Complaints about teachers

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi,

Sometimes I feel myself quite naive. During the course of a week I experience classes from 4 different teachers. All theoretically the same level.
I enjoy and get something out of each class and each teacher. This has been my experience over the last 3 years.
Lately I have been getting feedback from some of my classmates. Things like this teacher talks too much during asana, I can’t concentrate. Or this teacher holds the pose too long. Or that teacher goes too fast. Or too slow.and so on.
Quite interesting as I just attend each class with no expectation but with anticipation as to what the class will bring. If the teacher calls a pose I try my best to accomplish and ( dirty word ) obey. Some things work and some things don’t. Some teachers talk during asanas more than others. But instead of distracting I find this more comforting or informative.
Frankly I am very grateful that I can attend classes and go deeper into my
practice.
i do not want to be judgemental to my fellow students, but I just try to point out that each teacher is different as we all are different.
Am I just a blind follower? If so I will stay this way as I am quite content with how I feel and what I get out of this.
Thoughts?

#2

I don’t think you’re being a blind follower at all. I think it’s great that you are so open minded and easy-going with your yoga practice

#3

There are two points I’d add to the conversation.

The first is that some students are still trying to find the teacher that resonates with them. This would be especially true for beginners or students new to the studio. New students, unless they have some other profound practice, tend not to be able to focus their mind and are thus distracted by every noise, smell, drop of sweat, snore, cough et al.

When they are not new students, when they are experienced, then the second point comes into play. And that is that there are blockages, many different sorts of blockages. Most of them are habitual grooves of behavior etched in our consciousness. Some people complain. Some need their hand held. Some hold a litany of expectation. But it’s all obstruction to the joy and growth promised by the practice itself.

The second is not to be judged. It’s to be smiled upon. Everyone has their stuff. Were we to probe deeply we’d find yours … or mine:-)

#4

Am I just a blind follower? If so I will stay this way as I am quite content with how I feel and what I get out of this.
Thoughts?

Yoga per se never gives answers to any questions because it is experiential. By this what I mean is “do it , experience it and then decide”. Just because teacher is saying and we need to do is okay in that particular class but deep down what we experience, matters. And this experience differs from person to person. It will be different in what teacher experiences and what we experience.

At one point of time in your practice , you need to move on and become independent of any teacher and that is the goal. By independent does not mean you will not attend any class or will not talk to any teacher. By this I mean take anything that is positive from teacher or anyone but you need to create your own path eventually.

Rainbow though appears to be the same for everyone who is looking at it but in reality it is different for every individual because it is reflection of light “at an angle” on water droplets. Even partial change of one degree angle will make it form differently.

Same goes with Yoga…search your own rainbow and then having or not having teacher does not matter.

#5

If you dont/cant find a teacher you want… Why not just practice yoga at home? Look around on youtube and find some lessons you really enjoy, and just do those. Just my 2cents.