Sometimes I want to roll into yoga class, put down my mat and just go on autopilot. I had a long day, people at work were annoying… you know what I’m talking about. And then the yoga teacher has the gaul to keep saying my name during class. As if!
“Lindsay, right hip forward!” (Standing Head to Knee)
“Lindsay, upper body back!” (Eagle)
“Lindsay, straighten your leg!” (Loctus pose)
So what do you say to the yoga teacher who always “picks” on you in class? You say nothing, and here’s why.
Their corrections will make your postures better.
Believe it or not the teacher means well. They want your postures to be awesome. They want you to be awesome. Rather than getting all in a tizzy about having your name called out in class, think of it as a compliment. There is a reason I wrote those corrections above; it wasn’t to illustrate a point it was because I repeatedly get called out on the same corrections in the same postures, by different teachers. Rather than resisting the instruction, try unemotionally responding to their feedback and correcting the posture. The corrections I listed above are things I need to work on, and my teachers (since that is what they are there to do, teach us) are holding me accountable to my potential awesomeness. The question in those moments is always: Will I rise to the challenge?
It’s not personal.
Even if the corrections feel personal, they aren’t. The teacher’s job is to respond to what they are seeing in the yoga room. They may be excited to have you in class. How cool is that? You may be one of the few names the teacher actually knows in class. Lucky you, you’re memorable! If it feels deeply personal, there may be something else going on that is unrelated to the teacher. Whether or not you want to explore what that “something else” may be is up to you.
Use moments of annoyance as a tool to “get out of your head”.
When you start going down the mental spiral of being annoyed by your yoga teacher, it’s easy to spend the whole 90 minutes in that mind set. I’ve done this more times than I’d like to admit. If the teacher calls on you a lot (or if it feels like they are calling you out) let the thought pass through your mind. Don’t let it steal your peace. One of the most powerful gifts you can give yourself through a consistent yoga practice is the ability to let things roll off your back. Other people won’t be able to rile you up like they have in the past. This means less stress, less toxic cortisol in your body (stress hormone), a happier demeanor, and the freedom not to let other people waste your mental and physical energy.
Corrections prevent injuries.
No matter what type of movement you are doing, there is a risk of injury. If properly executed, Bikram yoga is completely safe. Since there is so much to take in during the class – especially during your first few years of practicing – teachers corrections are to protect you from hurting yourself. Even if it may feel like you should do the posture your own way, remember that the teachers are instructing us the way to do the postures which have been passed down for a really, really long time. There is a lot of time and wisdom that has gone into making the execution and precision of these postures, randomly changing them because you feel like it will likely result in injury or you may be missing out on the maximum health benefits.
You may miss the day when teachers called on you.
I spent time practicing at a studio where no one ever called on me. They figured I’ve been practicing for a long time and I didn’t need any corrections (ha!). And you know what? I actually missed being corrected in class. We all need to be pushed from time to time. I craved the days when teachers would call me out and say “Come on Lindsay, higher!!!”
After final savasana, you won’t care anymore.
You know how something can bug the shit out of you during the whole 90 minute class, but then at the end of final savasana you just don’t care anymore? That is the power of yoga and the power of learning to let go.
So back to the question at hand, what do you say to the yoga teacher who picks on you in class?
“Thank you.”
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(Photo credit: dingatx – Flickr CC)
Accurate corrections prevent injuries. Does you teacher really say “right hip forward” in standing head to knee?? You shouldn’t focus on the pushing the hip in this one, but the kicking heel, if you kick your heel, flexing the foot that will align your hips. If you push your hip forward you’re most likely aggravating the sacroiliac joint on the long run.
Thanks Sils :)
Hi, Lindsay. Love this article as well. We teachers also have to learn to give people space and walk that line between encouraging and hovering.
By the way, a great book my studio owner has recommended and that I’ve started: Yoga Body. I wish Bikram’s 26 postures were 5,000 years old, but only the simplest handfuls of hatha poses–e.g. lotus–were written of in ancient yoga texts.
On the other hand, I’ve seen Egyptian drawings of people doing wheel poses…so…
Best wishes!
I agree with this article. Unfortunately I experienced a teacher tell the class he didn’t like people’s technique and didn’t want people telling others they practice at his studio. The teacher in the past has been known to be very cruel but this was just ridiculous. I have stopped going to his studio because it was tiring to hear him speak to people this way.
Excellent post! Before I even read this, after seeing the headline on a Facebook page, I thought to myself, “Say, ‘Thank you. Or, say nothing.'” You nailed it!
On another note, as Allyson mentions, the physical postures that we are currently familiar with have not been around for thousands of years, but more likely just a few hundred. As Benjamin Lorr explained in his book, “Hell Bent,” this is a myth perpetuated by teachers (and writers) blindly repeating misinformation without basing their statements on facts.
So, please take this comment in the same spirit of a teacher correcting your postures. (Because this Bikram-method teacher – who is also a writer – is much more interested in real facts than folklore. And, hopes to see you become an even better writer.)
Namaste’
Thank you Paul! I will have to look into that (specifically how long the hatha yoga postures have been practiced) In the meantime I have changed the copy to be more general. I welcome feedback in class and my writing :)
Wise words. Although at times I have considered writing my current injuries on my chest – fractured toe, sprained wrist etc.
Great advise! I used to get so annoyed. I would always have an excuse, being put on the spot “made me fall out of pose”, I’d tell myself.. After practicing for several weeks, I accepted the corrections with a smile and vastly improved my practice and concentration… Sure there are days that I step into the room and want to run out.. but I do not, because I know that I will feel better after warm up!