally allows partner A to
more intentionally breathe into the lower back. After a few breaths,
Partner B moves their hands higher up, to the mid-back. Repeat the process
of awareness and possible resistance during the inhale. After a few
breaths, Partner B finishes by moving their hands to the upper back and
repeating the process. Allow partner A to take a few breaths in
child's pose, simply absorbing the experience. Then, switch roles and
repeat.
Partner
Exercise 2: Palm Tree Pose Intention:
To explore using external but unfixed support in a balancing pose.
(Fixed support is using something like a wall for balance - unfixed
support moves.) Directions:
Have students practice tree pose by themselves. Use instructions that you
know will challenge your students. If they are beginners, tree pose will
be challenging by itself. If your students are more experienced, you can
invite them to gaze up, close their eyes, or rise to the ball of the
standing foot. Bring them to a version of the pose that is difficult for
them. Then, have students partner up and stand at arm's length from their
partner, sideways. Have them come into tree pose, joining palms with their
partner (pressing palms together). Then encourage them to challenge
themselves in the pose again, this time using the moving support of their
partner. Option:
You can create a chain of palm trees, by having your whole class stand
side by side at arms' distance. Partner
Exercise 3: Adopt-a-Yogi Intention:
To encourage students to take responsibility for their own alignment by
having them take responsibility for another student's alignment. Directions:
This partner exercise can be done once, in a familiar pose, or done
multiple times throughout class, with many poses. First, have students
practice a pose while you give them a few important alignment
instructions. Then have the students partner up. One student will practice
the pose, and the other student will "adopt responsibility" for
the practicing student's alignment. Encourage students to really look at
the partner in the pose, and simply notice if each of the major alignment
instructions are being followed. Let the partners discuss and switch
roles. This exercise can take the unwanted tone of criticism if you do not
lead your students into it with a positive attitude. Encourage your
students to view this as an awareness exercise that will help their own
alignment - not as an opportunity to "fix" their partner. Choose
poses that are accessible to all students, so that following the alignment
instructions is a matter of paying attention, not a matter of how flexible
and strong the student is. Enjoy these ideas? Sign up to receive monthly ideas for your yoga teaching in the free Open Mind Open Body Newsletter.
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