You may remember I reviewed Melanie Cooper's upcoming book Teaching Yoga Adjusting Asana in an earlier post (click on the link below).
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The first part explores fundamentals of teaching in a simple, clear, accessible way. Melanie covers how to teach crucial concepts such as breath, bandha and drishti, as well as more general topics including injuries, ethics and the spiritual aspects of yoga.
In the second part of the book there are helpful techniques for deepening common yoga postures and a complete guide to hands-on adjustment for the Ashtanga Primary Series.
With a wealth of information, clear writing, and fresh, detailed
photography, this is an invaluable resource for qualified yoga teachers,
student teachers, and yoga students who want to take their practice to
the next level.
Author: Melanie Cooper
Ringbound
Pages 244
9.1 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
Book review: Teaching Yoga, Teaching Asana based on the Ashtanga Primary Series by Melanie Cooper.
Melanie just invited book launch at The Life Centre in Islington London, next friday, what's that, the 29th November. There's food and drink supposedly and she said to pass the word around... ideally let her know your planning on coming so she can have a rough idea of numbers. I'm hoping to make it myself.
Below are a few things lifted from my review.
Melanie Cooper (website http://melaniecooper.co.uk)
Leading yoga teacher trainer Melanie Cooper brings you the essential
handbook for teaching yoga and adjusting asana (yoga poses). The first part explores fundamentals of teaching in a simple, clear, accessible way. Melanie covers how to teach crucial concepts such as breath, bandha and drishti, as well as more general topics including injuries, ethics and the spiritual aspects of yoga.
In the second part of the book there are helpful techniques for deepening common yoga postures and a complete guide to hands-on adjustment for the Ashtanga Primary Series.
With a wealth of information, clear writing, and fresh, detailed
photography, this is an invaluable resource for qualified yoga teachers,
student teachers, and yoga students who want to take their practice to
the next level.
Author: Melanie Cooper
Ringbound
Pages 244
9.1 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
23.2 x 16.6 x 1.8 cm
weight 1.2 pounds
350g
£16.99
but also offered on Amazon for £12.00 inc. postage
Melanie Cooper has been teaching yoga for 16 years, and training yoga teachers for eight years. She divides her time between London and Goa, practicing and teaching yoga. She currently runs the morning ashtanga self practice at The Life Centre in Islington and runs an annual teacher training at Brahmani Yoga in Goa, She has practiced and assisted at Ashtanga Yoga London for many years, and has also studied with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Melanie lives in North London.
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Conclusions?
It's a good book, a lot of work gone into it, it's smart, you'd find a lot of stuff in here that you would use, whether your just starting teaching, going to a shala or practicing at home.
And best of all you can discuss/argue for hours it's basic premiss and whether Ashtanga should be taught in this way, the future of Ashtanga, whether it can survive in the gym scene or up against the gym scene for that matter.... or if everything beautiful about this practice becomes diluted and loses it's value.
Melanie is clearly an Ashtanga practitioner who loves her practice and devoted to it's communication. It's clear from reading her book that she believes Ashtanga can be taught in gyms and stay relevant and of value to those who come for practice however many times a week that may be.
BUT if Ashtanga can make the transition into gyms wouldn't this make it even harder for the smaller more traditional, Ashtanga six days a week, shalas to survive?
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Melanie Cooper's website
weight 1.2 pounds
350g
£16.99
but also offered on Amazon for £12.00 inc. postage
Melanie Cooper has been teaching yoga for 16 years, and training yoga teachers for eight years. She divides her time between London and Goa, practicing and teaching yoga. She currently runs the morning ashtanga self practice at The Life Centre in Islington and runs an annual teacher training at Brahmani Yoga in Goa, She has practiced and assisted at Ashtanga Yoga London for many years, and has also studied with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Melanie lives in North London.
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"Before I go any further I want to state clearly that this is not about Ashtanga Yoga as it is traditionally taught in Mysore, and I'm not trying to give 'the correct Mysore point of view'. I have the utmost respect for Pattabhi Jois and Sharath and their teaching methods...... I do not pretend to speck for them and they have not endorsed this book.
I think that there is no doubt about the authenticity and integrity of Pattabhi Jois and Sharath. their teaching method has produced some of the most accomplished, knowledgable and sincere yoga practitioners around today, but the reality facing most new yoga teachers is that most of their classes are in gyms where it is not possible to teach in the Mysore style. Most of these classes are only one hour long and are open to all levels. Most of the students are practicing only once or twice a week. In this situation a new way of teaching Ashtanga has emerged - a general led class - and this is what teaching yoga, Adjusting Asana is about. But it is my hope that this book will be useful to many different categories of yoga practitioner".
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How useful is this book, should you buy it?
"...But it is my hope that this book will be useful to many different categories of yoga practitioner".
Whether your planning on teaching or not the book outlines, and in bullet points, many tricky concepts, bandhas, breathing, drishti, useful for the beginner perhaps and for anyone trying to explain these concepts in a way that works, by just saying enough. There is an good section on injuries and how to avoid them as well as onovercoming them, there's a section too on teaching the spiritual/philosophical aspect of the practice.
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| Drishti |
There is a section on the sanskrit count, handy if you've just come out of a led class, got confused in a few places but would like to go again next Friday, you can brush up.
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| Sanskrit Count |
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| Sanskrit Count |
I really liked this section on 'Deepening the Primary series', warm up exercises. I often include some extra Vinyasa Krama postures into my own Ashtanga practice at home to give myself a little extra work where necessary. There's also a section on some ideas for Workshops see the Contents screenshots above p169
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| 'Deepening the Primary series' |
The Adjustment section
Conclusions?
It's a good book, a lot of work gone into it, it's smart, you'd find a lot of stuff in here that you would use, whether your just starting teaching, going to a shala or practicing at home.
And best of all you can discuss/argue for hours it's basic premiss and whether Ashtanga should be taught in this way, the future of Ashtanga, whether it can survive in the gym scene or up against the gym scene for that matter.... or if everything beautiful about this practice becomes diluted and loses it's value.
Melanie is clearly an Ashtanga practitioner who loves her practice and devoted to it's communication. It's clear from reading her book that she believes Ashtanga can be taught in gyms and stay relevant and of value to those who come for practice however many times a week that may be.
BUT if Ashtanga can make the transition into gyms wouldn't this make it even harder for the smaller more traditional, Ashtanga six days a week, shalas to survive?
*
Melanie Cooper's website
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| http://melaniecooper.co.uk |