Breathing Project founder Leslie Kaminoff recently posted to his blog the outline of a presentation he offered at this year's SYTAR (Symposium for Yoga Therapy and Research) -- Some Suggestions for Individualized, Breath-Centered Yoga Practice. Needless to say, his post generated some comments -- one in particular posed the question "why go to class in the first place?"
Why indeed.
I agree with much of what Leslie presented. I work one-on-one with clients and I rarely teach group classes. I don't attend group classes all that often either. For my own practice, I work with a teacher one-on-one and I get practices that my body and mind need rather than what I want to practice (this is not to say that I don't attend a class or practice with a DVD now and again because I certainly do). My teacher has slowed down my practice because I tend to speed things up when left to my own devices. The benefits I get from working with a practice that pushes my limits and by working to the pace of my breath are, in my opinion, many.
That doesn't mean that I haven't seen group classes that adhere to the guidelines that Leslie laid out. I've been in some classes in which students were going at their own pace and were individually instructed for modifications for the poses. The room was filled with yogis going at their own pace and looking quite different in the same poses. The unfortunate truth is that the classes like these I've attended have very few people in attendance. This begs the question of yoga teachers -- do you teach what you think is best or do you give people what they want? What about giving students what they need (but don't know they want)?
Does that mean that as yoga practitioners we don't want to go at out own pace or modify to suit our bodies' needs? Do we simply want to follow the leader and try to force our bodies into positions in which they are not meant to go? Or are group classes in which everyone is moving at the same pace and doing the same pose the only thing we know so it's what we do?
I don't have the answers (for a long time, I feel into the it's-the-only-thing-I-know category). What do you all think?
Since I've been working with an individualized practice, I've learned a lot of things about my body. For example -- Uttanasana (standing forward bend) can strain my back when I practice it dynamically. However, when I put my arms in a cactus position (bent at the elbows) as I come up out of the pose, the strain doesn't happen (or at the very least, it's lessened greatly). After years of practicing yoga, I'm glad that I'm now doing a practice that has enabled me to see that. It doesn't always mean I like it. My ego grumbles about modifying the pose. Yet my body is benefitting and I'm confident that there will be a day when I won't have to modify Uttanasana. If I stayed in denial about it all, I would have continued to strain my back and rather than untie knots, I would have been pulling on them, making them even tighter than before.
Does a class setting encourage us to pull our knots tighter? How do you feel about Leslie's outline for an individualized, breath-centered yoga practice? Do you disagree and want to give him a blue button (how funny is this?!?!)? Or do you whole-heartedly agree?
I've practiced both ways -- with a group mentality and with a focus on the individual. I can honestly say that I'm reaping more benefits with the practice for the individual. Yet this is the unpopular choice, so it seems.
Advocating individualized breath-centered practices doesn't translate into the death of the yoga class, but it does change the way a class looks and feels to a student. Are we yoga students ready for that?
Let's get this discussion started. I'd love to hear what you have to say.
Namaste!
Breathing Project founder Leslie Kaminoff recently posted to his blog the outline of a presentation he offered at this year's SYTAR (Symposium for Yoga Therapy and Research) -- Some Suggestions for Individualized, Breath-Centered Yoga Practice. Needless to say, his post generated some comments -- one in particular posed the question "why go to class in the first place?"
Why indeed.
I agree with much of what Leslie presented. I work one-on-one with clients and I rarely teach group classes. I don't attend group classes all that often either. For my own practice, I work with a teacher one-on-one and I get practices that my body and mind need rather than what I want to practice (this is not to say that I don't attend a class or practice with a DVD now and again because I certainly do). My teacher has slowed down my practice because I tend to speed things up when left to my own devices. The benefits I get from working with a practice that pushes my limits and by working to the pace of my breath are, in my opinion, many.
That doesn't mean that I haven't seen group classes that adhere to the guidelines that Leslie laid out. I've been in some classes in which students were going at their own pace and were individually instructed for modifications for the poses. The room was filled with yogis going at their own pace and looking quite different in the same poses. The unfortunate truth is that the classes like these I've attended have very few people in attendance. This begs the question of yoga teachers -- do you teach what you think is best or do you give people what they want? What about giving students what they need (but don't know they want)?
Does that mean that as yoga practitioners we don't want to go at out own pace or modify to suit our bodies' needs? Do we simply want to follow the leader and try to force our bodies into positions in which they are not meant to go? Or are group classes in which everyone is moving at the same pace and doing the same pose the only thing we know so it's what we do?
I don't have the answers (for a long time, I feel into the it's-the-only-thing-I-know category). What do you all think?
Since I've been working with an individualized practice, I've learned a lot of things about my body. For example -- Uttanasana (standing forward bend) can strain my back when I practice it dynamically. However, when I put my arms in a cactus position (bent at the elbows) as I come up out of the pose, the strain doesn't happen (or at the very least, it's lessened greatly). After years of practicing yoga, I'm glad that I'm now doing a practice that has enabled me to see that. It doesn't always mean I like it. My ego grumbles about modifying the pose. Yet my body is benefitting and I'm confident that there will be a day when I won't have to modify Uttanasana. If I stayed in denial about it all, I would have continued to strain my back and rather than untie knots, I would have been pulling on them, making them even tighter than before.
Does a class setting encourage us to pull our knots tighter? How do you feel about Leslie's outline for an individualized, breath-centered yoga practice? Do you disagree and want to give him a blue button (how funny is this?!?!)? Or do you whole-heartedly agree?
I've practiced both ways -- with a group mentality and with a focus on the individual. I can honestly say that I'm reaping more benefits with the practice for the individual. Yet this is the unpopular choice, so it seems.
Advocating individualized breath-centered practices doesn't translate into the death of the yoga class, but it does change the way a class looks and feels to a student. Are we yoga students ready for that?
Let's get this discussion started. I'd love to hear what you have to say.
Namaste!