Personal Consultation, known variously as One-on-One Yoga/ Private lessons/ Yoga & Personal Training
Who needs Private lessons? What are the benefits of Private lessons/ one-on-one consultations?
Does The Practice Room offer Private lessons?
Are Private lessons/ one-on-one consultations necessary if learning yoga online?
Group classes have emerged as the most popular way of teaching yoga in the modern times. There are several reasons for this. Group classes are the primary mode of instruction at the Practice Room as well. (Read our response to “Is Group Classes a good way to learn yoga?”). Iyengar Yoga is very well suited to be taught in group classes. The methodology is powerful and detailed, the instructors are trained to observe a large group of people attentively, and to show multiple adaptations for differing abilities of students. In our experience, common concerns like back and knee weakness, posture improvement etc. are often resolved through minor adjustments in the class itself. However, there are situations where more personalised coaching might be necessary. This can typically occur in cases of:
- Particular health conditions/ limitations – e.g. serious back/ knee injuries, women going through imbalances in reproductive physiology (PCOD, fibroids etc.), high blood pressure, etc.
- Particular life conditions – women during pregnancy or menopause, while recovering from serious illnesses, treatment protocols
- Persistent weakness/ imbalances that are not being adequately addressed in the regular class
- For achieving specific goals/ outcomes – with particular reference to athletes, sportspeople and dancers. Read more about Yoga for Sports HERE
- As a complement to online mode of learning – In the current situation, online learning has become a popular necessity. While it is possible to learn Asanas online, it is not the same as in-person classes. We have now had extensive experience of both these modes of teaching, and can say this with conviction: especially for beginner students, imbalances and gaps in learning do creep in if the online learning is continued for an extended period of time without direct guidance from a trained instructor. Also, there are Asanas that are simply not safe to learn online – this includes the foundational inversion Asanas: of Sirsasana and Sarvangasana.
What are the types of Private Yoga Services offered by the Practice room?
When we take on personal consultation assignments, we work closely with the students towards the achievement of their goals. We primarily work with our enrolled students to help them solve their challenges with a particular Asana (e.g. inversions or back arches), or with health conditions (e.g. chronic back pains, pregnancy). These sessions are always outcome-based (i.e. towards a clearly defined goal), and time-bound (for a particular number of sessions)
How do I set up appointment for Personal Consultation with one of the teachers?
You can set up personal consultation sessions through this link. Please go through the terms and conditions carefully before booking appointments for personal consultation (e.g. one needs to book a series of 3 classes to start the process of personal consultation)
Are private lessons/ one-on-one classes necessary if learning directly from a teacher?
Personal consultations are not necessary if one is learning yoga consistently with instructors recognised in the Iyengar tradition. Such instructors are trained to make personal adjustments are done during the class itself. Even during our personal consultation sessions, our aim is always to educate the student to take charge of their personal goal – be it running a marathon or caring for a weak back – and to work independently in their practice.
Here is a link to a Blog post which gives a few accounts of Personal Consultations from our students: