I was in a business training a few years ago for entrepreneurs and the presenter was talking about how you can clearly communicate what your brand offers. He used a process called a “framework” as a schematic to illustrate the different ares of a brand’s focus. Think of that time you drew a venn diagram, or maybe you saw one drawn in a book. What I loved about this idea was that it could be used in lots of different ways. I got to thinking about how I could use it to help yoga teachers learn how to cue more effectively.
The topic of yoga cues is always a big one for teachers. Just a quick search of the topic on You Tube will get you a list of results, each focusing on different feature of cues. Some are around cues that are clear, or for beginners or cues that relate to a particular pose (always popular). While these are all great things to focus on, they lack an overall strategy for providing cues; one that gives you, the teacher a chance to organize your thoughts so your students get the best in communication from you.
You know how hard it is to communicate clearly when you’re nervous or distracted? We’ve all experienced that. It’s really hard! Now take a yoga teacher, distracted by those thoughts in their head about “how is this coming across?” or ” I’m not sure I really understand what I’m saying!” and see how it goes when their trying to cue.. it’s a confusing experience for both teacher AND student. So, in order to cue effectively, as teachers we need an approach. That’s what using a framework is all about.
I want you to imagine you’re in a yoga class and the teacher has a consistent pattern of providing cues. They always cue from the ground to the top of the pose. Or maybe their consistent pattern is they always use action words, meaning words that are super clear and easy to understand. What a relief that would be, right? Or maybe they give you a few action cues and then throw in an anatomy type cue, where you can learn a bit about the pose’s anatomical focus. Neat, right?
Now, imagine you’re the teacher and before you head into class, you take a few deep breaths and you decide on the framework you’ll use for teaching. Now, you’ve got an overall strategy through which you can organize your thoughts. If you’re using the framework of “all action cues” you can simply approach each pose with that focus in mind and see how much easier it is to find your words. If you’re using the approach of action cues with one anatomy cue for maybe every other pose, now you’ve got a way to share that anatomy you’ve learned without overwhelming your students or overtaxing your brain to keep thinking of what the anatomy is in each pose.
Using a framework is like you in a plane, putting on your oxygen mask first, so you can assist the person you’re traveling with, maybe a child. It allows you to be clear, focused and organized in your approach rather than reactive and nervous. It allows you to provide a consistent pattern of communication so your students learning ability is enhanced. How students learn is fairly varied from person to person and as you provide a consistent way to share the “how to” for each pose, you can help everyone learn more easily.
So, think of a framework you’d like to use; it could be one of the ones I’ve listed here or perhaps one you’re already using but you never thought of it that way. Comment below and share your thoughts on what you’re excited to try!
In the meanwhile, watch my free webinar on yoga cues here.