What To Do When You HATE Your Yoga Teacher

So there's one of the yoga teachers at your local studio, who for some reason, rubs you the wrong way. How to proceed?

Now gritting your teeth and being all determined to attend the class, and not let the yoga teacher
'get' to you, is the Western approach.

 Approaching this yogically (yes you can use that word I just made up) takes a different approach.

The yogic approach is ALL about...drum roll...

You guessed it...focus and detachment. Two yoga principles I'm always banging on about.

So how do we apply focus and detachment to our conundrum?

Firstly, you are attending class to practice asana. So that's the focal point.

You are at the class for the asana (pranayama, drishti, etc).

As long as you are in an asana, you are where you should be. Whatever the teacher says or does doesn't really matter (because you are in an asana, and that's where you should be).

Next up, you need to detach from the teacher. You see.

There is an attachment there or you wouldn't be reacting negatively.

Now the attachment is probably because you are listening to what they actually say. Don't do this.

Now, you know from previous posts that you, and only you, are your yoga teacher. Nobody can teach you yoga except yourself.

So practicing yoga is very self-empowering. In fact, you simply cannot progress to 'advanced' practice unless you have taken control and responsibility for your own yoga. This is a yogic truth, plain and simple.

Some people, who cannot make the transition to self-empowerment will languish in yoga mediocrity, until they do accept responsibility for their practice. Sad, but true.

Ok, so now you know that there really aren't any yoga teachers out there (because you are the only yoga teacher you know. I am the only yoga teacher I know).

All you are doing, by attending class, is going some place, at a certain time, and allowing another person to cue you into asana.

This is great, because you don't have to think of what asana to get into next. You can just focus on the asana you are currently in, your breath and your drishti.

Get back in there and teach yourself some yoga, J.