Carmen Aguilar (@cyogalife) started teaching yoga twenty one years ago in Chicago. In her over two decades in the world of yoga, Carmen has passed through most of the phases a practitioner and a teacher can experience. She started teaching after only a few years practicing, she taught privates for 11 years, owned a studio for 9, and has taught 18 teacher training programs and even more workshops all over the world. Now, she offers online classes and a new online teacher training course, and she continues to be recognized for her social media platform. Carmen currently lives in Hawaii while traveling the world sharing her passion for yoga.
In this episode, you’ll hear from Carmen on:
- [09.45] Her mission to make yoga accessible to everyone, regardless of their physical ability, and to encourage the habit of a regular and long-lasting practice.
- [14.10] Her straightforward and inclusive approach to teaching. Carmen explains how she encourages students to participate in her classes by offering modifications for difficult poses, using plain English instead of unnecessarily complicated Sanskrit or anatomical terms and adding touches of humor to make students feel relaxed and welcome.
- [26.34] The importance of sequencing. Carmen’s cYoga method tends to focus on a particular area of mobility and combines a thorough warm-up with careful sequencing in order to enable students to transition into intense postures.
- [31.52] Growth through discomfort. Carmen believes that the process of working towards advanced poses helps to challenge our perceptions of what we can achieve and builds our stamina and strength.
- [51.37] Using adjustments to motivate students. Carmen discusses the role that adjustments can play in motivating hard-working students and encouraging those who are less focussed to engage more fully with their practice.
Announcements:
Links from this episode:
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez- Grab a copy of Carmen’s recommended book
- Looking for your next book to read? Check out the list of every book recommended on Dharma Talk
Get in touch with Carmen:
Support the Podcast:
Credits:
