— Vinyasa Flow
Asheville Community Yoga 03/31/2022
Mary Friedman
Did the teacher welcome students and establish a theme or intention, if so, what was it?
Yes, she welcomed students by taking a second for everyone to recognize they showed up. She, then, inquired about the physical needs of the participants. She introduced the So Hum mantra as a reminder that we are the divine source. She started everyone in a restorative position of choice.
Was the teacher’s voice clear?
Yes, it was clear. Her tone was gentle and compassionate. Sometimes, she talked quickly when cueing for postures, but she projected well and had a sense of care in her voice.
Were the instructions understandable and were modifications given?
Yes, there were a lot of modifications given. For example, in lunges and standing splits, she transitioned participants into the positions with blocks so everybody across the room was utilizing them. She also offered using a blanket to protect joints in pressing against the ground. Every time she offered a vinyasa, she brought up child’s pose. In Camel, she recommended a block between thighs and resting on calves. She brought everyone into Eagle on the back and same with Figure Four. There were also lots of Happy Baby variations. She fluidly transitioned into Happy Baby from Figure Four.
Did the instructor provide verbal or physical adjustments/assists?
No physical adjustments/assists. I noticed she was standing up and looking around the room as she was giving detailed physical cues once students were already in the pose. Maybe that was her way of giving verbal adjustments/assists without drawing attention to specific people.
Did the teaching lead me to a deeper understanding of yoga and myself?
Yes, she returned to So Hum throughout the practice as a reminder that we are not our bodies and we are not our minds. She explicitly encouraged noticing our bodies/minds as well as how different pranayama techniques impacted our systems throughout class. She reminded us to relax the mind over and over again, which was conducive to me building a relationship with my calm self. The So Hum mantra reminded me yoga is about returning to understanding ourselves as the divine source and how breath is a vehicle for it.
Did the instruction demonstrate humility, compassion and sincerity?
Yes, she talked about equanimity in a humble manner saying that it’s rare to have no thoughts and that’s not the purpose of meditation but rather it is to notice the thoughts. She encouraged people to consider the mental practice of yoga in a gentle way. She was sincere in her tone when I asked her to remind me of the mantra after class.
What was your overall experience observing the class?
It was calming. I felt supported and as though I was practicing with a guide who was taking all the limbs into account. The theme of the class and string of pranayama a made for a great overall experience.
— Gentle Yoga
Asheville Community Yoga 03/17/2022
Mary Friedman
Did the teacher welcome students and establish a theme or intention, if so, what was it?
The teacher definitely welcomed students. We had a conversation at the beginning of class, and his approach to our interaction was full of seeing the light in me. I was doing Mountain pose, and he celebrated his manhood of the posture. He established a theme without words by starting the class with guiding everyone into three-part breathing from a seated position.
Was the teacher’s voice clear?
His voice was clear. His stability in his voice was supportive. It was a calm and easy-going voice. He also kept the instructions for the postures simple which contributed to clarity. He did great at being both calm and loud enough to hear over the music.
Were the instructions understandable and were modifications given?
He did not say a lot of physical cues. All the instructions that he did say were totally understandable. His cue for wide-legged forward fold to be on balls of the feet was useful. He gave all the modifications for tree. I wish I heard a modification from him to do three-part breath on the back instead of a seat.
Did the instructor provide verbal or physical adjustments/assists?
He did not provide any physical adjustments/assists. His verbal adjustments/assists were definitely present. However, he did it in such a way that guided people rather than having harshness as part of it. They were more so just general instructions. He was speaking to the whole class and not just one person.
Did the teaching lead me to a deeper understanding of yoga and myself?
Yes, I noticed the ease. At first, it felt uncomfortable because I was so accustomed to habitually have nerves and experience some struggle. It felt foreign to feel so at ease and calm while doing physical postures. Usually, in a gentle yoga class, I hyper-focus on the teacher’s style and have trouble relaxing. Here, his style was so simple and not a distraction. So, I was able to soak into my calm.
Did the instruction demonstrate humility, compassion and sincerity?
Yes, his style was authentic. The way he talked to Haydee after class was humble as he was expressing his gratitude for her attendance and was cherishing the timing of his yogic path that led him to teach at ACY. His voice during teaching was sincere. He expressed compassion when there was sunlight in some of the students’ eyes and helped them feel comfortable with moving to a different may. People actually moved when he mentioned it. He also treated the sun salutation positions with humility when he was moving slowly through them.
What was your overall experience observing the class?
I enjoyed it a lot. It was a group of people who clearly felt supported by the teacher’s gentle presence. The sequence was a better experience than I predicted with the low lunge and wide-legged forward fold. I felt great going into child’s pose during the backbends. He didn’t give many instructions for Corpse pose which was a plus. I just felt guided towards calm because he kept things simple and was soothing.
— Yin
Asheville Yoga Center 04/03/2022
Mary Friedman
Did the teacher welcome students and establish a theme or intention, if so, what was it?
Yes, he welcomed me when I walked in and acknowledged me as one of his regular students in this yin class. He mentioned that we can talk after class which I wasn’t a fan of because I wish he just left that open. He did start the class applauding everyone for already resting as the participants were comfortably laying down on their own. The theme was understanding life force through the breath. He began the class with a few pranayama sequences.
Was the teacher’s voice clear?
His voice was clear even though he has a think accent. He used simple words which helped make his statements concise and profound. He projected well. He physically demonstrated everything which helped provide clarity.
Were the instructions understandable and were modifications given?
Yes to both. He gave multiple modifications for every pose and repeatedly said to the class that there are lots of options for each position. Some of his modifications were vague followed by reminding participants to listen to their bodies which helped me to play around with slight adjustments.
Did the instructor provide verbal or physical adjustments/assists?
I noticed he individually adjusted other participants. He mostly went up to them privately to make verbal adjustments and inquire to prompt points of body awareness out of the students. He also added sandbags to a lot of my positions and would ask with simple language every time before putting them on which I found to be effective.
Did the teaching lead me to a deeper understanding of yoga and myself?
Yes, the instruction encouraged me to get to know how the movement cues went with my body. The breath work at the beginning also put me in a calm state of mind for the poses. I was able to see the pose changing over time linked to a life force of breath equating to propelling the change in sensation.
Did the instruction demonstrate humility, compassion and sincerity?
Yes, he was passionate about the topics he was talking about and his knowledge demonstrated on the content enhanced his sincerity. He was compassionate in supporting people implementing modifications and was humbly surrendering to the life force with us while doing the breath work and had a reverence for yogic philosophy.
What was your overall experience observing the class?
My overall experience was fulfilling. The multiple pranayama sequences synced with music with a sincere grounding in yogic philosophy put me in a great headspace for the asana. The Butterfly-Corpse pose with the bolster (propped up by the block) under the back was great but the remaining positions were complicated and didn’t provide much physical sensation. I was not a fan of the poses he selected during this session compared to other ones of his I go to. I just focused on the life force theme and maintaining my connection to breath throughout class which made it overall still beneficial.
— Restorative
West Asheville Yoga 03/20/2022
Mary Friedman
Did the teacher welcome students and establish a theme or intention, if so, what was it?
Yes, she welcomed everyone individually as they walked in the door. She recognized me as a regular both in her verbal tone and through looks. She had people select terra cards but didn’t speak about them which I found to be effective.
Was the teacher’s voice clear?
Yes, clear and loud. She explained all of her physical adjustments one by one before doing them which allowed people to consent to each one. Her voice was appropriate volume (not too loud, not too soft) when she talked to people at their mats. She made it clear to use whatever props or not and gave people permission to stay in poses for however long they needed to be in them.
Were the instructions understandable and were modifications given?
Yes, she gave both verbal instructions and showed the positions up at the front. She gave modifications of not only using/not using props but also adjusting where to place them. She could have gave instructions more slowly because there were a lot of props for each position.
Did the instructor provide verbal or physical adjustments/assists?
Yes, physical adjustments/assists. She did not give any verbal adjustments/assists after students went into the poses. Her physical adjustments to support shoulder blades moving down towards the lower back were awesome.
Did the teaching lead me to a deeper understanding of yoga and myself?
Yes, I was practicing self care by putting myself in supportive, comfortable positions at ease. Insofar as I was comfortable and felt physically supported, I dropped inward and experienced bliss. The length of the positions helped do that and also the ambiance. I felt a calm focus after class.
Did the instruction demonstrate humility, compassion and sincerity?
Yes, she was compassionate in responding calmly to each person’s needs in the poses. Her silence contained humility. She did not mention being a top-notch teacher. Instead, she just kept it light-hearted talking about her experience teaching the same workshop the day before. Her voice tone was sincerely restorative which matched the class stye.
What was your overall experience observing the class?
I enjoyed it. I felt refreshed. I felt a bit antsy during legs up the wall. So, I wish she gave a modification for that. I noticed how much of a relief it was to be in positions that were so supportive.
— Meditation
Asheville Community Yoga 04/01/2022 Mary Friedman
Did the teacher welcome students and establish a theme or intention, if so, what was it?
Yes, he welcomed the students. He welcomed me with an unspoken understanding of appreciation for my regular attendance of this class during my initial moments of arriving. He also facilitated a brief check-in which enhanced a sense of community because the students verbally participated in the class. His theme was setting intention, noticing seasonal cycles and how it’s linked with cycle of the breath, and then we did a Meta meditation theme for our second round of sitting. He guided a segment with theme of sowing seeds for the future from a grounded focus in the now.
Was the teacher’s voice clear?
Yes, clear and gentle. It was clear he was passionate about his words and his statements where logically strung together. He talked gently and clearly in the middle of the seated meditation which was conducive to maintaining ease in the practice.
Were the instructions understandable and were modifications given?
The guided instructions were understandable. I wish he provided modifications regarding physical positions because my feet get numb during seated sessions even if I’m sitting on a bolster. The simplicity of the verbal instructions in guiding the meditation brought ease and self-compassion.
Did the instructor provide verbal or physical adjustments/assists?
No physical adjustments/assists. His verbal adjustments/assists were simply reminders to focus on the breath and gently let thoughts pass. I am glad he speaks after some time goes by in the seated session and he doesn’t link it to any specific insufficiencies but rather serves as a general guide.
Did the teaching lead me to a deeper understanding of yoga and myself?
Yes, it led me to a deeper understanding of self-compassion and envisioning in a calm, focused way. His humility during the check-in along with his sincerity supposed me in feeling calm. His words helped me focus on the cyclical essence of the breath. We stayed in that for a while, and then his guided imagery led to me setting intention to let my love radiate tonight when I see my friends and this month as a whole. My intention is to focus on shining my light to others, and the meditation empowered me to notice my calm light in the breath.
Did the instruction demonstrate humility, compassion and sincerity?
Yes, he was humble in sharing his struggle, that his tow daughters needed a lot of support this past month and he’s moving through it, with the group. He connected with the participants’ hopefulness as he’s coming out of that struggle. He made clear that Meta is about offering love and kindness to ourselves first as self-compassion so that we can radiate it out to other people. His voice had a sincere surrender to it, and his connections with others were sincere.
What was your overall experience observing the class?
It was a great experience. I noticed how his words all linked back to the theme of intention. I also felt like he referenced components said during check-in throughout class. Our group reflection in between seated meditations helped me feel a sense of community during the sits, and his calm voice helped me relax. Also, there were gentle prompts for guiding my intention, and the ease of it makes it enjoyable.
— Beginner (Gentle Flow)
Asheville Community Yoga Date of Class: 04/23/2022 Mary Friedman
Did the teacher welcome students and establish a theme or intention, if so, what was it?
The teacher’s welcome was minimal. It took place only after everyone was in the studio A room and had a formal, insensitive tone to it as part of announcements. The theme was strong throughout, though. It was noticing the breath as a regulator circulating inside the body and how it’s sacred that it’s always there. She brought up that we have the opportunity to connect with it in all sorts of contexts such as driving and arguments. She considered it’s a blessing that it sometimes gets restricted because then we can experience the benefits of bringing it back into our consciousness and the relief that noticing it brings. Throughout the class, they also provided visualizations such as the breath traveling up and down the spine and in various shapes as it moves in the body. Then, before the Om at the end of class, they brought up that the breath is always within just as Om is.
Was the teacher’s voice clear?
Yes, it was clear. They had a strong focus on clarity. Room for improvement is that the voice felt formal, stiff at multiple points and not so loose. It interfered with the teacher’s sincerity.
Were the instructions understandable and were modifications given?
The instructions were understandable. The teacher more so took the approach of giving a lot of variations of poses after starting the students in a modified version of the pose. For example, she started everybody in supported side plank and then offered ways to make the side plank more physically challenging. Though, in some poses, such as child’s pose, she started students in the standard version of the pose and did not give modifications but only gave variations. She did mention only using downward dog as a transition pose in gentle classes and guided the students to do child’s pose instead. She also offered a modified vinyasa and gave students the modification to skip it.
Did the instructor provide verbal or physical adjustments/assists?
No physical adjustments. One individual adjustment to someone in Warrior 2 based on guiding them to safety as the person was a beginner and didn’t know the fundamentals of the form. All other adjustments/ assists were given to the whole group after students were already in the pose. They brought up loosening the jaw a lot and “the brilliance of gravity” in supported bridge. They incorporated movement of the arms to create a flow in bridge to emphasize linking breath with movement. The verbal adjustments/assists provided alternative cueing with different phrases for students to resonate with.
Did the teaching lead me to a deeper understanding of yoga and myself?
Particularly, the sequence she implemented was useful in leading me to a deeper understanding of yoga and myself. It involved starting out lying on the back, doing figure four, reclined twist, bridge with a flow of the arms, giving myself a hug, rolling forward into child’s pose, downward facing dog, tree, mountain pose, wide-legged forward fold, warrior two with flow in the front leg and arms, and corpse pose. They were all conducive to supporting my surrendering into the practice and easing into the breath. I felt empowered while I was focusing on how the breath is always within me. I noticed how vulnerable and tender I was feeling during class and saw myself as the breath in a way to stay calm while it was happening. I made the observation that I get frustrated with myself when I detect a tight sensation in the pose. It’s a similar feeling I get when I don’t feel good enough. Even though I can just send the breath to that spot and don’t need to see that tight spot as what defines me but rather the breath that defines me.
Did the instruction demonstrate humility, compassion and sincerity?
The teacher has a bizarre combo of humility, compassion and sincerity. There is a humility in her voice expressing a deep reverence for the principles of yoga and a profound respect for its capability to regulate the nervous system. Her appreciation of the power in yoga in so sincere. At the same time, there is a bit of a condescending tint to the tone of her voice in relation to the other people in the room. Some of the cueing came off as a bit robotic, especially the cueing related to physical positions. Similarly, she is compassionate but it comes off as her thinking she is above others. However, she does have the unique ability to feel for the tension and stress the students are feeling and sincerely guides them to relax.
What was your overall experience observing the class?
My overall experience was potent and revitalizing. I did not put as much attention into trying so hard to remember the details during it. Instead, I just trusted myself to be able to handle filling out the worksheet after it was done. At the beginning of the class, when she brought up the breath in relation to moments of having arguments with other people, it put me into a sensitive headspace that totally set the tone for the rest of the practice. It was special to experience the breath travel through me and have her come back to the theme time and time again that the breath is always there similar to Om. I also did not really talk to anyone after class which is unusual. I just walked out super peacefully and carried on with the day. It was a relief to do that and feel so connected with breath awareness.