Yoga Theory
The art of starting a speech
The class began with a prayer. Sir then gave a live example of how to start a speech. The opening has to be impactful and engaging, so the audience connects with you from the very first moment.
This builds on the public-speaking rules from 27 September and the three parts of a speech from 4 October, whose homework was to study how good speakers open.
Your turn: an innovative opening
Everyone is to prepare an innovative way of introducing a topic or starting a speech, and practise it (homework 4).
Yoga Theory · Know your market
Yoga as a business opportunity in Goa
Sir asked us to see yoga not only as a practice but as something we can offer to others, and to make it a unique selling proposition (USP): the benefit to your students that sets your offer apart from everyone else’s. Source
The focus was on understanding the opportunities in Goa’s yoga and wellness market, and on exploring ventures and business ideas in the yoga sector there.
Goa’s Department of Tourism presents Goa as a premier destination for a holistic wellness experience, in India, the birthplace of yoga and Ayurveda. Source
Becoming a certified yoga professional
The Ministry of Ayush’s Yoga Certification Board certifies yoga professionals step by step: Yoga Protocol Instructor, Yoga Wellness Instructor, Yoga Teacher & Evaluator and Yoga Master, with a separate track for yoga therapy. The first step, Yoga Protocol Instructor, needs a course of at least 200 hours and qualifies you to teach the Common Yoga Protocol in parks, housing societies and similar classes. Source
The homework turns this into fieldwork: study the market, visit studios and classes, and design your own dream workplace. Read the full study: Know your market: yoga in Goa.
Yoga Theory · Practical session
New partner stretches
Sir taught new techniques of body stretching with a partner, and we practised them in pairs. They follow on from the partner stretches of 4 October, which were taught as a relaxation technique.
NCERT defines flexibility as the ability to move a body part through its maximum range around a joint. In passive stretching, help may be taken from another person; the advanced PNF method needs a trained supervisor. Source
Homework
Before the next class
- Know your market: yoga in Goa.
- Study the yoga market in Goa, and think of ideas to make yoga a unique selling proposition.
- Visit yoga studios and classes, look at how they are set up, and design your own dream workplace.
- Learn and practise introducing a topic in an innovative way.
- Join a Geeta Parivar class to learn the Bhagavad Gītā.