The Most Common Questions Asked in a Yoga Teacher Training (Part 1)

0:00 All right, listen up everyone, Paul Byron and myself have been working so hard on putting together a platform dedicated specifically to yoga teachers. And the good news is it's almost ready for you soon. This platform is going to be publicly released but we want to actually make a special offer to those who have been dedicated to following us since the beginning. So that's a lot of you listeners right now. We want to make a special offer for you. And if you are interested in

0:28 being one of the founding Members of this going pro platform, then you're going to have an opportunity to do. So. All you need to do is just go into any of the description of any episode and you'll be able to sign up to the waitlist for this going pro platform.

0:42 So that you can take advantage of this offer will hope to see you there. By the way, pigeons, my favorite pose as it. Yeah, cool. Love it because it opens up your heart. Yep. In the lie. I long long term. It does release long round.

0:55 Go stay with it. It's a pigeon, your spirit animal though really is. It was painful? That's why. It's like that. Last question. You asked about hurting and finding your Edge kind of thing. Like, yes, that's what comes to mind is Pigeon was never never an enjoyable thing for me in the beginning. It was kind of like, what the fuck are we doing? I couldn't even sit still.

1:13 I looked around the room was like, how are some of these people completely still? It's like, I went out. I went out, I went out and then occasionally, I would hit this pocket of Stillness that I can move deeper into it and that felt like next level like I was unlocking my new Yogi self.

1:30 And keep doing it. Now. I just look forward to it. Mmm. So I'm trying to do more of it. Yeah, welcome to the going pro. Yoga podcast, nugget series. My name is Michael Henry, and I'm Byron de Marseille and these short 15 minute episodes.

1:45 We're going to be answering some of the most common questions in the yoga industry. So you can walk away with the answers in a short period of time. That's right. Michael with each topic, that we choose will be discussing it from two different perspectives, the teacher, and the student. I'll be approaching this.

1:59 Questions as a physiotherapist or physical therapist with over 10 years experience, treating some the most common and complex injuries. And my guidance will be from the perspective of having taught 7000 classes, roughly 10,000 hours over 10 years, Welcome to our podcast, the fetus, all of the right answers, which they're always right, but the knowledgeable ones that will attract the most viewers and also send them on their highest path.

2:25 And welcome to the GoPro yoga podcast. That was our pre prayer for this episode, which is all about answering questions that we just found on the internet. Some of the most common questions that are asked in yoga teacher trainings. So we thought we'd just go through this list. Start asking the question and answering the question. What you think Byron?

2:45 I try not to. Okay, perfect. All right, so we got a few questions here. Let's start with this one, which is probably one of the more common ones I would think is why do people get muscle. Was in yoga. Who why do people get muscle cramps? Period is probably the same answer? Yeah, probably.

3:05 Yeah, so do you want to go? How many guys? Yeah, just initially. I think dehydration is Day of the key to that. Well, how do you fix that? You pre hydrate probably. So we'll go into yoga. Be already feeling nice and full of water.

3:22 What do you think? Yeah, pretty much. I mean usually cramps from a science perspective, cramps, usually come from Either dehydration, but more specifically, a lack of electrolytes, those types of things, which obviously gets transported by the water and stuff like that to your, to your muscles.

3:39 So, in magnesium, is the big word about that, but magnesium is just one of the electrolyte. So, you know, eating enough food and your circulation absorption of all that is going, well. Then cramps are less likely. So if you don't eat enough of those types of things, you don't drink enough water, then yeah, more some muscle cramps are more likely as well for sure.

3:56 So as I thought of another reason, To evidently and I don't know how to prove this to you. But the ujjayi breath the type of breathing overdoing it will something about diffuse. The carbon dioxide ratio to oxygen into the blood to the point where you'll cramp as well.

4:18 Yeah, totally basically you're not getting as much oxygen. She'll have more CO2. It's kind of like doing breath work. And then your hands start to cramp and curl. That funky stuff I've ever done before Hoops. It's the same idea.

4:33 Okay, so, just more CO2 in the body so I could see that happening with. So you guys get some of the good shit but also have to pay for it. Yeah, basically, okay, basically, but you can prevent it with having more water I think and stuff like that.

4:44 The other thing that came some comes to mind with muscle cramps is usually, if you are using a muscle that you haven't used probably either ever or very often and then you're using it for the first time. So, maybe doing yoga for the First time, it's kind of like doing exercise for the first time or like swimming for the first time in, like a lot in a long time, you start to use a muscle which might have gone not dormant but like not atrophy. Yeah, not as used.

5:11 So the circulation in that muscle is just you know, maybe it's at 50% but all of a sudden you start using it and then all of a sudden all this Blood needs to rush through and it can't quite get there. So the cramp comes from the lack of circulation to the area, or the lack of use of the area.

5:24 So that's another kind of like situational thing where, if you're doing Thing that's new. Like if you go for a run and you have a gun for running a long time, you get that cramp in the side of your body. That's basically the same thing, your diaphragm or whatever. It may be your obliques.

5:39 I'm not sure exactly what it is, but something in your, abdominals starts to cramp up because you haven't ran in a while so that all these muscles are being used and it's like what the hell you do to me? Yeah, actually thought of a third reason, but okay. And this I don't know is is even true. But for my own experience, someone who's gotten a tremendous amount of headaches and muscle cramps throughout. Their life.

5:59 Mostly the younger years until actually pretty recently. If I put an end to it, inflammation of the stomach. Mmm inflammation of the stomach, right? I believe will put your body in some sort of vigilant state, where certain muscles are working harder for some reason, others are not. And so by, you know, the law of whatever would be called when you're balancing stuff out the law balance you. Something's Crap.

6:29 Yeah, absolutely. And I think to take that a step further is that if your gut health is not or your digestion is not working. Very well. Then you're not going to absorb the nutrients that your body needs necessarily. Maybe it's magnesium.

6:41 Maybe it's some of these electrolytes, who knows, maybe it's not using water, as well as it needs to use it because of the inflammation and all that stuff they are for you know, probably circles back to that. Like your muscles aren't getting what they need because your guts not working properly.

6:53 Your digestion is not working properly. So yeah, nutrition in the big. Long term can be a big part. Out of it as well. It might not just be some of these small situation things as well. And overworking the muscle, not recovering enough before you go back. Yeah.

7:08 We probably be the touch, the last the Finishing Touch. Is we like to call. Yeah. They're just gonna last cue. Yeah, perfect. Cool. Alright, let's go to the next question. Question number 2. This one's for you Byron. I could try it though.

7:22 Wonderful feet together or apart. Man, I would love to Q as a teacher feet together because it gets people in the ballpark of doing what you're asking them to do. And then once their feet are together, you can ask them to separate the feet hips-width apart or whatever you need to. But I think you're asking me feet touching or feet apart. Yeah, that's probably what they're so the question says that but I think that's what the so depends what the pose is. The first thing that comes to

7:47 mind and tadasana chair pose. Let's talk about it. So tadasana you have traditional Ashtanga yoga, or I'm not How far back you can dig this up, but the feeder together big toes touching heel slightly apart and that's traditional.

8:04 I'm not sure if it's be traditional exactly why became traditional but it is and now we are more because of people like you Michael. We have a lot more information. And also, I mean, we're not I'll get on into this later but you know, we always feel like we're at The Cutting Edge.

8:25 Edge of everything micro is so modern with you know, we're going to live on Mars soon. But also at the same time believe that we're not as advanced as we think we are. We're still we're still learning what still monkeys.

8:35 We're still monkeys. We're still, we're still figuring it out, but we have figured out some stuff and a lot of it has to do with your knees. So if you depart would be good for your knees would be my first. You might be able to speak on that a little bit more.

8:48 Go ahead. Yeah. I mean at the end of the day feet together feet apart, you're just increasing The Stance which is To possibly challenge your balance or challenge parts of your body, depending on your bone structure, gets super wide hips and you bring your feet together, you know, there's going to be more adduction happening at the hip possibly. Maybe that's comfortable.

9:08 Maybe it's not, maybe it's hard to balance, you know, maybe stepping your feet a little bit wider, as more comfortable for you. So I guess at the end of the day, it is kind of preferential depending on the person and I think that's kind of why at least we talked about Feet together feet apart in our trainings to be like, you know, whatever it doesn't, you know, doesn't really matter.

9:29 Unless it's really important from a perspective of like, I don't know, Yogi squat or toe balancing pose where it's like, it's kind of more important but for something like tadasana, maybe chair pose, I mean depends on what you do and chair pose.

9:41 Mmm, you know twist? I find it's easier when your feet are closer together because then your knees can kind of like help to keep things a little more stable doing it. Wider might be more challenging, more stable, more stability.

9:54 The building, I don't know yet. And there might be cases where the need to be separated like a pregnant woman wouldn't be able to do many of the poses. Yep, and more comfortable. It's more comfortable and also more comfortable for a Bowlegged person. Yeah, totally, something like that. But for the typical pornography is together, knock-knees is what it's called.

10:15 So the knees are like, basically what that is is if your feet are apart, but your knees are touching, its kind of bowed in word. Yeah. I mean, obviously you Bring your feet together who's actually someone in our training that was speaking about that.

10:27 She kept saying, like, I can't bring my feet together. So you keep telling me to do that. I feel like I'm doing something wrong, and that's the thing is like, no, you're not doing anything wrong. It's what at the end of the day. It's like what's most comfortable for you? What helps you breathe?

10:38 The easiest? Yeah. Feet together feet apart. You're doing something with your feet together. You're like, my thighs are like smashed. I can't even do this pose. How's your breath? You know, it's at least give you an interactive way to apply this information, like just gauge your breath. Does yoga.

10:55 See what works for you? There you go. All right. Question number. Three. Number three. Does yoga have to hurt. Hurts So Good Hurts, So Good. Hmm. Okay. Well, let's see. Does it have to hurt know? What the hell are you put the pert, you put the hurt in Purdy in the party. You put the hurt in / d.

11:21 @P u, RT y. It sure is hurting. Okay. I'm from Oklahoma if y'all didn't know. So, does yoga have to hurt a straight-up? I just say, no. It doesn't have to hurt. It can be totally in. And also depends on what type of Yogi or possibly doing as well, I guess because you could be sitting there in meditation and ideally, it doesn't hurt. But if you sit there long enough, maybe they'll start to hurt, right, but the question is probably more about yogasana like the physical practice

11:49 pieces. Like, should you be hurting during yoga? Should you be hurting after yoga for it to actually have an effect? That's what I'm thinking the questions. Likely asking is that what do you think about that? So you're saying and this is the most interesting part of the word hurt to me, but you're saying that the they're defining hurt, as exploring your Edge, kind of your Edge where physical Edge where you're like, oh my gosh.

12:14 I want to quit. Mmm. Yeah, so that's the more interesting part for me. That's the juicy stuff. But I think we should at least not brush it completely off that hurt and pain which is the, in my opinion. An accurate definition of it.

12:29 We actually feel physical pain. Like this is, this isn't just annoying. This is was actually damaged or something going on. Yeah. This is like real tears or excessive stress of the body's meant to handle type of thing. Yeah, and this might fuck me up.

12:43 Long term exactly. Yeah, like when that red light goes off. It's really important. If not our first responsibility in yoga is to learn this So that we can take care of ourselves. Like what is, what is sensation? And what is pain? Those two things sensation is what we're about to talk about, but I think a little more depth and pain is what we just discussed.

13:04 Yeah. Is it a feeling or is this feeling like so strong that? It's too much? Yeah, and some people have a hard time knowing that takes a little bit of possibly feeling the difference between the two, if you haven't had a lot of pain or damage.

13:16 As we described already, then you might not actually have a radar for that and I do know people who I've treated or 65 and like I've never broken a bone in my body, I've never been injured and then their pain threshold tolerance is like super low because they don't know what's damaging and what's not. I think it comes from that idea of like a massage being hurtful like oh that's too much pressure out hurt, which I get it. It makes sense for some reason

13:42 in the English language to say it there. Yeah, but I don't actually now that I'm thinking about it Define even maybe we're not using that word. Like I'll get off my Edge, get off my Edge. We saw First person. Yeah, so they to answer your question. We went way off topic on topic but, you know, took a detour. I would say, yes people.

14:04 Well, I don't remember your actual question. Does yoga have to hurt? Does it have to hurt? The answer is yes. Yeah. The answer to me is yes. Oh, okay. Yeah, and it's because it's some point it has to be somewhat painful to confront conditioning and patterns.

14:22 And sometimes that comes in the form of physical Edge, sometimes it comes in the form of just preferences that start to arise that you're aware of or whatever it is, you know, so many different things for different people.

14:36 So yeah, it has to hurt in the sensation way. Okay, if that's it, if that's what they mean. Yeah, absolutely, but it from her, so it's learning what that difference is. And then then you basically know your answer. Well, I think I said in the beginning, it hurts so good, so good.

14:52 All right. Let's go to number four. Number four. Who how to align pot in Balinese? I just learned that work is for. Is that correct and pot? Yeah, in pots. Okay good. How to align the front foot in Pigeon pose? 45 degree angle.

15:11 First thing. I'll just say to cut to the chase but Q it to say, lift your right leg back and step the right foot next to your left hand under behind your left wrist, the opposite wrist. Yeah. There is bring your right knee. To come touch your right wrist as you bring it to the ground, create a 45 degree angle make the shape of a seven. And that that's the safest way to queue it at least. Yeah, I think it's pretty solid.

15:43 Some people can do parallel to the mat which are Super open hips. Correct myself. I can barely let my calf come off my thigh. Like it's very it's like almost fully bent. Me I can't even do. 45 degrees. It's like 1015 degrees.

15:59 Yeah, right. So there's a whole range. So, the position of the leg is not as important as people think it is. It's more. So, the sensation you're feeling along the outside of your hip and your leg possibly in your butt, a little bit, maybe even the pain, you feel the pain, but this is comforting hurt.

16:17 Yes, and that level and that not sensation, is really what we're going for. It's not about the foot is not about the knee, it becomes about the foot in the knee. If there's pain This discomfort in those areas, because then the position needs to be adjusted. According to, you know, maybe it's 10 degrees. Maybe it's 45 degrees.

16:32 Maybe you're able to go the full 90. Yeah, would you say that it's a good barometer of kind of, you know, a gauge of where, to adjust from, squaring your hips, basically, squaring your hips. So that the center of your back knee would be down. You're not rolling onto one side or the other, you're centering perfectly and then you'll kind of know what angle you should be at.

16:56 Yeah. I agree. Yeah, I think having the back leg pretty straight and squared then that will allow you to know approximately where your edges with your, your hip or the position of your knee and your ankle that whole kind of complex.

17:09 And because you mean some people Q it where the knee is slightly outside. So the leg would be the front leg would be more externally rotated and then I've heard some people where it's just like it could be directly in line with your hip, right? I mean, I guess it's again situational idea. I think to get maximum Target of the area that you're trying to stretch that piriformis side of the Hem. Ideally, it should be a little bit more externally. Rotate it.

17:35 But again situation here. Yeah, let's move on by the way, pigeons. My favorite pose as it. Yeah. Cool. Love it because it opens up your heart. Yep. In the lie. I long long term it does or at least long run because stay with it. It's a pigeon, your spirit animal though. Really?

17:52 It was painful. That's why it's like that last question. You asked about hurting and finding your Reg kind of thing. Like, yes, that's what comes to mind is Pigeon was never never an enjoyable thing for me in the beginning. It was kind of like, what the fuck are we doing? I couldn't even sit still.

18:07 I looked around the room. It's like, how are some of these people completely still? It's like, I went out. I went out, I went out and then occasionally, I would hit this pocket of Stillness that I can move deeper into it and that felt like next level like I was unlocking, my new Yogi self and keep doing it now. I just look forward to it.

18:26 So, I'm trying to do more of it. Yeah, should we go to question number Lima? We can run every 15 minutes. Oh, okay. Well, let's let's not go to number five. Okay, let's wrap it up there and we'll do, we'll do another one of these at some point.

18:41 Yes, perfect. Perfect. All right. Thanks so much for listening. If you guys have any other questions outside of the things, we're talking about, hit us up. We'll make sure to answer some the module on. Take care, everyone.

18:53 We'll see you next time. All right, listen up everyone, Paul Byron and myself have been working so hard on putting together a platform dedicated specifically to yoga teachers. And the good news is it's almost ready for you soon.

19:09 This platform is going to be publicly released but we want to actually make a special offer to those who have been dedicated to following us since the beginning. So that's a lot of you listeners right now. We want to make a special offer for you.

19:22 And if you are interested in being one of the founding members, Is of this going pro platform, then you're going to have an opportunity to do so, all you need to do is just go into any of the description of any episode and you'll be able to sign up to the waitlist for this going pro platform.

19:38 So that you can take advantage of this offer will hope to see you there.