Integrating Philosophy into General Classes
Aims: to show students that the yoga we inherited from ancient India is a spiritual practice, to demonstrate how to teach it as a spiritual practice, to introduce teaching methods that help students to teach the spiritual aspects, to encourage them to teach that way and give feedback to their peers.
Objectives:
Cognitive: by the end of the module the students should know and be able to explain:
- that asanas can be practiced to enhance spiritual development
- passages from the classical texts describing asanas as spiritual practice
- the esoteric aspects of yoga practices other then asanas
- teaching methods that enable them to introduce the spiritual aspect when teaching
Psychomotor: by the end of the module the students should be able to: practice yoga with a deeper level of awareness
- start to experience more subtle effects of the yoga
- learn to formulate what they feel
- start to learn to relate the spiritual effects of yoga to others
Affective: by the end of the module the students should feel and be aware of:
- subtler planes within themselves and the effect of the yoga on those
- the necessity of having a still and focused mind to sense inner changes
- the need of our culture to learn to internalize
Content:
There will be 7 days of course meetings from 10.00am – 5.00pm, 6 contact hours per day
Day 1: Yoga is a spiritual path
10.00: Introduction (of the course material and the students)
10.30: Practical: tutor teaching: “yoga is not an exercise program, but a spiritual path”
11.45: Tutor presentation and discussion: What is spirituality and a spiritual path? (handout)
1.00: lunch
2.00: Where does yoga want to take us?
Tutor presentation: the benefits of yoga and the purpose of yoga, evidence from the classical texts. (handout)
Discussion: is this relevant today?
4.00: How do we get there?
Workshop: The yoga practices as given in the classical texts:
- Why are they taught?
- Which ones are we teaching?
- Do we teach techniques the classical texts do not mention?
Day 2: asanas as a spiritual practice, HYP
10.00: Practical: tutor teaching: “pashimottanasana brings prana into sushumna” HYP 1,29
11.30: Tutor presentation: asanas are spiritual practices, evidence from classical texts (handout)
Discussion: asanas as spiritual practice, our own understanding
1.00: lunch
2.00: Discussion: Do students want to know about this?
2.30: Tutor demonstration: How to introduce a spiritual aspect?
Teaching steps:
- Understand the aspect intellectually
- Experience it on the mat
- Practice it
- Formulate it
- Teach it (handout)
Demonstrate the teaching steps on 2 examples: HYP 1,29 and HYP 1,27
4.00: Workshop: create a lesson plan around one of the example aspects
Homework: 2 students prepare a 30 minute teaching practice (plus 15 minute feed back) on the topic: “Asanas unblock nadis and increase the energy flow”
- 1. teaching practice: in the arms
- 2. teaching practice: in the spine
Day 3: Asanas as a spiritual practice, general
10.00: 1. teaching practice: “asanas unblock nadis and increase the energy flow in the arms” Feedback
10.45: Tutor lead discussion: spiritual aspects of asanas not necessarily mentioned in our classical texts. (handout)
12.00: Practical: tutor teaching: demonstrate the teaching of 2 of the above mentioned aspects
1.00: lunch
2.00: Group work: each group devises a 10 minutes teaching plan on one of the above aspects
3.00: Group teaching: the 10 minute teaching plan is taught to the other groups
3.30: 2. teaching practice: “asanas unblock nadis and increase the energy flow in the spine”
4.15: Tutor lead discussion: How to create a spiritual / meditative atmosphere in class? (handout)
Homework: 2 students create a 30 minutes teaching practice on each a topic discussed ealier that day, which was not taught yet.
Day 4: asanas as spiritual practice, Patanjali
10.00: 3. teaching practice: (chosen topic)
10.45: Tutor presentation: the 4 aspects of Patanjali 2.46-48: (1. understand the aspect)
- a) sthira sukham asanam
- b) posture becomes effortless
- c) the Infinite within is reached
- d) duality ceases
11.45: Tutor instructions: (2. experience the aspect)
1.00: lunch
2.00: Tutor lead workshop: Patanjali summary (handout) find more possible aspects
4.15: 4.teaching practice: (chosen topic)
Homework: the 4 aspects of Patanjali 2,46-48:
- all students: 3. practice them, 4. formulate them
- 4 students: 5. prepare a teaching practice
Day 5: pranayama as a spiritual practice
10.00: 5. teaching practice: “sthira sukham asanam”
10.45: Practical: tutor teaching: pranayama as “prana ayama”
11.30: Tutor presentation: the spiritual aspects of pranayama, evidence from classical texts (handout)
1.00: lunch
2.00: Tutor interpretation: pranayama removes impurities from the nadis
2.30: 6. teaching practice: “postures become effortless”
3.15: Tutor lead workshop: the role of breath in asanas
4.15: 7. teaching practice: “the Infinite within is reached”
Homework: all students: practice pranayama as instructed. 2 students: prepare teaching practices on:
- make the body unstuck through breath
- open right and left side through asanas then introduce nadi sodhana
Day 6: mudras and bandhas as a spiritual practice
10.00: 8. teaching practice: “duality ceases”
10.45: Tutor presentation: mudras as a spiritual practice, evidence from classical texts (handout) (1. understand)
11.15: Tutor instructions: some mudras experienced (2. experience)
11.45: Group work: discuss how to teach: chin mudra, mukkula, kechari and shambhavi
12.15: 9.teaching practice: “”make the body unstuck through breath”
1.00: lunch
2.00: Tutor presentation: bandhas as a spiritual practice, evidence from classical texts (handout) (1. understand)
2.45: Tutor instructions: bandhas experienced (2. experience)
3.30: Workshop: bandhas in posture work
4.15: 10. teaching practice: “open right and left side through asanas then introduce nadi sodhana”
Homework: all students: 3. practice and 4. formulate mudras and bandhas. 2 students:
- plan a lesson peaking in adho mukha svanasana with bandhas
- plan a lesson peaking in ardha matsyendrasana with bandhas
Day 7: Meditation
10.00: 11. teaching practice: “teaching bandhas in a class peaking in adho mukha svanasana”
10.45: Tutor presentation: what is meditation and the role of meditation within the yoga practice (handout)
11.00: Practical: tutor instructions: how to teach meditation within a yoga class
1.00: lunch
2.00: Discussion: feedback on the module
3.00: 12.teaching practice: “teaching bandhas in a class peaking in ardha matsyendrasana”
3.45: Tutor led discussion: introducing little meditation units into class, replacing some savasanas with siddhasana
Methods of assessment and evaluation:
Teaching practices: Each student has to give a 30 minutes teaching practice to demonstrate the learned items. 15 minutes feedback will be given. This will enable me to see to what extend the students are able to put the learned ideas into practice. The feedback from other students on their peer’s teaching will show me how well they relate to the topic of the module.
Questions and answers: In all sessions on the module, which are described as “discussion” , “tutor lead discussion” or “workshop” students are encouraged to ask questions which will reflect their level of understanding.
Group work: In these sessions students can exchange their understanding and formulate questions. By listening to the groups working I will get a good picture how much of the taught material has been understood.
Feedback on the module: This session on day 7 will hopefully show the effectiveness of the module.
Supervision, in the times between the module days: Students are encouraged to be in contact with me via e-mail or telephone if any doubt, problem or question arises; this counts in particular for those students who have to give a teaching practice the following day.
Written work: A month after the end of the module students have to submit a piece of written work to show their understanding of the topic.
This plan is designed for 12 students, which seems a realistic number to me here in the South West. The plan will need adjustment if I get more of less students on a course.
Bibliography:
This is not a module to gain a lot of extra knowledge. I will work with the Eastern method of learning by deepening small units of information, rather then reading until confusion occurs.
No new texts will be introduced, but the classical texts, students have studied during their diploma course, will be revisited. The texts should not only be intellectually understood but experienced.
The texts are:
- Patanjali, The Yoga Sutras
- Hatha Yoga Pradipika
- Bhagavad Gita
- Upanishads
