At Sadhana, we’re dedicated to all aspects of yoga
asana
Bringing asana (postures), chanting, meditation, and breath awareness together offers a clear path for enhancing health, well-being, and spiritual growth. Sadhana Yoga Hudson shares the rich history, philosophy, and teachings of the yoga tradition to students and teachers alike.
Focus of the Month
Inquiry-based Learning
This month we will continue to investigate poses and practices by exploring exactly how they feel in our own bodies.
I certainly learned many things over the years from different teachers that “commanded the room,” so to speak. Their manner was authoritarian, and they presented facts and their deep knowledge of the subject. It was “do as I say,” and to be fair, it was also, “do as I do”. They had keenly studied what they were teaching and had a strong connection to the information they were imparting. This method, however, often had an unspoken side effect: fear. I have been in so many classes where I had a palpable feeling of striving to “get it right” and a dread of being wrong.
At Sadhana, we are actively pushing the pendulum toward more inquiry-based learning. We, as teachers, are asking our students questions and actually listening to their responses. We are offering suggestions, instead of commands, and creating space for difference, in all its myriad forms.
“What happens if you…?”
“Can you try it again, with this intention and…?”
“How does it feel if you…?”
“Where is your focus when you are…?”
“Are you aware of what is moving and what is not moving when you…?”
More than just asking questions, inquiry-based learning is about triggering curiosity. One of my teachers would say, “You might not have the answers yet, but the questions are good.” Our language makes a difference in how we treat ourselves, others, and how we create an environment that fosters learning, introspection, and transformation. It can also begin, or continue, a process for healing.
Encouraging learning through our own agency, which is the capacity to act independently and to make free choices, is the path we’ll emphasize this month. By sharing ideas and observations, the common right/wrong approach can expand into, “actually, how does this version feel in MY body?” We’ll work slowly sometimes, so there’s a greater chance to be aware, and to feel what is actually happening in order to become more skillful in our practice.