Like any professional, it is important that you present well and be knowledgeable. For the most part, your time spent on the podium will be the biggest contributing factor in the quality and evolution of your teaching. With this in mind, if you can build a solid foundation early on, your teaching will progress faster enabling you to convey the Bikram series with greater clarity sooner. With your acceptance of my guidance and mentoring, your development process will be quickened.

Whether you are fresh out of Teacher Training or you have been teaching for a while, I will help you to bring out your best.

For the new teachers, I will give you simple but effective tools for you to incorporate into your class. Tools that you can use from the very first day you start to teach.

 

As a seasoned teacher, I can stimulate new enthusiasm within and bring to you fresh ideas, and techniques that work in getting your students to be their very best.

Teaching is just that…teaching students the practice of yoga. If you are standing on the podium reciting only dialogue you are not yet, in my opinion, a well rounded teacher. Let me show you what I have learnt over the years that will lead to you diversifying your class so as to encompass all facets of teaching.

 

Do you find yourself with these questions?

  • How do I get someone to sit down in triangle posture? I know they are not injured, they have been coming for a long time, they seem strong enough…how do I get them to sit all the way down?
  • I see a student in Standing Bow Pulling pose but I can’t figure out how to get his/her two shoulders in one line.
  • I hear students not using the throat in Pranayama. How do I correct them?
  • I’m not sure what I am looking for in Kapalbhati breathing.
  • How can I get my students palms together in Eagle pose.

 

 

Make no mistake, the success of your class begins before you stand on the podium and utter your first words. The set up of the room, the positioning of your students, the heat of the room, the preparedness of your newcomers, etc. All these aspects will dictate the outcome of your class. From being just a good class to being an outstanding class. From being a class where the student leaves the school with no special feeling to where the student then begins to seek out your tuition.

A master craftsman would never use just rudimentary tools. They would use every tool at their disposal to create a work of art. Likewise for you as a teacher, you must draw from every resource at your disposal to compliment your teaching.

TESTIMONIALS

“I was recommended to contact Darren Ma for mentorship, following completion of Bikram Yoga Teacher Training Nov 2016. 

I was able to spend almost 4 weeks, straight after teacher training, in Caloundra (near Brisbane) with Darren, practising and teaching at the Bikram Yoga Sunshine Coast studio.

The whole experience was outstanding. The studio was very well maintained and clean. The teachers and students were all very friendly and supportive, particularly with respect to me having only just completed teacher training.

Darren’s mentoring was quite exceptional. He has a world of knowledge having been involved with Bikram Yoga for nearly 20 years. He gave feedback on classes, and made regular time for sessions where we could talk about postures in more depth, and discuss how to give corrections for common issues. There was also the opportunity to watch Darren teach classes both in Caloundra and in Brisbane.

I was able to learn about how to deliver an effective class, with the focus being on good dialogue and the importance of timing. I was able to start to understand how to give corrections, though at present appreciate I am still only scratching the surface with this. I would hope to touch base with Darren again in the future, to refresh and develop the ideas considered in this short introduction to teaching.  

I feel this has been an essential part of my teaching journey. It has been an excellent investment allowing me to build a foundation for teaching, to which I hope to continue to develop.”  

Avi Sharma grad TT November 2016

It was an absolute pleasure working with Darren! He meets you where you are at as a Bikram Yoga Teacher and goes from there without judgement. With two decades of experience, Darren has a wealth of knowledge to be shared. I had the privilege to spend four weeks learning from Darren and in that time we covered dialogue, how to give corrections, how to deal with a wide range of students, feedback on classes, being a studio owner and much more. We spent time going through every posture, how to correct common mistakes and also how to help deepen a practice for advanced students. The techniques Darren uses for correcting postures is brilliant, straightforward, simple, and direct.  He has definitely accelerated my growth as a teacher and a student, and I feel very lucky to have had the chance to work with him. Creating a lifetime connection with Darren is priceless, and as he says “once a student, always a student”. Thank you Dazzy!!

Kiran Randhawa grad TT November 2016