Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses: A Practical Workbook for Integrating Themes, Ideas, and Inspiration into Your Class

by Sage Rountree, Alexandra DeSiato, Cyndi Lee

Overview

Create class themes with yoga philosophy, inspirational quotes, and simple concepts to inspire and motivate students
 
Experienced yoga instructors Sage Rountree and Alexandra DeSiato give yoga teachers the tools to find their voice and tap into innate wisdom. The authors offer ready-made, detailed themes to use in classes and provide flexible templates for building a toolkit of themes for future use. Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses offers guidance for both new and experienced teachers starting with a section on voice, authenticity, emulation, phrasing, practice, repetition, and finding inspiration. It continues with a second section that contains fifty-four complete themes that instructors can easily use in their own classes. The final section includes blank templates for instructors to create their own class themes and notes. With a unique angle and practical feel, this workbook will appeal to yoga teachers, teacher trainers, and at-home practitioners who want to move to the next level.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623173234
Publisher:	North Atlantic Books
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	256
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

SAGE ROUNTREE, PhD, is a teacher trainer at the highest level (E-RYT 500) and director of the yoga teacher trainings at the Carolina Yoga Company, which she co-owns. Rountree is the author of The Athlete's Guide to Yoga, The Athlete's Pocket Guide to Yoga, The Athlete's Guide to Recovery, The Runner's Guide to Yoga, Racing Wisely, Everyday Yoga, and, with Alexandra DeSiato, Lifelong Yoga. Her writing has appeared in and she has been cited in Runner's World, Yoga Journal, ESPN, The Atlantic, Vogue, Outside, Men's Fitness, USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, Martha Stewart Living Radio, and the Chicago Tribune. Rountree presents internationally on yoga, meditation, and athletics at venues including the U.S. Olympic Training Center, the Pentagon, Yoga Journal LIVE!, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, 1440 Multiversity, the Road Cycling Summit, and USA Triathlon's Art and Science of Triathlon conference.
ALEXANDRA DESIATO, MA, holds the highest accreditation of yoga teaching (E-RYT 500) and is the coauthor of Lifelong Yoga. She is an expert in yoga for healthy aging and yoga for prenatal and postnatal women. DeSiato presents and assists in yoga workshops locally and nationally, including Yogaville and Kripalu. She holds a master's in English literature from Appalachian State University, and in addition to teaching yoga classes has taught writing and literature at the college level for over 15 years.

Table of Contents

Foreword Cyndi Lee vii

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Part 1 How to Find Your Voice

1 Words Are Powerful: Theming Makes Your Class 3

2 What Do Others Say? The Art of Emulation 7

3 Authenticity and the Seat of the Teacher 13

4 Practice Your Words Until You Believe Them 23

5 Repetition Is Comfortable (and Students Want to Be Comfortable) 29

6 Finding Inspiration-and What to Do When You're Not Inspired 35

Part 2 Fifty-Four Complete Themes

7 The Basics of Yoga Philosophy: Teaching the Yamas and Niyamas 47

8 Theming the Seasons: Solstices and Equinoxes 69

9 Overcoming Obstacles: Bring the Kleshas into Class 79

10 Yoga Philosophy Highlights: Ancient Thought and Daily Living 91

11 When Someone Else Says It Best: Quotes as Themes 117

12 Be Basic, Baby: Our Favorite Simple Ideas That Resonate 135

13 Inspiration Is Everywhere: Themes We Love from Outside Yoga 157

Part 3 Creating Themes That Connect

14 There Are No Bad Themes: Just Write It Down 171

15 Inspirational Prompts for Creating Themes 173

16 Templates for Theming Any Style of Class 179

About The Authors 235

About The Illustrator 236

Editorial Reviews

So pleased to see the beautiful work from Sage Rountree and Alexandra DeSiato in Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses. This book is designed to support teachers in finding their voice and expressing their innate wisdom—what a worthy effort! It’s a wonderful resource!”
—Rolf Gates, author of Meditations from the Mat

“An absolutely essential read for all yoga teachers.”
—Jessamyn Stanley, author of Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get on the
Mat, Love Your Body
 
“As a yoga student of over forty years, I’ve taken classes from a wide variety of teachers, and a well-planned class is a thing of beauty. In Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses, Sage Rountree and Alexandra DeSiato go deeply into what makes not only a great class but also what makes a fulfilling practice. This is a book that both teachers and students of yoga will love for its insight and clarity.”
—Barbara Hamby, author of On the Street of Divine Love and Bird Odyssey
 
“Whether you are a new or experienced teacher, you’ll be inspired and feel supported by Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses. This extremely comprehensive book will help you find your authentic voice, integrate impactful and memorable themes, and truly share the deeper dimensions of yoga. With great expertise, wisdom, and friendship, Sage Rountree and Alexandra DeSiato walk you through sample themes and creative exercises that will bring your teaching, as well as your students’ practice, to the next level.”
—Jillian Pransky, author of Deep Listening: A Healing Practice to Calm Your Body, Clear Your Mind, and Open Your Heart

From the Publisher