Bad Yoga

Not all yoga is created equally and with that said not all yoga is zen, peaceful, and relaxing.  After spending most of my downward facing dogs at my favorite yoga studio Aloha Yoga Kula and getting excellent instruction from my favorite teachers Brigitte, Martin, and Leah, when I go elsewhere I sometimes find bad yoga. 

So what is bad yoga? Well, the “Taryn definition” of bad yoga is any yoga that feels uncomfortable, painful, dis-jointed, and where the instructor is difficult to follow, has you doing unrealistic poses without guiding you through them, and you leave the classroom feeling worst off them when you went in. 

So, I woke up this morning and my body is hurting from a bad yoga class I took yesterday.  I guess I blame myself for not going to Aloha Yoga Kula, but I figured I might try and save a couple bucks and do some “gym yoga.”

If my fellow yogis know what I’m referring to when I say bad yoga then we must boycott all the crappy yoga out there.  Instructors need to raise their yoga standards and really remember what practicing yoga is all about. 

To me, when yoga teachers focus on the exercise and physical aspect of their class and forget about the holistic approach the class becomes flat and awkward.  Chatarungas are not push ups, and you should not do 5 standing poses in a row in less than 30 seconds. 

Wikipedia refers to yoga as a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline or the goal of yoga or of the person practicing yoga, as the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on the Hindu concept of divinity or Brahman.   

I thank you Brigitte and the rest of the Aloha Yoga Kula family for practicing safe and healthy yoga.  I am grateful for the knowledge that you have given me on my form, mental awareness, and the gift of yoga.  I now recognize the difference in yoga as a lifestyle and simply a yoga class.