Yoga Etiquette - Be Present and Surrender

Ah Yoga, and I am referring to a Yoga class.  Is there etiquette to arriving, attending and leaving class?  You bet your mula bhanda there is!

I often say that just showing up is doing Yoga as leaving our comfortable homes in the evening, wanting to get home after a long day or alternatively, getting up a bit early to squeeze in a class before the day begins can be challenging.  So, show up and welcome!

Your very human Yoga instructor also made an effort to be in class with every desire and intent to guide you through a rewarding experience.  Even on tough days your instructor is putting their best food forward.  They are fully aware that you are their concern during your group class.  I promise you on behalf of all Yoga instructors that we do our best on many levels to make class a lovely experience for you.  But after arriving are you present?

Is there a sense of entitlement based on many years of practice, are you more flexible than your instructor or have you been practicing longer?  Perhaps so, but your instructor has gone through training and study in order to teach you, deepen your experience and keep you safe.  Any judgment of yourself or others, expectation and competition can be left behind once the studio door closes.  In other words, be present. 

Your instructor is guiding you through class with his/her knowledge directing and providing sequencing so that you can experience something new and meaningful resulting in growth.  When doing a pose, do not be in last weeks pose or yesterday’s version of the pose.  Feel your body today and be there.  There are many variations and levels to any pose and Yoga poses will and should feel deep and challenging.  However, poses should never find a tweaky way into your joints or muscle attachments.  Any chronic conditions or injuries should be brought to your instructor’s attention before class begins.  That being said, you are the only one who knows how you feel – if it doesn’t feel right it isn’t!  Your instructor will give you a variation, a verbal and if appropriate a light physical adjustment.  If your safety in the pose is in question, please do not start your own sequencing.  Let the instructor help you, as it is part of their responsibility.  For example, do not leave your forward fold and move into a backbend because your forward fold was uncomfortable.  Your instructor will offer a variation that is appropriate for you.

If props are being used to correct a misalignment, to take you safely to a deeper level, support an injury or to teach something please do your best to do the pose as your instructor suggests.   If you are resisting for any reason other than it feels unsafe, draw your attention to the present moment and avoid becoming a distraction to the teacher and your fellow Yogis and Yoginis.  Class moves smoothly this way and a good experience is had by all.  Trust me, many teacher tongues have been bitten and on occasion slipped as we do our best to keep the class together.  Surrender to the present.

I can say with many years of experience, that if a student is not feeling better after class, even a class they may not have put on their top ten list, they did not follow the sequencing of poses, were resistant to instruction and correction and were not present.  In other words they were not willing to be part of the class.  This is true so some student responsibility needs to be taken when dissatisfied.

Some instructors use humor, some are of the drill sergeant variety, some are super calm and some are simply not going to be to your taste – even if they are enormously popular.  You can find the class that is right for you if you participate on your end by being present and keeping an open mind.  Are you trying out a new class time/instructor/studio or returning to Yoga after a “sabbatical”?   Whatever is going on, you are going to have some kind of reaction to your class.  It might have been just what you needed or perhaps it stirred up some discomfort.  Whatever it is, if you are overwhelmed in any way talk to your instructor.  They are trained and they are human.  Try your best to experience the now and maybe give any ill-fitting class a second chance.  If you have questions, criticisms or praise, please speak with the instructor after class.  We truly do have affection for you – but speak up and speak directly to us so that we can address your concerns. 

We love seeing you, having you in class and feel rewarded as we see your practice grow.  Namaste.