People learn yoga for various reasons. They may demand to develop their levels of health, fitness, and flexibility. Or increase their muscle tone. Reducing levels of strain and anxiety are also high on the list, as is particular development, and the desire to follow a more spiritual path. Some may have a particular medical condition or health problem they want to address.
One’s reason for starting yoga may have a behavior on both the kind of yoga that makes a ‘perfect fit’, as well as the especial master chosen within a yoga discipline. Whilst the different kinds of yoga apparently suit some aims better than others, the trainer you practice with will also make a difference to achieving what you need with yoga. Or not.
Foe example, if you have a particular medical condition, it would be better to informally talk to prospective yoga teachers beforehand. First, to find out which classes might be appropriate, and to see whether that trainer has a real grasp of what the condition or problem implies for a yoga practice. Some people, whether they are yoga coach or not, have a more stiff outlook, and may not be able to appreciate that a flexible approach in such circumstances is consequential. Or, they may not have enough training or experience. Possibly they are even too busy to be available in a more particular way.
When choosing a yoga coach, it’s important to use your common sense. And to comprehend that we, as individuals, may not find our needs met by a class even if others do. Some trainers are more nurturing than others, some are more focused on the spiritual aspects of yoga (which may or may not align with our own spiritual outlook). Some perform adjustments – which is where a master will use their body-weight to help you go further into a position – without really finding out whether a person has any injuries. And some simply do it too over-zealously. A student in that situation may feel that the ‘teacher knows best’. But it’s important to listen to your own body, and comprehend that not all yoga training is equal. And, not all teachers are equal, in all areas, either.
Some other things to consider when choosing a yoga trainer are:
- Are they dogmatic? Do they push a certain philosophical or spiritual point of view? Is there a subtle (or not so subtle) manipulation that implies that without their ‘guru’, your spiritual growth is on shaky ground. In fact, do they advise that you ‘need’ a guru (their guru) as a ‘guide’ in matters of spirituality because your own connection to Source-God isn’t good enough. In other words, are they suggesting you lay your power outside of yourself, or do they reiterate that you in fact are your own guide, and can get their quite well under your own steam.
* Are they (or the famous representatives of their yoga discipline) overly concerned with money, fame, power, the size of their organization, or their degree of influence? If they (the organization) certify yoga trainers, how long do the coachs have to train for? What are they trained in and what aren’t they taught about?
* How well does the master embody the basic spiritual qualities of compassion, kindness, peace, joy, and equanimity? Whilst we are all beings at different stages of the journey, it helps to look at a coach’s character, and ethics. No-one needs to be perfect, but what qualities, of themselves, are they bringing to class.
