The Yoga Evolution - Part 1

Last summer I was teaching a kids yoga class at a summer camp when one of them gave me the gift of a lesson I could always use being reminded of.

After nearly an hour of jumping around and playing (and a sore throat from all the yelling and excitement), we ended the class with a two minute meditation.

They blew my mind.

The room was actually quiet and they actually got in the zone.

It was one of the most beautiful things I've had the pleasure of experiencing as a teacher.

After the meditation, I guided them to lift their arms up towards the ceiling on the inhale, and then said, "exhale, bring your hands together in front of your heart."

As I did that I brought my hands together in front of the center of my chest, as we often do in yoga.

One of the kids looked at me, made a face, and said,
"that's not where our heart is, our heart is to the left!"

I burst out laughing and told him that he was so right and that we could move our hands towards the left if we wanted to be more accurate.

The story doesn't sound like much, but it made me realize that I was operating on autopilot.
Teaching something I never thought to question,
when this innocent child with his curiosity and open-mind intact immediately found a way to question and refine the teaching.

And this relates so much to yoga teaching methodology that I commonly experience as both a teacher and student.

I always took pride in being somewhat of a rebel.

Not from a place of wanting to defy rules and cause chaos,
but rather from a place of honoring our individuality and acknowledging that trying to fit humans into fixed boxes and rules undermines so much of the beauty of what it means to be human and restricts people's innate potential to thrive and flourish.

Besides, who the hell makes these rules anyway?

Let me start this by saying that I'm immensely grateful for yoga.

I have a deep love for the practice.
It changed my life in ways I can't even begin to describe in a blogpost.

And yet, just because we love something doesn't mean we can't ask questions or allow things to evolve.

The story I mentioned above is a reminder that, if we keep an open mind and are attentive and engaged enough, we can unlock so many more possibilities.

So this is in no way a critique of yoga,
but rather an inquiry into some of the teaching principles we may have unquestioningly (or even unknowingly) accepted as teachers and students,
and how we can transform that into a practice that is even better suited to address our wellbeing.

Today we'll look at two common myths in yoga culture that it's about time we grow past.

Myth #1: More flexibility is better
This one is one of my biggest pet peeves!

And it's so alarming how often I hear teachers actually saying this or praising students for going deeper as if that means they're doing better.

The more dangerous bit is when it’s indirectly implied through the teacher’s attitudes while practicing and teaching.

Flexibility is great to the point where we can perform day-to-day tasks.
It's great to be flexible enough to bend down and pick something up off the floor
(bending the knees as much as you need to, and having enough flexibility to be pain-free on the way down and up).
But going beyond that?
Pretty much useless, unless you're into contortion.

Going so deep into a 'stretch' to the point where we're no longer able to engage that muscle can feel temporarily relaxing, but can also have negative long-term implications on the body by encouraging too much laxity and not enough stability and neurological control around our joints.

The evolution:
Instead of being fixated on getting flexible through yoga, focus on enjoying the benefits of the awareness, strength, and overall ability to move better.

Ask your teacher to teach you how to engage your muscles in their deeper range so you can develop a range of motion you can actually use where you're not just sagging into gravity.

And teachers, let's remember to be very careful with our instruction. If we instruct going deeper in a way that makes it sound like a more advanced progression, then we're contributing to the problem.

Myth #2: Following alignment rules is 'better'
Telling students where to put their hands and feet and exactly what their body should look like on the outside is a way of teaching from the outside in.

(Many movement disciplines do this to some extent as a result of becoming systemized and wanting to spread their teachings to the masses. So they created rules and specific methodologies)

When we work from the outside in and over-instruct, we end up switching off feeling and disconnecting from our inner sensibility and awareness.
The distraction from feeling can feel temporarily good but gets in the way of the internal growth journey that mind-body practices are meant to take us on.

If there’s an external source of feedback that says there’s a right way and a wrong way, then we’ve disempowered ourselves from exploring so many alternative possibilities.

(It's also problematic because it creates a fear-mongering misconception that there's a right way to move and that people can get hurt if they do things otherwise. I talk more about this here)

The evolution:
We can use these poses as reference points (but not rules), and yet the real practice happens when we start exploring the terrain around the structure.

So, if your teacher says your fingers should point forward when you're on hands and knees, can you take a minute to explore how it feels in your body today (because every day is different) if you turn your hands in a little or out a little?

Just noticing how that changes the experience (because that lights up a light of internal awareness of possibility and sensation - and there's a lot of magic there),
and then going back to whichever option felt best in your body today.
This way, you're actually moving from the inside out.
(Note: it feels better for most people's shoulders to turn their fingers out slightly, and yet this option is rarely introduced in classes)

Reminder for students:
what your teacher is sharing is a way, not the way.
It's probably a great way, so explore it and try it out.
But remember that no one lives in your body other than you and you're the true expert
If the pose doesn't work for you, it's an issue with the pose and its lack of adaptability, not a problem with your body.

Also some reflection points for teachers:
1. saying "listen to your body" is not enough. If someone has shut down their connection to feeling their entire life, this instruction can feel vague and elusive. It's our responsibility to actively teach students how to listen to their bodies.
We can actually guide these explorative experiments in our classes. Get them to try different things and notice how each feels, and then let people choose for themselves
2. teach engagement cues over alignment rules. This way you're catering to everyone and not disregarding skeletal variation
3. use guiding, invitational language over authoritative tones. We can ask questions and stimulate curiosity instead of listing out instructions

In part 2 I'll share 2 of my personal favorite evolutionary possibilities for yoga :)

Until then, I'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you relate to? What do you disagree with? Is there anything else you would add?