Somatics and the Art of Teaching Yoga
by Mike Cohen
We fail to realize that mastery is not about perfection. It’s about a process, a journey.
The master is the one who stays on the path day after day, year after year. The master is the one who is willing to try, and fail, and try again, for as long as he or she lives.
- George Leonard
I recently had the good fortune to experience two masterful yoga teachers – Saul David Raye (at Bhakti Fest Midwest in Madison, WI) and Sofia Diaz (in Boulder, CO). Guess what? There was nothing remarkable about the yoga postures they used.
Most of the asanas (postures) into which they guided participants were quite common and popular. Despite this, their classes were transformative, inspiring and jam-packed with enthusiastic yogis (around 400 participants at Saul’s class). How is it they were able to touch so many, so deeply?
From my looking, the ‘magic’ resided not in the asanas utilized, but in three essential elements – the teacher’s presence, the depth of their guidance and the breadth of the context in which they placed the practice of yoga.
Both master teachers demonstrated remarkable presence. They each sensed the room from their body, felt the participants from their heart and allowed their head to be open and receptive. This enabled them to be centered, grounded, open and connected with class participants. From this space they subtly adjusted their instruction to meet the unspoken needs of the group. Clearly, they each journeyed long and far enough to connect deeply with themselves.
Second, their guidance infused each moment with personal relevance, meaning and inspiration. Their speaking revealed years, or even decades, of trying and failing with masterful teachers both within and beyond of the world of yoga. Their words conveyed the weight of lived experience… of wisdom earned. They did not merely share sayings or instruction they read or heard. They shared only that they had lived and embodied through trying, failing, receiving expert guidance and trying again. This generated a charisma that brought aliveness to each word and every moment.
Finally, these masterful teachers invited participants into a deep relationship to their bodies while placing the practice of yoga (asana) within a broad context of transformation, integration and living an aligned life. They guided participants to see how postures were for the sake of something much greater than merely looking fit or attaining a ‘perfect’ performance. The practice of yoga was thus transformed into a tool for inviting students into deeper compassion, practical wisdom and skillful action in their lives that felt both relevant and useful.
The ‘effortless mastery’ of a gifted and well-trained teacher can seem daunting. However, rather than backing away, it is better to remember that in anything we do we journey from beginner to competent to masterful. The good news is that we can cultivate these skills and qualities.
Teaching yoga is a complex practice, and much of what a master teacher does is invisible to the untrained eye. However, I claim that much of what they do can be both understood and cultivated through the insights and practices Somatics offers for understanding and embodying presence, guidance and context.
Somatics is learning from the body up, rather than the head down. It is learning from the inside out, rather than outside in. Somatics offers a pathway for living more deeply into our body, our experience and our lives.
It is no surprise that advanced teachers such as Tias Little have begun incorporated Somatics into their yoga teaching to great effect. I contend Somatics is a doorway to the secrets behind the magic of masterful yoga teachers.
SOMATICS AND THE ART OF TEACHING YOGA
This fall you can participate in an innovative 9 hour program at Cascade Yoga that guides participants to:
• Develop a grounded Somatic Presence
• Identify and tame their inner critic, freeing vitality and creativity
• Understand and embody 6 ways of relating to one’s body with increasing depth and learn to invite their students deeper
• Speak from Somatic (body centered) and Yogic (the integration of polarities) perspectives
• Follow their intuition and deepen into their unique voice and teaching style.
Program held at Cascade Yoga (5060 Cascade Rd SE) on September 8, 22 and November 3 from 12:30-3:30pm. Class size is limited to 15 participants and will fill quickly. Contact Cascade Yoga at (616) 464-1610 orinfo@cascadeyogastudio.com to register. More information at www.CascadeYogaStudio.com and www.MikeCohenKirtan.com
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“I have carried Mike’s simple but effective techniques into my classes, which have been crucial to my ongoing development as a teacher. Mike is a master at what he does: he communicates knowledgeably and effectively with great care and compassion. I highly recommend his teaching and coaching!”
-- SW, CYT 200
ABOUT MICHAEL H. COHEN
Mike is an accomplished Kirtan Artist and Certified Master Somatic Coach who trained in Somatic Bodywork, Somatic Coaching and Embodied Leadership with Richard Strozzi Heckler at his Strozzi Institute (in Petaluma, CA) from 2006-08. For over a decade Mike has guided thousands of individuals to become more effective and fulfilled. He works in corporate, nonprofit, higher educational, small business and public program environments through his Life 2.0 and Dattatreya Kirtan Institute workshops, coaching and training programs.
The master is the one who stays on the path day after day, year after year. The master is the one who is willing to try, and fail, and try again, for as long as he or she lives.
- George Leonard
I recently had the good fortune to experience two masterful yoga teachers – Saul David Raye (at Bhakti Fest Midwest in Madison, WI) and Sofia Diaz (in Boulder, CO). Guess what? There was nothing remarkable about the yoga postures they used.
Most of the asanas (postures) into which they guided participants were quite common and popular. Despite this, their classes were transformative, inspiring and jam-packed with enthusiastic yogis (around 400 participants at Saul’s class). How is it they were able to touch so many, so deeply?
From my looking, the ‘magic’ resided not in the asanas utilized, but in three essential elements – the teacher’s presence, the depth of their guidance and the breadth of the context in which they placed the practice of yoga.
Both master teachers demonstrated remarkable presence. They each sensed the room from their body, felt the participants from their heart and allowed their head to be open and receptive. This enabled them to be centered, grounded, open and connected with class participants. From this space they subtly adjusted their instruction to meet the unspoken needs of the group. Clearly, they each journeyed long and far enough to connect deeply with themselves.
Second, their guidance infused each moment with personal relevance, meaning and inspiration. Their speaking revealed years, or even decades, of trying and failing with masterful teachers both within and beyond of the world of yoga. Their words conveyed the weight of lived experience… of wisdom earned. They did not merely share sayings or instruction they read or heard. They shared only that they had lived and embodied through trying, failing, receiving expert guidance and trying again. This generated a charisma that brought aliveness to each word and every moment.
Finally, these masterful teachers invited participants into a deep relationship to their bodies while placing the practice of yoga (asana) within a broad context of transformation, integration and living an aligned life. They guided participants to see how postures were for the sake of something much greater than merely looking fit or attaining a ‘perfect’ performance. The practice of yoga was thus transformed into a tool for inviting students into deeper compassion, practical wisdom and skillful action in their lives that felt both relevant and useful.
The ‘effortless mastery’ of a gifted and well-trained teacher can seem daunting. However, rather than backing away, it is better to remember that in anything we do we journey from beginner to competent to masterful. The good news is that we can cultivate these skills and qualities.
Teaching yoga is a complex practice, and much of what a master teacher does is invisible to the untrained eye. However, I claim that much of what they do can be both understood and cultivated through the insights and practices Somatics offers for understanding and embodying presence, guidance and context.
Somatics is learning from the body up, rather than the head down. It is learning from the inside out, rather than outside in. Somatics offers a pathway for living more deeply into our body, our experience and our lives.
It is no surprise that advanced teachers such as Tias Little have begun incorporated Somatics into their yoga teaching to great effect. I contend Somatics is a doorway to the secrets behind the magic of masterful yoga teachers.
SOMATICS AND THE ART OF TEACHING YOGA
This fall you can participate in an innovative 9 hour program at Cascade Yoga that guides participants to:
• Develop a grounded Somatic Presence
• Identify and tame their inner critic, freeing vitality and creativity
• Understand and embody 6 ways of relating to one’s body with increasing depth and learn to invite their students deeper
• Speak from Somatic (body centered) and Yogic (the integration of polarities) perspectives
• Follow their intuition and deepen into their unique voice and teaching style.
Program held at Cascade Yoga (5060 Cascade Rd SE) on September 8, 22 and November 3 from 12:30-3:30pm. Class size is limited to 15 participants and will fill quickly. Contact Cascade Yoga at (616) 464-1610 orinfo@cascadeyogastudio.com to register. More information at www.CascadeYogaStudio.com and www.MikeCohenKirtan.com
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“I have carried Mike’s simple but effective techniques into my classes, which have been crucial to my ongoing development as a teacher. Mike is a master at what he does: he communicates knowledgeably and effectively with great care and compassion. I highly recommend his teaching and coaching!”
-- SW, CYT 200
ABOUT MICHAEL H. COHEN
Mike is an accomplished Kirtan Artist and Certified Master Somatic Coach who trained in Somatic Bodywork, Somatic Coaching and Embodied Leadership with Richard Strozzi Heckler at his Strozzi Institute (in Petaluma, CA) from 2006-08. For over a decade Mike has guided thousands of individuals to become more effective and fulfilled. He works in corporate, nonprofit, higher educational, small business and public program environments through his Life 2.0 and Dattatreya Kirtan Institute workshops, coaching and training programs.
