Yoga, Expectations, and Hamstrings
March 1, 2008 by mrschili
Remember when I wrote here about how excited I was about the start of the six week yoga class at Local U.? I had - and was implementing - an overview of yoga; some history, some meditation, some breath work and, of course, some poses and physical work. I thought it was going pretty well.
When I arrived for the classes last Thursday, I was met by my boss, Haley, and asked to come with her to her office. “Oh, God,” I thought - “am I in some kind of trouble?” When I asked Haley that, she answered with a noncommittal “not really, but there’s been some….well…. let’s call it feedback.”
It turns out that one of my participants (one, Haley noted, who is already well known for her propensity for giving “feedback”) had emailed Haley and complained that I’m (and this is a direct quote here) “too gabby” in class. That’s the word she used; gabby. She dislikes that I’m talking - that I’ve been explaining postures in detail, that I’ve been starting the class with an intention and a short lesson, that I’ve been encouraging the participants to offer feedback and to relay experiences around their beginning practice of yoga.
Given that I learned of this participant’s dissatisfaction right before class, I dumped my plan for the day and taught Thursday’s session as a straight physical practice; I didn’t do much talking at all, and I didn’t encourage anyone else to talk, either.
I found the class to be entirely unsatisfactory, and I’ve decided that I’m going to go back to my original intention for the class with the last two weeks we’ve got left.
Yoga is a LOT more than twisting one’s body into a pretzel. I believe I’ve even written here before about how, if I couldn’t practice with my body on the mat, I’d still be able to practice yoga. This complaining participant, though she claims that she’s been practicing yoga for the better part of 20 years, hasn’t quite come to an understanding of what a yoga practice really IS. The way I figure it, she can either practice some mindfulness and allow the others in the class to learn a little bit (and maybe learn something herself), or not. Either way, there are only two weeks left.
As promised (or, perhaps I should say threatened), I’m going to start my study of the musculature of the hip and thigh here today. Our first muscles to examine are the hamstrings or, more accurately, the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles.
These muscles are responsible for flexing the knee, extending and rotating the hip, and tilting the pelvis posteriorly. Each of these muscles originates at the base of the pelvis (or the ischial tuberosity, which is another word for our sits bones). The big central muscle, the biceps femoris, inserts at the head of the larger of the shin bones, or fibula. Both of the other muscles - the semitendinosus and the semimembranosus - insert at the tibia, or the smaller of the shin bones.
Some yoga poses that involve the hamstring group are, most notably, forward fold (uttanasana), extended triangle pose (utthita trikonasana) and downward dog pose (adho mukha svanasana). I’ve also challenged my hamstrings by working hard in standing half forward bend (ardha uttanasana) and chair pose (utkatasana).
I hope I haven’t lost any of you, but I think that writing this stuff out here, a little at a time, will help me figure out what goes where.
Have a happy Saturday!
I’m glad you’re writing out some of the yoga stuff — I love reading about that.
as for your unhappy student — isn’t there always one? sounds like she just wanted to imply to your boss she knows more than you……
Thanks for the diagram! Sometimes I get pain on the back side of my knee. According to your diagram, that would be my semimembranosus muscle. It happens when I sit funny or kneel for to long. Makes me wonder if it could use some strength and or stretching work. Your thoughts?
Panic, there IS always one. I’ve suggested to Haley that, next time, the write-up for the class (at least, for a class that I’M teaching) disclose that it’s NOT just asana; that we’ll be talking about the “voodoo” of yoga, too - breath and chakras and taking one’s practice off the mat and out into the world. If it’s just poses, it’s not yoga.
Auntie, I think EVERYONE could use some strength and stretching work, always. If done gently and correctly, it can’t hurt. Your knee pain might have more to do with tendons than muscles, but regardless; stronger and more flexible muscles are usually helpful in that sort of situation. Next time we’re together, remind me and I’ll give you a couple of really good and safe hammy and back-of-the-knee stretches that you can do.
There’s no perfect way to approach everyone on a given subject/discipline.
I enjoy reading your discussions about yoga, although I understand little of it, and do none of it.
My idea of “stretching” is stretching out for a nap!
Hip work sound like a great idea — help your critic get out some of her anger!
you know what i do to complainers, cell phone ringers, late comers and whiners?
i make the class harder, and in a hurry.
i tend not to do the history of yoga, but feel free to ask jodi–i give a lot of description and guidance into a posture. and when someone thinks they know it all? well, i put them in a pose i know they can’t do.
why?
because i’m tough love yoga teacher. that’s why.
okay, i have NO idea why my comment came up from “the ceo”
but, i am the CEO of my business.
Seems to me that in order to understand something well, someone would be happy to have all the background information possible, but that’s just me. Yoga is more than just the “physical.”
The class was unsatisfactory because you weren’t being the teacher you ARE, using explanations, encouragements and challenges to keep your students going. I love yoga classes where I get some discussion because it helps me to understand the purpose and benefit of the postures. Plththth to that woman.
I always feel sorry when a student of mine doesn’t get what they need from my class, but if the format and content of the class are public knowledge, then the student is ultimately responsible for making the choices about what to do with the time. I appreciate feedback about how to meet people’s needs, but I don’t think it’s fair to everyone else to change things mid-stream without talking about it beforehand (which I’ve done from time to time). I think you were right to go back to what you had planned to do all along. At the end of the course (or earlier, if you get the sense people are largely dissatisfied), take the time to solicit feedback and use it to think critically about how you might make the next course that much more betterer. I suspect that the vast majority of your students love your class, though!
I always feel sorry when a student of mine doesn’t get what they need from my class, but if the format and content of the class are public knowledge, then the student is ultimately responsible for making the choices about what to do with the time. I appreciate feedback about how to meet people’s needs, but I don’t think it’s fair to everyone else to change things mid-stream without talking about it beforehand (which I’ve done from time to time). I think you were right to go back to what you had planned to do all along. At the end of the course (or earlier, if you get the sense people are largely dissatisfied), take the time to solicit feedback and use it to think critically about how you might make the next course that much more betterer. I suspect that the vast majority of your students love your class, though!
Slow Panic has been trying to ease me toward trying yoga. The way she, and all of you talk about it– maybe I should.
Please don’t let one unsatisfied student change your style. I know you won’t, but I also know you’ve a tendency to doubt yourself. Don’t.
You write about hamstrings and I’ll write about some of the stuff I’m studying, okay?
When my tai chi teacher (Sifu) explains the aspects and reasons about why we are doing a move a certain way, I feel that he is offering us precious gifts.
He is a very thoughtful communicator and has been practicing his arts for over thirty years. It is up to us, the students, to be open to encouragment and correction. There is always something more to learn.
I’m sorry your student doesn’t share my point of view.
I think of those muscles as “the ones that are causing me all that trouble.” And for just the things you list. All the stuff they’re supposed to control is messed up on me. Working on it!
I really need to work on my flexibility. I really felt it in my, I don’t know what. I think it’s what commonly and mistakenly called the groin muscle. Where the leg attaches on the front of the body. Trying to do a frog pose (I hope that’s right) would be painful. Does that make sense?