swsweld

Gabrielle,
Yoga teachers as welders would be a GREAT combination and very much accepted in the welding field for several reasons…but the PC reason is they are usually more flexible, bendy than the average person and can get to the hard to reach welds that nobody wants to make.

With the LNG Liquid Natural Gas and Mining boom in Australia, there is a great demand for welders and inspectors, really good money too. I’ll train a yoga teacher to weld if I can get the yoga teacher to teach me the ropes on yoga teaching 🙂

Tim

Cyberry,
Sorry for the delayed response and thank you for the nice words.
To address a few of your concerns;
My background is mostly Vinyasa Flow with a nice mix of Bikram Hathra yoga as well, all hot yoga. I travel often but when home (North Carolina, US) I practice 5-8 times a week at a great studio with great teachers and students. I’ve been practicing 1.5 years and still have tons to learn. The current teacher and the gym manager asked me to teach the extra classes because there are no certified teachers available and I was, to them, the most advanced person available. I hope that doesn’t sound boastful, not meant that way.
This is all volunteer teaching, no money or rules and regulations to abide by like most countries, Australia, US, etc.
It is providing the opportunity for the soldiers and contractors to practice yoga in a war zone that wouldn’t be available if we were only using certified teachers.

Though woefully unprepared for this task, I came to this site and reached out to my studio back home to get advice and buy products to help me teach this class. I tell the class that they know their body, limitations, injuries, etc and to challenge themselves but not to push to injury. Offer modifications for the level that they are at.
I’ve viewed the DVD’s from Masterclass package and use the posters during class. Just beginning to get into the book. I don’t know what I would have done without those items.

If a more qualified student or a certified teacher shows up and is willing to teach the classes I will gladly step aside. Until then, I’ll just do my best. The feedback from the gym manager has been good so far. Some of the students are brand new to yoga and perhaps don’t have anything to compare it to 🙂

To Wendy,
You asked me to let you know how the first class went. I was totally surprised when they clapped! I’m pretty sure it was because the class was finally over 🙂