Teacher Development: Teaching with Precision — Linking Standing Poses & Forward Folds with Cathie Ryder
Sunday, August 30
1:15-4:30pm • Livestream
In the Iyengar method, the most skillful teaching often comes not from emphasizing difference, but from illuminating continuity.
This Teacher Development workshop explores the relationship between standing poses and forward bends as one connected continuum of action. Beginning with foundational standing forms — Tadasana, Vrksasana, and Utkatasana — participants will examine how consistent principles of alignment, directionality, and language carry seamlessly into lateral standing poses and forward extensions.
From Uttanasana to Parsvottanasana, Prasarita Padottanasana, and Adho Mukha Svanasana, this session highlights how shared actions repeat across families of poses — and why maintaining consistent cueing language helps students recognize those relationships more clearly in their own bodies.
Together, participants will refine how they:
Use precise Iyengar language to create clarity and continuity across poses
Identify common actions that link standing and forward bending families
Apply oppositional movement principles to deepen anatomical understanding
Teach with greater consistency, confidence, and functional intelligence
Through guided physical practice, small-group teaching, and live feedback, teachers will strengthen both their own understanding and their ability to communicate these connections effectively in class.
Ideal for teachers and teachers-in-training seeking to refine their instructional language and develop a more integrated approach to sequencing and teaching pose families.
Cost: $40
***For livestream participants: a Zoom invitation email will go out to pre-registered students 1 hour before the class. Please make sure we have the correct email address on file for you so you receive your invitation! Contact the studio at 617.566.9642 with any questions.***