As a yoga teacher, you are more then just someone who is explaining asanas and breathing techniques. On a deeper level, you are also someone who is inspiring your students to be the best version of themselves. Ideally, you are someone who is a catalyst that is motivating them to overcome challenges and adversity.
Motivating students is one of the foremost responsibilities of the Trainer / Instructor. In your classrooms and trainers, whether you lecture, facilitate or coach a team, you are responsible for motivating your learners to achieve the Learning Objective(s).
Abraham Maslow is generally accepted as the first person to organize the subject of human motivation. Understanding his work enables us to apply his concepts to the classroom.
Maslow’s divided human motivations into five areas. The lower level (physiological, safety, belonging and esteem) needs are known as “deficiency needs” and the highest level (self-actualization) is a “growth need.” Maslow’s basic premise is that Learners cannot change their behaviors, or “grow,” until their lower level needs are met.
Trainers can help learners satisfy physiological needs first. Have your students traveled from out of town? Do they have all their personal belongings? Do they have adequate housing? Did they get enough food and enough sleep before arriving? Asking and answering these important questions is why the “onboarding” efforts at the beginning of a pipeline school are so important.
If a person doesn’t feel safe, he won’t feel confident enough to learn. Do your learners feel secure in the building? Do you help them feel safe in the procedures they are performing?
“Learners start to relax and feel more ready for learning once the two lowest level needs are met” suggests John Rogan of MotivationalSpeakerz.com. Now learners look for a sense of belonging. Many of our learners have a strong sense of teamwork; learners bring this culture to their classroom / team trainer. Do your learners pick on the poor performing learner (or the ‘superstar’ learner)? Do you have a learner that never participates in group activities? These learners are not fulfilling the social need. As Instructors, it is our duty to encourage them to shift their behaviors from denial to participation.
In the esteem need (also referred to as the ego need) adult learning theories start to take effect. Do your learners tell sea stories? Do your learners offer lessons they have learned? Do you encourage ‘sea stories,’ or recognize top performers in your class? Learners want to contribute and be recognized for the value of their experience. These activities satisfy their esteem (ego) needs.
“The highest level of the hierarchy of needs is self-actualization” says Sean Adams of Motivation Ping. When a learner has met all of the lower needs, he can focus his effort into gaining knowledge and improving his skills. We often recognize a learner’s self-actualization as a change in attitude.
It is important to remember that everyone’s situation is different and that these situations are dynamic. If a learner felt safe and had social belonging when stationed on a boat, he may not feel that safety or belonging in the schoolhouse. Situations change while in the schoolhouse. A learner that has to move from housing during his school pipeline will have to reevaluate his physiological needs. It is our responsibility to the learners to be aware of these situations and help to the best of our ability so the learner can again focus on what’s important: learning!
