Yoga Confessions: The Worst Part of Being A Yoga Teacher In Today's World

You might think the obvious answer to the worst part of being a yoga teacher today has to do with the inability of students to do complex poses or be fit enough to constantly flow from one posture to the next like graceful swans. I guess some people might think it's students that are disruptive to the class by behaving in a way that doesn't fit the current yoga paradigm of peace, love, and chill.


For me, none of these things make any difference. Some people are fit, some are not. Some are chill, some are wound so tight the entire electrical system in the building feels them coming before they get there. Some people have "yoga bodies" (whatever that means), and some are crippled with pain. Again none of this matters to me as a yoga instructor. I could care less what the external conditions are when they come to me. I don't even seek to change those external circumstances. What I hope to instill in my students runs much deeper into the tradition of yoga. So few classes even want to go there with the potential a yoga class has to offer to transform your relationship with the Inner Intelligence of your body. This is the worst part of being a teacher for me nowadays.

It may be that I am spiritually inclined, totally lazy, or a complete rebel. For me Yoga has nothing to do with fitness or exercise, however, those are the side effects of a yoga asana practice. In my mind, the only reason to do the yoga asanas is that they help to structure my mind and body towards receptivity to the larger part of Me. For the use of this post with various readers, I will call that larger part of Me, my Inner Intelligence. This is the part that somehow keeps me functioning regardless of the stupid choices I make to create havoc in the proper functioning of my physiology. It offers me countless warning signs and alarms through particular chemical reactions of my body to steer me away from choices that will ultimately destroy my body. While also offers positive endorphins that bring peace and health to my body when I am taking actions that preserve life. 

Yoga for me is opening myself (and guiding others) to listen to this communication system that is designed to help our bodies function properly leading us to greater connectivity, health, and contentment. Spending fifteen minutes to an hour first thing each day connecting to this Inner Intelligence makes a huge impact on life and anyone can do it. In fact, you don't have to do any of the pretzel positions usually associated with yoga to accomplish the type of yoga practice I speak of and you get all of the results science recognizes. 

The worst part of teaching yoga in our day and age is everything is all about physical accomplishment and outward success. ​

So people go into these ancient practices and completely miss the purpose and benefit of them. Yoga is about uniting your small self to the Big part of you. This means there is a little you that worries about what to do and what people think. There is also the part of you that essentially holds every atom of you together in perfection every moment of every day. These two parts can be connected and communicative. There are different types of yoga practices, mental ones to help you experience this (no mat required). Other practices involve movement to prepare the mind to experience this profound connection of small self to Big Self during activity (mats are also not required). The asanas are a part of the activity that has been traditionally used to destress the body. This allows it to be prepared for the mental practices that result in the mind having first-hand experience of this larger part of itself. A secondary benefit is to train the mind to remain connected to this Inner Intelligence during the movement of our often stress-filled lives. 

​A yoga practice has the potential to get you in touch with the Master Builder of your life and to become friends. As a result of this relationship, you have the potential to understand exactly what the Master Builder is up to. You can discover where your active attention, as well as your choices, can impact the design. In summary, the worst part of being a yoga instructor is watching how so few are aware of the great fortune they have access to while they starve and scrounge for pocket change.

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