The Crippling Illusion of Yoga Perfection
Dear Yoga Teacher, you aren’t perfect.
It’s cool. I can say it because I’m a yoga teacher. Over the years, I’ve become incredibly passionate about yoga, fitness and anatomy in general. I went through my 200 hr teacher training and began to work as a yoga teacher, soon to discover the overwhelming amount of knowledge that is available when it comes to this practice. How can one person know all of this and still be able to apply it to each different body?
They can’t. YOU can’t. Flat out.
Now this shouldn’t be an upsetting notion as a student or even as a teacher. One of the ways we can most effectively embark on our yoga journey is by acknowledging our ever changing physical, mental, or spiritual needs. After all, are we not meant to approach acceptance of the true self through our yoga practice? Here in the western world, we constantly find ourselves in a state of comparison and competition so it is easy to understand why this idea of “perfection” exists and as a society, why we strive for it. This doesn’t just apply to the yoga and fitness world. We see it in almost any discipline or field and it creates learning/working environments that are less than conducive to growth and happiness.
In the yoga community, we see one of two things happening as the result of this idea and expectation of perfection:
1. The imagined necessity for a teacher to know absolutely everything about an individual’s body and how their pose or practice should look. This often leads to misinformation, lies, assumptions, or even injury.
2. The creation of a superiority or “guru” complex in a teacher: The teacher or group of teachers believe themselves to be spiritually, physically or even mentally superior to the students and other yoga communities. I actually resist labeling these groups as “communities.” A more accurate characterization would be a clique. This yoga clique might experience success, however to many outside of the group, it will appear intimidating and unwelcoming. These studios are the reason you find so many potential students “too afraid” to attend a yoga class. It is the reason you hear individuals saying things like “my body could never do that.” I’ve even heard stories of students being told by teachers they are too short, too tall, or even have too thick of thighs (that’s a laugh) to effectively execute a pose! It comes from a lack of understanding of the body and a lack of understanding of YOGA. Overall these teachers are not promoting a healthy physical, mental, or spiritual environment for the practice of yoga. They certainly aren’t helping to promote the healing powers of this ancient and beautiful tradition.
I understand there is a need for community in yoga studios and a need for catchy marketing as a business. As teachers, we want to be seen as someone with knowledge that can help students. I’m no different. As my career progresses and I learn more and more about yoga, especially from an anatomical standpoint, it’s become apparent that I don’t know everything and probably never will. Cues I’ve ALWAYS given and believed to be correct are actually not applicable to every human frame. As students, we need to approach our yoga practice with this mindset. For the teachers of yoga, it is even more important. How often do you cue without even noticing your students? How often have you asked students to do or not do something because it’s part of YOUR plan for the class? I once went to a yoga class where we took Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle) and I chose to take a deeper variation of the pose. Moments later the teacher announced loudly that the variation I took was not what he had cued. He had a rigid plan for the class and didn’t expect or want anyone to break that plan. Being a yoga teacher myself, I was comfortable enough with my own practice that I did not let this instructor intimidate me…but a newer or more timid student very well could have…and I wouldn’t blame them.
It is these yoga studios and these teachers that cultivate elitist and perfectionist attitudes in their communities which in turn, intimidates and turns away those who could have really benefited from this practice. Even the students in the ‘clique’ begin to mirror the attitudes of the teachers, creating an even more closed off environment. Suddenly students find themselves feeling pressured to prescribe to the “the studio’s way” or “the teacher’s way” instead of honoring their own body and what it’s telling them. Some in this clique even go as far as leveraging superior “wokeness” to shame a student into thinking they aren’t getting what they need out of a class because they haven’t been spiritually or mentally vulnerable enough. For those teachers…it’s time to step back and re-examine your reasons for teaching. Perhaps even step back and look at your own yoga practice and journey. Start listening and watching more in your classes. Attempt to connect with your students. Instead of JUST looking to see if a students hips are square, look at their face….do they appear to be in pain? Listen to their breathing…is it labored or are they holding it? Take the time to check in after class. If you don’t know how to approach a certain ailment, do some research or ask a more tenured teacher so that you can better hold space for that student. Always acknowledge that you are still a student, regardless of what credentials you’ve received or how many followers on Instagram you have.
Be okay with the fact that you aren’t meant to assist every single person in your classroom. Sometimes, it’s not about knowledge or how long you’ve been teaching. It’s possible you just aren’t the right teacher for that student. That doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you…it certainly doesn’t mean there is something wrong with them! Not all people vibe. It’s just life. As a teacher though, at least choose to be welcoming and accepting of students where they are. If a student comes to you with a physical ailment that you do not understand, be candid about that. You could then help by introducing them to someone who does know about that particular topic. At least then, the student still can leave with a sense of confidence and safety rather than inadequacy. They are far less likely to abandon their yoga journey when approached with compassion, understanding, and warmth.
If you find yourself, as a yoga student, feeling intimidated or ashamed going into a yoga studio or talking to a teacher, RUN THE OTHER WAY. But please, don’t run from yoga. Yoga is not a practice that belongs to any one type of person. It is universal. Yoga does not discriminate or judge anyone based on what their body can or cannot do. This practice is far beyond the physical and it is healing for all who choose to be open to it. And for those studios and teachers who have forgotten that, I’d say it’s time to reconnect to your own practice, and possibly remove that stick up your ass.