The best action Yoga teachers can take is to have good liability insurance, know the law, have written and documented guidelines, enforce guidelines for safety?s sake, ?cover your back,? and continue to learn about the laws as they change.
Even if your Yoga teaching career is limited to teaching a few Yoga classes per week, as an independent contractor for a Yoga studio, or the local health club, you still need to establish guidelines. These guidelines become your ?company policy,? and need to be enforced for student protection and for your livelihood.
Here is a little additional ?food for thought.? Imagine a new student - arriving late, skipping the warm-up, who didn?t sign a release form, and no one had time to explain any precautions to him or her. This student could possibly be pregnant or have a serious medical condition.
Are you just a nice person, giving by nature, or just plain foolish, when it comes to protecting your own interests? The law does not care, and negligence is dealt with quite harshly. One lawsuit is all it will take for most Yoga businesses to permanently close. It does not matter if you win, or lose, if you have to pay an attorney to defend you. The cost of a legal defense is ?staggering.?
Now let?s get back to assisting. As a Yoga teacher, you should also get verbal permission each time you touch a student for a physical assist. So, it is always wise to ask before making an adjustment to an alignment.
Have you ever had an assist that didn?t really help much? Assisting Yoga students, into proper alignment, is an art form, and some Yoga teachers are much better at it than others. However, after what you just read, you may also be more cautious with your Yoga students, as well.
Have you ever had a physical assist that hurt you physically or in any way? Some Yoga students have, and this is why Yoga instructors should ask for feedback. Most Yoga teachers do not want to push their students beyond the comfort zone, but may not have the skill for feeling skeletal compression or muscular tightness. On top of this, some Yoga teachers don?t know the difference. This is why establishing a track record of continuing education is so important for Yoga teachers.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
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 Negligence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Negligence. Show all posts
March 1, 2009
Yoga Teacher Tips: More Common Yoga Student Corrections
Always remember that it is better to be accused of being too cautious, than it is to be accused of negligence within a court of law. The Yoga teacher who is too safe can always find another teaching assignment. Below are some common problems that Yoga teachers should address for the safety of their students.
Spinal Rock: The eyes should focus on your heels, or navel, if possible. This causes the whole spine to round off and ?roll like a ball,? as opposed to ?crashing? off the floor. Rolling back should only go to the shoulders. Some Yoga students will be injured if they are not cautioned about rolling back on their necks.
During your Sun Salutation, or Vinyasa Sequence, where you perform a Monkey posture, which is also known as, ?Flat Back,? the body should take the shape of an inverted ?L.? The best way to master this posture is to draw, and elongate your spine, in a straight line, parallel to the floor. A mirror, or knowledgeable Yoga teacher, would be a big help for developing alignment.
You should caution your students about the jump backs on Sun Salutations, or Vinyasa Sequences. Anyone with a back condition can make it worse with the jump back or the jump forward; the reason being that when your feet land on the floor, the shock of the movement goes into the lower spine.
A similar movement we know as the ?squat thrust? was contra-indicated by the American Orthopedic Association, a few years ago. This movement is the same as the squat thrusts. Many Yoga teachers are very familiar with this movement from Ashtanga and Vinyasa styles, however, beware that each student is put at risk ? no matter how good their back feels today.
In Warrior I, please make sure that your Yoga student?s back foot is turned in 45 degrees. When the hip rotates forward, in the direction of the forward foot, this puts torque on the back knee. If a student has the back foot out at 90 degrees, this is a great deal of torque, and can cause premature wear within the soft tissue of the knee. It does not matter if this posture has been done this way for 5,000 years - when it can cause injury to a single student.
Upward Dog ? Watch for locking elbows ? if so, please allow for a slight crack in the student?s elbow joint, as the lockout will cause premature wear to his or her elbow joint.
Downward Dog ? Sometimes there is a slight amount of bouncing going on in this posture. You want to make sure that your Yoga students slowly drop into position, without any bouncing. The reason is that bouncing is a ?ballistic stretch? and can cause micro tears in the muscle tissue, which will result in less protection of the nearby joint.
Cobbler Pose ? The same bouncing ballistic stretch that can cause micro tears in the muscle tissue occurs when the knees bounce up and down. If you have a Yoga student who does this - stop him or her immediately.
Lastly, challenge your students to be the best they can be, but never put a single Yoga student in harm?s way. A Yoga teacher is primarily supposed to guide his or her students toward consistent healthy living.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
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. To receive a Free e-Book: “Yoga in Practice,” and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Spinal Rock: The eyes should focus on your heels, or navel, if possible. This causes the whole spine to round off and ?roll like a ball,? as opposed to ?crashing? off the floor. Rolling back should only go to the shoulders. Some Yoga students will be injured if they are not cautioned about rolling back on their necks.
During your Sun Salutation, or Vinyasa Sequence, where you perform a Monkey posture, which is also known as, ?Flat Back,? the body should take the shape of an inverted ?L.? The best way to master this posture is to draw, and elongate your spine, in a straight line, parallel to the floor. A mirror, or knowledgeable Yoga teacher, would be a big help for developing alignment.
You should caution your students about the jump backs on Sun Salutations, or Vinyasa Sequences. Anyone with a back condition can make it worse with the jump back or the jump forward; the reason being that when your feet land on the floor, the shock of the movement goes into the lower spine.
A similar movement we know as the ?squat thrust? was contra-indicated by the American Orthopedic Association, a few years ago. This movement is the same as the squat thrusts. Many Yoga teachers are very familiar with this movement from Ashtanga and Vinyasa styles, however, beware that each student is put at risk ? no matter how good their back feels today.
In Warrior I, please make sure that your Yoga student?s back foot is turned in 45 degrees. When the hip rotates forward, in the direction of the forward foot, this puts torque on the back knee. If a student has the back foot out at 90 degrees, this is a great deal of torque, and can cause premature wear within the soft tissue of the knee. It does not matter if this posture has been done this way for 5,000 years - when it can cause injury to a single student.
Upward Dog ? Watch for locking elbows ? if so, please allow for a slight crack in the student?s elbow joint, as the lockout will cause premature wear to his or her elbow joint.
Downward Dog ? Sometimes there is a slight amount of bouncing going on in this posture. You want to make sure that your Yoga students slowly drop into position, without any bouncing. The reason is that bouncing is a ?ballistic stretch? and can cause micro tears in the muscle tissue, which will result in less protection of the nearby joint.
Cobbler Pose ? The same bouncing ballistic stretch that can cause micro tears in the muscle tissue occurs when the knees bounce up and down. If you have a Yoga student who does this - stop him or her immediately.
Lastly, challenge your students to be the best they can be, but never put a single Yoga student in harm?s way. A Yoga teacher is primarily supposed to guide his or her students toward consistent healthy living.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
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. To receive a Free e-Book: “Yoga in Practice,” and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
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