The Pitfalls of Perfect Alignment - Part 1 (of 3)

the rant goes on---

PART 1: STAYING IN LINE WITH THE TIMES

And thus we begin. We want to become a yoga teacher. We took the 200 Hr training, and now we have our first class. Fast-forward 5 years. We have many classes, have seen many different students. How have our classes evolved? Are your students happier, healthier (yes, more injury-free would apply here)? Do they love themselves more? Do they have more of what they want in life? Do they shine?

What about your class content? Has it evolved? Is it more inspiring? Does it still excite you?

What about you? Do you still love yoga? Are you happier, healthier? Do you love yourself more? Have you embraced your Sva Dharma (life’s purpose)? How’s your Sva Rupa (self knowledge)?

We change. We evolve. We start out as a bunch of cells and grow into these amazing things like human beings. Each of us different, unique. Yet we all share the same concept – nothing stays the same.  And if we resist change it results in stagnation. Stuckness. We all reach a point where the “same ol’ same ol’” just doesn’t cut it.

This concept also applies to our yoga practice. As we grow, evolve physically and consciously, our practice needs to grow with us. If it doesn’t, it may hold us back from becoming that which we desire, that very “which” that got us into yoga in the first place.

As yoga teachers, shouldn’t we apply the same thing to our teaching? Not only how we teach, but what we teach. If we look back, a very different student was coming to our classes 15-25 years ago. Nobody knew what a psoas muscle was, and terms like “down dog” had to do with obedience training of the beloved family mutt. Aerobics was hitting the scene, and people were just getting into their bodies as a collective nation. (Can you feel the burn?)

It was totally appropriate to focus and impress the importance of proper alignment, especially since many were coming to yoga as a way to heal their bodies. As yoga teachers, we started focusing on alignment as a way of life, instead of the energetic aspects and energetic alignment aspects of yoga. We were addressing the needs of our students. We wanted to help them heal, not add insult to injury.

It’s 20 years later, and most of the people coming to class have a high amount of body knowledge and anatomical awareness. We have students coming in and when they talk about their injuries they rattle off words like “brachialis” or  ”adductor” or any other muscle name or anatomical word that would best describe their ache. Granted, it’s nice to have a pop quiz every now and then, but it’s crazy!

Our students have grown. They are body-educated. They’ve taken Pilates, had physical therapy, and learned the names of their muscles. And yet our teaching remains the same. Have we grown as teachers? Have we kept up with our students and their new set of needs?

To be continued…