What Students Want & Need

What Students Want & Need

Your personal attention to each student, particularly new students, is critical. While the following applies to all students, it’s particularly important with new students.

• Students want to be seen, to be acknowledged, and to feel included. At the same time, there is a need to balance students’ needs for space and independence.
• Students need to be observed, to be attended to, and to practice safely.

Balancing Acknowledgement & Space

Some students may feel awkward or uncomfortable, or carry inherent shame, which is experienced as nervousness or bravado or wanting to “be left alone.” How might you respect such experiences while reconciling other needs for safety and inclusion?

• One way is to begin with empathy. You might think about the desire we all have to feel safe, and how new situations may invoke anything from slight worry to strong anxiety.
• A new undertaking of any sort may invoke fear, and yoga in particular is likely to expose a student’s weaknesses and may trigger unresolved issues.
• When such fears arise, some students will react by seeking more attention while others will want to “blend into the woodwork” and be left to their own devices.
• No matter their triggered reactions, the fundamental need for all students is to feel safe and included. Thus, how you acknowledge and include each student while respectfully giving them the space they need will help to make them more comfortable as they adapt to the situation.
• Of course, teachers don’t know what’s going on inside every student. To know who needs more space and what types of attention they are comfortable with requires observation and wisdom plus some experimentation.
• Wise teachers do their best to remember the vast array of potential experiences and to stay grounded in order to observe carefully and respond mindfully.

Be Thoughtful & Supportive

1. Arrive early in order to be fully prepared and present, and have time to talk individually with each student.
2. Personally, welcome each student.
3. Introduce yourself and ask the student’s name. Hold respectful eye contact and smile.
4. Help them set up their mat and props.
5. Speak softly or pull the student aside in order to have a moment of private conversation. Ask questions regarding experience in yoga and other physical activities: Are you under the care of a healthcare provider? Have you had any surgeries? Do you have any current injuries or conditions?
6. Say something reassuring that the student can focus on, such as thinking about the process of moving the body toward a posture vs. attaining a particular form, or prioritizing breath awareness.

INITIAL GREETING AND MEETING OF NEW STUDENTS

All new students deserve an individualized welcome from their teacher. Along with asking about prior experience, injuries, and intentions, this initial contact is essential in helping new students feel more comfortable in class. It is important to tell them explicitly that in yoga we are interested in how we go, not how far we go; that it is a process of consciously connecting breath-body-mind while exploring the development of strength, flexibility, and balance as part of a long-term sustainable practice of holistic integration… If possible, group new students close to one another so you can more easily give demonstrations and more specific guidance to them while remaining attentive to the larger class. – Mark Stephens