I was a guest teacher in a Yoga Teacher Training Program this past weekend. I had a lot of fun and I met a great group of people. I love teaching yoga and teaching yoga students about anatomy. The students are always so enthusiastic and earnest and want to learn all they can. And in particular, they want to learn how to do the poses correctly.
As if there is such a thing!
Sure, I can look in Light on Yoga, Yoga Journal, Dharma Mittra's book or Darren Rhodes's Yoga Resource and see a very accomplished person performing the epitome of a posture. But that is not the average yoga student.
Most people are looking to move, stretch, breathe and find a deeper connection in their lives. They are not looking to put their foot behind their head.
And it depends on the pose. Some poses are easier, more basic and are accessible to most students. Other poses are very complex and take a long time to train your body to do.
One group of my teacher trainees used to complain that my favorite answer to any question was, "Well, it depends." And that is the answer I always give when I am asked how to do a particular pose correctly.
It depends on the person doing it. How old are they? How strong or flexible are they? It depends on if they have any experience doing this kind of movement. Were they a gymnast or a dancer previously? Are they new to yoga, or this pose? Would they have to compromise any part of their body to do the pose? If so, then they should probably modify. It also depends on if they are feeling strong and invincible, weak and tired or if they have any injuries or other health conditions.
Students who are newer to yoga are often overwhelmed by too many subtle directions as to what they should be doing with their bodies. Often the most important thing to focus on in the beginning is the foundation and general form of the pose. They may not be in the prettiest poses, but they are doing yoga. And in that moment, the pose they are doing correct for their bodies and capabilities.
Often when one of my yoga students brings a non-yoga friend or partner to class, they try to correct their form. I usually ask them to let their friend be and concentrate on their own practice. They don't realize that their friend is doing the best that they can. If that person is interested in coming back to yoga, how they do their poses will improve over time.
I once taught a month long Yoga Teacher Training Intensive. One student in the training who was pretty new to yoga was demonstrating Downward Facing Dog. I was giving her alignment instructions and she was trying to do her best. Her pose looked very much like a beginner's pose. At the end of the month, the same student was doing Down Dog again. This time, some alignment points brought her into a beautiful posture. One of the other students looked at me and asked why I didn't tell her to do that in the beginning. As if she could have! It was pretty amazing the effect that 30 days of doing yoga had on her body.
While I enjoy teaching yoga from an alignment perspective, it is important to point out that if we focus too intently on just how to do the pose correctly we lose sight of what happens to us when we do the pose. If we are too busy focusing on what we should be doing, we might not be present to feel what is happening. And that is where the magic is in yoga.