I am finishing my yoga teacher training in the next month, and I had to video myself doing yoga and then critique my technique. Although this was NOT fun, I could see a few places where my brain was sure I was doing the technique correctly—but I was not, especially at my weak spot: my shoulders. I was so sure that I had hugged my shoulder blades down my back, but they were headed for my ears in several poses. On the other hand, I was happy to see that parts of my technique look really good and have improved a lot in the past year.
I have scheduled a private lesson for today to work on arm balances and see if I can get my shoulders to do what they are supposed to do. As you build your movement body map, your teacher helps by being the video camera. They can point out where things are not working. They can suggest ways to approach the problem areas. In fact, this is a big part of private lessons: getting to an advanced level as fast as possible via learning how your body moves and using correct technique.
Seeing is believing
Watching yourself dance is also important. Someone can tell you twenty times what you need to correct, but if you can’t FEEL what you need to do, it is difficult to correct. Also, your brain likes to talk back, telling you that it knows what to do and that you are doing that thing the teacher described.
When a student vehemently argues that they ARE doing what I said, I often offer to video their movement so they can see what is really happening. I also video when I want to show someone how lovely their new alignment/technique/adornos look :-)
So, pull out that phone!
We are lucky to have technology in our pocket. Unless you are a Luddite, your mobile phone has a decent camera on it. You can prop your phone somewhere, video, and watch it. You can ask your partner or a friend to video for you.
One more thing: you must watch the video!! This is the painful part of self-study. Approach this as a problem-solving exercise. Try to avoid the “I suck!” reaction that will hit first. This is not about if you are good at bad at tango: it’s about improving.
I have to submit my video with a critique of my technique as part of my certification process. I give you permission to erase yours.
See you in class!