WHY EVIDENCE-BASED INSTRUCTION MATTERS
The wellness economy is 5 years old and already valued at $7.4 trillion.
While meditation apps, proactive health wearables, and Pilates will undoubtedly continue to gain popularity, are we fully comprehending the implications of WHY these are becoming synonymous with the practice of yoga?
If the issue isn’t interest in a calm mind, slow resting heart rate and mindfulness, than maybe it’s … well, us and our instruction?
WE’RE TRYING TO HARD DOING THE WRONG THINGS
We have made yoga intimidating, interchangeable, and synonymous with other fitness modalities.
We have confused personal practice with teaching competency and wondered why students don't stay.
We have trained teachers to perform sequences instead of facilitating a connected learning experience for a diverse group and have made it profitable.
WHAT THE SCIENCE SHOWS
Engagement is prerequisite for learning
Visual cues, where you stand and how you demonstrate directly affects learning
Sound shapes experience and the manner in which you give instructions attributes to memory
Welcoming environments with real human interaction are paramount for students
We keep reinventing how we teach without ever defining what good teaching looks like
We let teachers pose-demonstrate entire classes from their mat and call it teaching
We preach “presence” but fail to notice students who are struggling, confused and too intimidated to come back
We prioritize how a class “looks”over whether we are aiding in “the comfort crisis”
We ignore that our own body language and vocal delivery shape the experience
We let discomfort with business keep us from building sustainable careers and call it staying true to the practice
We continue to believe that pre-planning our sequences somehow prepares us
We ignore or reject the consideration of human behavior, conversation or the value of connection