66 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must-have for beginning & intermediate yoga teachers, November 13, 2004
This review is from: Guiding Yoga's Light: Yoga Lessons for Yoga Teachers (Paperback)
I have been teaching yoga for just over one year, and, like yoga teachers everywhere, am continually striving to learn and grow.
Part of that quest is through reading. While I learn something from almost every yoga book I read, I have never before found so much clear, honest, easy-to-use information altogether in one book.
Ms. Gerstein has assembled and distilled a lot of essential core yoga information into bite-sized bits that are perfect for use in the yoga class setting.
One of the things I learned early on as a teacher is that you can only weave so much information into a single yoga class, and that less is often more.
This is where Ms. Gerstein's work truly shines -- her finely crafted sentences convey so much, and do it in a simple, direct, honest, natural language.
Beginning teachers (especially those who are a bit nervous) can read sentences or paragraphs as is, while more experienced teachers might chose to simply use her language as a rough guide, preferring to ad lib. I prefer a blended approach -- having a sentence or two written down ahead of time as a talking point, and then elaborating with my own unrehearsed words.
I was also struck by how useful this book would be to those who are not teachers, but rather students who crave a bit more than what they learn from their own teachers. Any yoga student who is seeking to develop his/her own home practice would find this book to be interesting and engaging. They could easily find a "lesson" of interest, read it, incorporate the suggested postures into their home practice, and meditate over the message/theme of the lesson throughout the practice and beyond. The book would easily provide a full year of home lesson material.
I have two small criticisms of this book.
First, each lesson has an "approximate length" listed. Usually this is 2-6 minutes. It obviously doesn't include the time for the suggested asanas.
The "how to use" page of the book says: "The length of each written lesson. If you want to add or edit the lesson please note that any changes or added pauses will change the approximate length of the script."
This seems too obvious to even be stated. I honestly cannot see the value of these length approximations. Any teacher can look at the number of words he or she decides to use in a class and guesstimate how long it will take to cover the material. And really, does it make a huge amount of difference if it takes four minutes or six?
I would prefer deleting these approximate time notations and using the space to add one more lesson!
Second (small) criticism: I noted two instances so far of "it's" appearing in the text when "its" was meant. Call me old-fashioned, but I believe that books should be carefully edited for correct spelling and grammar.
All in all, an excellent, useful book!
Please note that the information in the book is mainly philosophical and spiritual. She also covers chakras and breathing (breath control/pranayama) quite well.
However, this book does NOT directly deal with the teaching of asana (posture). Some asanas are suggested with each lesson, but it is assumed that you already know how to perform and teach and modify these asanas.
(If you are looking for books to help you teach/learn asanas (postures) of yoga, may I recommend these two wonderful volumes: "30 Essential Yoga Poses for Beginning Students and their Teachers" by Judith Lasater. Excellent book. Every new teacher would find much to appreciate. Second, "Cool Yoga Tricks" by Miriam Austin. Unfortunate name, very excellent book which deals with how to modify postures and tricks for teaching and doing a wide variety of postures.
Both books are clear and easy to follow.)
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yoga-Lotus, September 26, 2004
This review is from: Guiding Yoga's Light: Yoga Lessons for Yoga Teachers (Paperback)
I've been teaching yoga for almost 4 years, and I've never come across a book like this. Every "lesson" has a purpose or intention, a script to read to students, and postures to go with each lesson. The lessons range from teaching breathing to dealing with fear to learning the chakras. Ms. Gerstein has even made suggestions as to how to take the lesson into your everyday life. I have used some of the lessons in my classes and it has made a huge difference in my students' understanding of yoga postures and yoga as a lifestyle. If you're a teacher, this is the book you won't want to do without.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lessons for those needing inspiration, October 11, 2005
This review is from: Guiding Yoga's Light: Yoga Lessons for Yoga Teachers (Paperback)
This book is a good 'idea' book for yoga instructors. Putting together a yoga class requires a lot of work and some creativity. It is challenging to come up with themes. Many times, it is easy to rely on our comfort zones when teaching. Nancy Gerstein's "Guiding Yogas Light" has some good, basic lesson plans that can inspire an instructor.
The format of the book is nicely laid out. Gerstein's writing is poetic and clear. I have been able to use some of these ideas very easily in my classes. The only complaint I would have with this book is that I wish there were some longer practices. Many of the scripts here are for 5 minutes or less. This is a good place to reference from, but a little more would be nice.
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