Here is an oxymoron for you: Some of the best Yoga teachers are great listeners. This is a general guideline for Yoga students who aspire to teach some day. Listening skills, in Yoga, start when you take your first class, as you learn by hearing, watching, and doing.
The Yoga student who learns predominantly by listening will be able to verbally communicate the finer techniques to others in the future. This is not to say that other methods of learning have less value, but a skilled Yoga teacher must be a communicator and be able to reach into each individual student?s mind.
Therefore, not all Yoga students can learn from you in the same way. Some will learn by listening carefully to your cues, others will gain more from an assist, and some will be able to copy just by watching. As a Yoga instructor, you still have to be a good listener when it comes to all of your students? questions.
Most Yoga teachers do a good job with handling student questions. However, here is something to think about: Do you try to clarify why a question is being asked? Consider that your student may not be clear in his or her communication skills and you need to ?get to the heart of the matter.?
The motivation behind a question is more important than the question itself. You don?t want to waste your time giving unrelated information before, after, or during a Yoga class. So, get a clarification about what you are being asked, and learn why your Yoga student is truly asking you this question. This will benefit the both of you and avoid wasting your student?s time, as well.
If a student asks you a simple question, with a ?yes? or ?no? answer, you can still find out the motivational source by saying, ?Yes, but why do you ask?? This technique is really that simple, and you may find the question is much deeper than you originally perceived.
Another mistake some Yoga teachers make is handling a question defensively. Your student thinks enough of you to ask for your opinion and is interested in your answer. If he or she had no respect for you, your opinion would not be important. Now, whether you perceive an objection or not, you should ask for a clarification before answering.
There is a positive side to all of the questions your Yoga students ask, but you must clearly see the motive behind the question in order to give the best answer. The bottom line is: Even though you are now at the front of the Yoga class, your listening skills must be better than your best listeners in your class.
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Showing posts with label Clarification. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clarification. Show all posts
February 23, 2009
February 21, 2009
What Does Your Doctor Really Mean When He Says "There’s Nothing Wrong"?
What thoughts go through your mind when you hear this - ?There?s nothing wrong.?
Most likely you hear that the crappy way you?re feeling is all in your head - or so the doctor thinks.
Believe it or not, this is a phrase that?s mean to reassure people. Fat chance of that happening. Once more this shows the major gap between the person uttering those sounds and those receiving them.
What the doctor is trying to tell you is that he cannot find anything serious either on examination or on the testing that he?s done. And you really do not want something to show up on any of those. He is NOT saying that it?s all in your head. There are many things that can be wrong with you but not have major abnormalities that can be easily found.
Part of the problem is that you probably won’t listen to anything else the doctor says after that. Do not fall into that trap. What comes next may actually explain the whole thing. You know how fast doctors talk. They don?t pause between sentences to see how you absorbed or reacted to that statement.
So, what do you do? First, let?s discuss what NOT to do?.Do not get upset. Do not shut down. Do not feel abused or ashamed. Do not feel like you?ve been wasting everyone?s time. Do not be angry. Do not discount everything else the doctor?s going to say. Do not get flustered. That?s the most important of all.
Stay alert and open-minded. If you have to regroup, put your hand up to signal the doctor to slow down or even pause. Listen, listen, listen. See what the doctor has to say afterwards. If it doesn?t seem that you?re understanding what he?s saying even though you?ve been trying, stop him and ask for clarification. Say ?excuse me? or hold your hand up again. If he?s not looking or listening, try standing up and see if that will give him a clue.
At that point you can simply say ?I don?t understand what you?re saying.? Or you can ask specifically ?what do you mean there?s nothing wrong? Are you saying that this is all in my head?? One reason we give up so much of our power is that we remain silent. You have to ask for clarification and refuse to be intimidated. You know that there?s something bothering you. No, it may not be earth-shattering or something that will be a first recorded case ? BUT, it?s something making you feel bad enough to come to this humiliating appointment with a doctor who isn?t doing a very good job explaining things to you. Don?t allow that to happen. Don?t give away your power.
Same goes if the doctor says ?I can?t find anything wrong?. I know from my 30 years in medicine that just because I can?t find something wrong does NOT mean that there isn?t anything ?wrong? with the patient. Doctors do try to find out if there is anything obvious first. And sometimes they will stop looking if there?s nothing found on the basic studies. But most often they will try to find something that will provide relief for you while your body heals ? even without anyone ever knowing what it was. They will tell you that you need to come back if you?re not getting any better. This is not just ?blowing you off?. It?s because right then they are not concerned that there is something major wrong to warrant other studies. But, they are acknowledging that you don?t feel well and want you to rest, take the symptomatic medicine you?re given and return if you?re not feeling better.
It?s important that you do not give up your power by giving in. Do not leave the office if you?re uncertain what?s going on or what the plan of action is. I know this is difficult but you really can do it. You may have to speak up and say ?Excuse me, I don?t understand. Can you explain this to me so I can understand, doctor? Are you saying that there is nothing wrong with me or that you just cannot find something on your tests?? Do not feel as if you?re going to make the doctor mad or he won?t like you or something stupid like that. The doctor will NOT know that you don?t understand unless you tell him. If you don?t say anything, he will only assume that you?re fine with everything he?s said.
For help with communicating with your doctor, contact the author at Terrie@askyourdoctorsaidwhat.com
Dr. Wurzbacher is a retired Navy Emergency Medicine Physician who recognized early in her career that she was probably missing much of what her patients were trying to tell her. The Emergency Department is one place that being good at communication is essential - you have no records to work with and not much time. Teaching young doctors and ancillary staff the personal aspects of medicine has become a passion of hers. Her book, ?Your Doctor Said What? is intended to help patients not only understand why many doctors seem like aliens but also how to empower themselves to deal with them.
Check her out at http://www.yourdoctorsaidwhat.com and http://www.yourdoctorsaidwhatblog.com.
Most likely you hear that the crappy way you?re feeling is all in your head - or so the doctor thinks.
Believe it or not, this is a phrase that?s mean to reassure people. Fat chance of that happening. Once more this shows the major gap between the person uttering those sounds and those receiving them.
What the doctor is trying to tell you is that he cannot find anything serious either on examination or on the testing that he?s done. And you really do not want something to show up on any of those. He is NOT saying that it?s all in your head. There are many things that can be wrong with you but not have major abnormalities that can be easily found.
Part of the problem is that you probably won’t listen to anything else the doctor says after that. Do not fall into that trap. What comes next may actually explain the whole thing. You know how fast doctors talk. They don?t pause between sentences to see how you absorbed or reacted to that statement.
So, what do you do? First, let?s discuss what NOT to do?.Do not get upset. Do not shut down. Do not feel abused or ashamed. Do not feel like you?ve been wasting everyone?s time. Do not be angry. Do not discount everything else the doctor?s going to say. Do not get flustered. That?s the most important of all.
Stay alert and open-minded. If you have to regroup, put your hand up to signal the doctor to slow down or even pause. Listen, listen, listen. See what the doctor has to say afterwards. If it doesn?t seem that you?re understanding what he?s saying even though you?ve been trying, stop him and ask for clarification. Say ?excuse me? or hold your hand up again. If he?s not looking or listening, try standing up and see if that will give him a clue.
At that point you can simply say ?I don?t understand what you?re saying.? Or you can ask specifically ?what do you mean there?s nothing wrong? Are you saying that this is all in my head?? One reason we give up so much of our power is that we remain silent. You have to ask for clarification and refuse to be intimidated. You know that there?s something bothering you. No, it may not be earth-shattering or something that will be a first recorded case ? BUT, it?s something making you feel bad enough to come to this humiliating appointment with a doctor who isn?t doing a very good job explaining things to you. Don?t allow that to happen. Don?t give away your power.
Same goes if the doctor says ?I can?t find anything wrong?. I know from my 30 years in medicine that just because I can?t find something wrong does NOT mean that there isn?t anything ?wrong? with the patient. Doctors do try to find out if there is anything obvious first. And sometimes they will stop looking if there?s nothing found on the basic studies. But most often they will try to find something that will provide relief for you while your body heals ? even without anyone ever knowing what it was. They will tell you that you need to come back if you?re not getting any better. This is not just ?blowing you off?. It?s because right then they are not concerned that there is something major wrong to warrant other studies. But, they are acknowledging that you don?t feel well and want you to rest, take the symptomatic medicine you?re given and return if you?re not feeling better.
It?s important that you do not give up your power by giving in. Do not leave the office if you?re uncertain what?s going on or what the plan of action is. I know this is difficult but you really can do it. You may have to speak up and say ?Excuse me, I don?t understand. Can you explain this to me so I can understand, doctor? Are you saying that there is nothing wrong with me or that you just cannot find something on your tests?? Do not feel as if you?re going to make the doctor mad or he won?t like you or something stupid like that. The doctor will NOT know that you don?t understand unless you tell him. If you don?t say anything, he will only assume that you?re fine with everything he?s said.
For help with communicating with your doctor, contact the author at Terrie@askyourdoctorsaidwhat.com
Dr. Wurzbacher is a retired Navy Emergency Medicine Physician who recognized early in her career that she was probably missing much of what her patients were trying to tell her. The Emergency Department is one place that being good at communication is essential - you have no records to work with and not much time. Teaching young doctors and ancillary staff the personal aspects of medicine has become a passion of hers. Her book, ?Your Doctor Said What? is intended to help patients not only understand why many doctors seem like aliens but also how to empower themselves to deal with them.
Check her out at http://www.yourdoctorsaidwhat.com and http://www.yourdoctorsaidwhatblog.com.
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