As I sat in a down dog, I scanned the room. Of the six people in the room, one woman was not in down dog. She was sitting up on her knees just watching. I listened to the teacher instruct the correct (with incorrect terminology) on how to get into Warrior 1, I watched the other students in the class. Most had their feet lined up wrong and could barely lift their arms. This bugged me. Yes, when in yoga, you should totally honor your body and what it can do on that day, but…I have lots of buts here and hopefully by the end of this post, you’ll see why.

My thoughts on the class continued…

Why isn’t the teacher helping her & them? Why is she so focused on telling me where to put my pelvis and sacrum when these ladies may not even know where their sacrum is? Why is the music so loud that even with a microphone, I can barely hear the teacher? Why isn’t the class being taught a sequence that is appropriate to them?

A note about teaching yoga..

It is incredibly important for me to be practicing yoga now. My teacher training has been the best thing for me personally, ever. And, theoretically with constant practice with an experienced teacher I can continue to improve my practice with the intention to be better teacher someday.

So, I returned to the local yoga studio for another try with a different teacher…

The scene:

Teaching style: Talk a lot but not make any eye contact with anyone and never help or offer encouragement to the others in the room. It was a sink or swim mentality. And, it sucked.

Sequence: Child’s Pose, Plank, Down Dog, Plank, Down Dog, followed by a massive series of linked poses- such as Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Warrior 1 with reverse Namaste, etc.. three times through on each leg. Followed by a few deep stretches with a strap followed by Savasana with loud rock and roll. A tough sequence for me and I am not new to yoga. In fact, on the third time through the standing leg sequences, I was just pissed. Yoga is not supposed to make you feel or leave angry.

Beginner’s:

If you are new to yoga, DO NOT GO TO A POWER YOGA class. Friends, don’t drag your friend who’s never done yoga to a power yoga class. Never. They will hate you and hate yoga forever. Think of the old, had a bad experience tell 6-10 people? Well, here I am, had a bad experience and I am telling more than 6-10 people.

Yoga, if done right, can be a wonderful experience. BUT. There are so many Buts. I cannot express how wonderful my experience has been with Yoga Works. They offer classes starting at a beginner level. If the teacher is good, she or he will be constantly scanning the room and adjusting or aligning their students. I heard this yesterday, teaching beginner’s is an honor. Remember that when someone new walks into your studio. Treat them with the upmost respect. They are paying for that service, they made time out of their busy days to come to yoga, and they are probably scared. Do them a favor and teach to their level. You want them to come back, right?