Interesting, of the ten items on the list the only one that actually applies to the practice itself is number 9 and that one is phrased as a “maybe” a “please” or a “request”.
So from the list, you are adamant about students arriving 10 minutes before class but you feel they are doing you a favor to remain for one of the most important postures in the physical practice?
Hi Everyone! We’ve all seen bad yoga etiquette disturb classes and fellow students. What breech of yoga etiquette most annoys you? Is it the ringing cell phone, students wearing shoes into the classroom, or that one yogi who always skips savasana. Behave like a gentle man always.
Here’s one they should have had when I was young and attended yoga classes…
Hey, I’m not that young and horny anymore but I can still picture her ass! Nah, come to think of it that is a bad rule, what she did was a good thing.
Here is the good one:
-Please skip the class if you are experience even minor flu or cold symptoms.
[QUOTE=CityMonk;37953]Thank you all for nice posts
I made a list. It came up exactly 10! Please feel free to add anything. Please feel free to use it for your own class.
Yoga class etiquette
Along the line of IA’s idea…I think you should eliminate (assuming you are planning to post these) the point about staying for savasna. I think it should be expected that the student stays for savasana as it is an important part of the practice and also disruptive to the rest of the class to leave early. I think in your teachings you could explain how and why savasana is important so that the students realize this and won’t even consider leaving before savasana.
As for the refraining form discussions before and after class: most studios I have been to kindly ask that you do not talk in the actual practice room whether this be before or after class. If people are talking in the hallway, foyer, changeroom, etc. I suppose this is okay but once they enter into the practice area there shouldn’t really be any chit chat as it is disruptive. So maybe just post a sign to refrain from talking in the practice room? and this would cover you before and after class. It seems more apropriate to do this than to restrict the type of topics people discuss.
[QUOTE=CityMonk;38193]Here is the good one:
-Please skip the class if you are experience even minor flu or cold symptoms.[/QUOTE]
This is also a good one, especially if it is a studio where mats are shared between students or where there isn’t enough room for students to keep a 2m buffer around them. A 2 meter radius is good to observe around someone who is coughing or sneezing. Of course this is not always possible, thus people who suffering from respiratory symptoms should be discouraged from attending a class where they could infect all the people around them.
[QUOTE=Marina_J;37996]Hi Everyone! We’ve all seen bad yoga etiquette disturb classes and fellow students. What breech of yoga etiquette most annoys you? Is it the ringing cell phone, students wearing shoes into the classroom, or that one yogi who always skips savasana. Behave like a gentle man always.[/QUOTE]
Of the studios I’ve been to, usually personal belongings are not allowed in the practice room (takes up too much space and steals focus) and shoes are removed at the entrance to the studio instead of the practice room. So those usually aren’t much of a problem. Students talking/giggling loudly before class or people who make lots of noice during savasana (because they pack up their stuff early) are quite disruptive.
I also seem to be annoyed by this particular yogi who asks people to move their mats elsewhere after they’ve settled so that she can get her preferred spot in the room when she shows up mintues before class. Sheesh.
[QUOTE=Marina_J;37996]Hi Everyone! We’ve all seen bad yoga etiquette disturb classes and fellow students. What breech of yoga etiquette most annoys you? Is it the ringing cell phone, students wearing shoes into the classroom, or that one yogi who always skips savasana. Behave like a gentle man always.[/QUOTE]
Well, it is not like something is annoying, nothing should annoy good yogi:)) but it is good to have board with rules for everyone to follow. Some people just can’t imagine that coming sick to class could make other 20 people sick as well…I wish we had the same rule in the corporate world:) sick? do not come to work!
Again I believe we should use care in making determinations about rules and politeness BUT absolutely cultivate a robust respect; for self, others, and the space/practice.
To this end I would not confuse manners with respect. And I would not legislate behavior that could easily be an opportunity for teaching. As far as I’m concerned a student may come to class with a cold and practice, after all, we don’t live in a vacuum. We are exposed to germs all day long. But of course educating students as to the nature of self-care (such that they may rest at home when they are ill instead of “doing”) is more than appropriate, it is actually MY job.
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;38233]Again I believe we should use care in making determinations about rules and politeness BUT absolutely cultivate a robust respect; for self, others, and the space/practice.
To this end I would not confuse manners with respect. And I would not legislate behavior that could easily be an opportunity for teaching. As far as I’m concerned a student may come to class with a cold and practice, after all, we don’t live in a vacuum. We are exposed to germs all day long. But of course educating students as to the nature of self-care (such that they may rest at home when they are ill instead of “doing”) is more than appropriate, it is actually MY job.[/QUOTE]
Good points. Its not like the yoga teacher should stand at the door saying “you can come in” or “you can’t” depending on whether or not the student follows the posted suggested rules. Part of the teaching should be to lead people to decide on their own that they shouldn’t conversely oudly before class or disrupt others during savasna, etc.
CM: Where ever it is that you land with regards to your list, I think it is most important to remember that these are really [B]requests[/B] that you are making of those attending your classes; and that your attendees may keep an agreement with this requests or they not, either by choice or inadvertently.
My best suggestions for holding a yogic space for your class and those attending: Embody those qualities yourself, meaning be earlier than your earliest student to create a grounded and present energy for your students to enter. They are coming from the outside world and joining your space, so help them make that transition but embodying it first yourself. Begin by lining-up your own shoes outside the door, people generally will follow suit or quickly correct themselves to follow. Ask your early students to please arrange their mats with only one foot’s length (or the amount space dictated by the room and your students) between mats to allow for ample room for practice and ample space for all the students who will be joining – this helps avoid needing to move mats later. If you provide mats for the class, you can arrange a few yourself to help with model of spacing. Mats and the entitlement we feel about where we have our mats and all that we did to “earn” our place in the room is rich source of reflection and self-study. It is usually pretty telling and if you let it in, a source of humor 
People actually “need” very few inches between mats in order to do a complete and full asana practice. Encourage your students to be flexible and accommodating, with their own “needs” for space and territory, and with those same “needs” of other students.
If you have regular students attending, you can invite them to help you welcome new students by sharing where they should put their shoes, and to remind them about their phones – I encourage my students in welcoming new members to class in this way because it generally feels good for the new person and is effective in settling the class quickly.
If talking at the end of class has proven to be an issue for your students, I would try more techniques to help people transition more slowly and smoothly from savasana into the end of class, as this can help with talking or other loud, avoidable behaviors. Also, you can ask students once they are in their relaxation positions, and before you begin savasana exercise, to please gather their things quietly and wait to talk until outside the room after the closing of class.
I feel that closing the space is vital to maintaining the benefits and[I] prana [/I]accumulated in class – like plugging the holes in your bucket. Using a singing bowl or a pleasant sounding bell or chime can help “seal” the energy of the class and allow for a smoother transition to the outside world too. I have a Zen teacher who has us first bow to the group, and then bow to our meditation cushions as we close our individual sitting practices – this too leaves a profound residue of respect that also holds our tongues until we away from the practice room.
Keeping respect for a space, and a deeper respect for those around us, can be an uncommon request for many people. Rarer and rarer are there situations in our day-to-day lives where this is either modeled well for us, or is encouraged with loving-kindness. As the teacher, be gracious and flexible with yourself and your hopes for the class, and be this with those who get it right away, and be this with those who are all blunders and mistakes. And then begin again with being gracious and flexible with yourself…
All the best to you and your students as you make your way!
Nichole
CityMonk,
Why do you feel the need to have a handout with rules? Just curious.
A few helpful suggestions that I’ve learned after some years of teaching:
Get there early and as new students come in direct them to place their shoes in the cubby, or appropriate area. New students often times don’t know and I’ve found telling them once is enough. I also use this opportunity to discuss some general guidelines and any injuries they may have. I always as my students before each class,“what troubles you today? Anything in particular you need to work on or be mindful of?” This has proven very effective. But you have to be open to changing what you had planned for class and many teachers don’t feel comfortable with this.
Bathroom breaks I look at as, if they need to go they need to go. This is especially true of older women. I don’t have a problem with this. I may not like it, but I do understand it. I also have a few students with bladder issues, so bathroom breaks are the norm with them.
Late arrivals: If they come late often enough, they soon find out what they have been missing during centering and pranayam practice. Often times I’ve found those students who arrive late, are the very ones who need yoga the most and have some glaring challenges. I use this as an opportunity to talk with them after class and bring up their lateness and how it relates to their practice.
Unless they have a good excuse to leave early, shavasana is part of the practice and needs to be practiced. How many students leave during Shavasana? I would ask them why they leave. As Nicole appropriately stated, maybe it is the transition into Shavasana you need to re-examine.
I do understand that each yoga class is unique and depending on what part of the country/world you live in people have different expectations. So while I may not need a list of rules, someone else may.
I guess I just would rather discuss these things with my students. Who knows what you may uncover about them and yourself! But if this makes you feel uncomfortable, then I guess a list would be appropriate for you.
Best of luck CM! Let us all know what you decide to do.
Thank you for your support and discussion!
PS: IA, thank you for your comment, but I still would ask a sick student to leave. And I do not care if he or she would understand. Germs and flu virus is not the same thing.
You’re welcome.
Of course you wrote:
Please skip the class if you are experience even minor flu or cold symptoms.
and since I believe influenza is common sense and that no student suffering from the flu would actually be able to nor want to come to an asana class I simply addressed the more relevant portion of your text which is “minor…cold symptoms”.
It was actually YOU that made them the same things, not me. <wink>
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;38477]
and since I believe influenza is common sense and that no student suffering from the flu would actually be able to nor want to come to an asana class
<wink>[/QUOTE]
I thought so too… last week I went to the 3-days-workshop in Atlanta and one person came in soooo sick, sobbing, sneezing and blowing her nose every 30 seconds… complaining that she is got such a bad cold!!
Few people grabbed their mats and moved away from her…
Also, Thank you Nicole and Lotus girl for good insights!
I will get a shoe rack just so everyone can see shoes on the rack and this suppose to be a “reminder” to take shoes off
Just a funny one I would not put on the yoga class etiquette printout:)) for this “news and updates email” from one yoga studio today:
[I]Dear Friends,
One of the great benefits of yoga is its ability to detoxify the body. This natural detoxification along with our sweat in a closed room can create an unpleasant experience if our bodie, clothes and mats aren’t freshly cleaned. As a friendly reminder:
Please wear clean -freshly laundered- clothes to class
If you need a new mat or mat cleaner.let me know -
Bathe daily and wear deoderant [/I]
I don’t know if it’s the region I live in (we have a “nice guys” reputation) or pure luck, but I haven’t had to deal with any of the issues mentioned here except for lateness. Even then, I’ve never seen anyone come into a class more than 5 minutes late.
I often find that the lack of basic manners in some yoga classes to be alarming, a sharp contrast to the discipline, etiquette and respect found in martial arts classes.
Its common sense to not talk when others are in relaxation, to not step on someones mat, to not wear shoes. Rules should be written clearly in changing rooms and on studio doors. Beginners should be reminded to learn those rules, which are really down to basic adult awareness and manners. If a student is persistently not observing those rules, they should be kicked out.