Teaching Methodology
What is tested
How to teach safely and clearly: demonstration, verbal cues, sequencing, modifications, screening and ethics. Expect scenario questions about a teacher's next action.
Core rules
- Screen before class: health history, injuries, pregnancy, blood pressure, medications.
- Demonstrate from multiple angles; mirror the class when appropriate; combine demonstration, verbal cue and observation.
- Cue alignment, breath and sensation; keep language concise and avoid anatomical jargon unless needed.
- Sequence warm-up, main practice, counterpose, prāṇāyāma, relaxation.
- Modify with props, chair, wall, or a simpler variation; offer options, not a single ideal.
- Adjust only with consent and training; avoid forceful adjustments.
- Refer when pain, dizziness, chest pain or unusual symptoms occur.
Worked example
Teaching trikoṇāsana to beginners. Reasoning: demonstrate the stance, cue feet, knees, hips and side ribs; use a block for the lower hand; warn against locking the knee and collapsing the waist; show a wall variation; observe and correct verbally before touching.
Traps
Teaching too many poses; skipping savāsana; using one-size-fits-all cues; adjusting without consent; diagnosing instead of referring.