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Teaching Skills
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Design a class plan that clearly reflects a chosen zokawa-defined style demonstrating command of historical context, lineage, and the teacher's stated intentions for student outcomes
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Cue foundational asanas with accurate alignment, breath integration, and timely modification offers, applying contraindication awareness and prop use as taught in the zokawa curriculum across diverse bodies
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Teach pranayama technique—dirga, nadi shodhana, shitali, ujjayi, bhramari, bhastrika, villoma, and kapalabhati— incorporating correct breath mechanics, subtle body awareness cues, and contraindication guidance
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Demonstrate the intentional use of all three cueing modalities in practice teaching sessions selecting appropriate verbal language, modeling with clarity and precision, and offering physical assists with consent—while actively creating a safe, welcoming, and accessible class environment
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Develop an original, theme-based class sequence with a complete written class plan, cue notes, modification options for multiple populations, and a self-reflective rationale connecting pose choices to the class's stated purpose.
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Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics
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Discuss the biomechanics of any given asana to identify the bones, joints, muscles, and breath patterns involved, and analyze how common misalignments arise and how targeted cueing or adaptation addresses them safely
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Identify the specific bones, joints, and muscles involved in any given asana both academically and through somatic awareness and apply this knowledge to write precise transition descriptions and accurate anatomical alignment cues for a diverse student population
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Apply physiological knowledge to inform class design decisions selecting poses, breath practices, and pacing that intentionally activate or calm the nervous system, support circulation, enhance respiratory efficiency, or promote digestive and hormonal balance for a stated student population
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Yoga History & Theory
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Explain how each historical period and key figure shaped the evolution of yoga as it is practiced today describing the cultural, philosophical, and pedagogical contributions of each and how their influences converge in the contemporary zokawa approach
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Discuss the globalization of yoga and the concerns of cultural appropriation analyzing how western adoption has shaped and sometimes distorted the practice, and exploring the specific responsibilities of contemporary yoga teachers in honoring the tradition's origins
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Explain the central teachings of sacred texts (yoga sutras, bhagavad gita, upanishads), the philosophical frameworks they introduce, and the relationship between asana, pranayama, and meditation as presented through these texts articulating how each dimension of practice supports the others in achieving the highest yogic experience
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Lifestyle & Ethics
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Explain how the yamas and niyamas function as the ethical foundation for yoga teaching describing their application to teacher-student relationships, power dynamics, professional conduct, cultural sensitivity, and the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all teaching contexts
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Apply ethical principles teaching contexts using inclusive language, honoring appropriate boundaries, practicing scope-of-practice awareness, and creating accessible environments—using the yamas and niyamas as a lived, practical ethical guide
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Practice Skills
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Practice the foundational poses of the zokawa curriculum—including sukhasana, tadasana, savasana, and the surya namaskar a sequence with proper breath, foundation, spinal integrity, and intentional engagement
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Use sanskrit terminology with correct pronunciation and spelling; applying knowledge of linguistic patterns to independently reason through unfamiliar terms in texts, class, and self-directed study
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