‘Freedom can feel overwhelming: once you step out from under a teacher’s wing into the glaring light of freedom, what do you do now?’
Judy Hirsh Sampath’s playful guide is for anyone in the process of questioning prescriptive teaching methods and practices that no longer serve them or align with their felt experience. Tuning in and listening to the body rather than focusing on ‘correct’ ways of teaching, it includes exercises to spark inspiration and create an environment of creativity and joy through yoga.
Part One looks at the value of the classical form to honour the foundational principles of yogic wisdom. Part Two covers the process of becoming – finding confidence in your own understanding of yoga and trusting the part of you that knows without thinking, to widen your mind and open your heart both personally and professionally. Part Three is a treasure chest of gems for facilitators that comprises formal instruction, creative and playful ideas. It is accompanied by notes and enquiries to inspire teachers and therapists to move beyond prescriptive lesson planning.
Judy Hirsh Sampath’s playful guide is for anyone in the process of questioning prescriptive teaching methods and practices that no longer serve them or align with their felt experience. Tuning in and listening to the body rather than focusing on ‘correct’ ways of teaching, it includes exercises to spark inspiration and create an environment of creativity and joy through yoga.
Part One looks at the value of the classical form to honour the foundational principles of yogic wisdom. Part Two covers the process of becoming – finding confidence in your own understanding of yoga and trusting the part of you that knows without thinking, to widen your mind and open your heart both personally and professionally. Part Three is a treasure chest of gems for facilitators that comprises formal instruction, creative and playful ideas. It is accompanied by notes and enquiries to inspire teachers and therapists to move beyond prescriptive lesson planning.
Reviews
A playful, mischievous, freeing take on yoga! Sampath breaks open the mat's gentle rules, inviting readers to move with feeling, rebel with delight, and rediscover the wild freedom of their own bodies. As her student, this book is a bountiful blessing- for yoga teachers it is a liberatory gift.
In an era where Yoga has been narrowly reduced to the practice of postures (asanas), Judy Sampath's book is a refreshing reminder that Yoga with a capital "Y", is a practice intended to awaken a recognition of our connection with life itself. There is a playful joyfulness in her many suggested inquiries and questions that can provoke thought, experimentation and change for both students and teachers.