Good Yoga - By Ted Cox

The popularity of yoga in the United States is growing rapidly. As the demand for yoga goes up, more and more people are teaching yoga. If you ask someone who has never been to a yoga class what yoga is, you’ll probably get an answer having to do with breathing, stretching and relaxing. Before I go any further, let me offer a definition of yoga.

YOGA – The spiritual practices and disciplines that lead a seeker to evenness of mind, to the severing of the union with pain, and, through detachment, to skill in action. Ultimately, the path of yoga leads to the constant experience of the Self.

This definition doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with breathing and stretching, does it? Let me take it a step further as there are many types of yoga. The physical practice of yoga, what we think of as yoga in the United States, is called Hatha Yoga. The following is a standard definition for hatha yoga.

Hatha Yoga – Yogic practices, both physical and mental, performed for the purpose of purifying and strengthening the physical and subtle bodies.

My teacher Baron Baptiste defines yoga as “the annihilation of the walls we build around our hearts.” Another favorite definition for yoga is from my teacher John Friend, (founder of Anusara Yoga). John defines yoga as “the participation in something greater than ourselves”.

So far, none of these definitions offered has anything to do with breathing, stretching and relaxing. In fact, they all sound rather esoteric.

Yoga teacher Christina Sell contends that there are three basic types of yoga students. One type is the “athlete”. These are the students who come to yoga just for the “workout.” Most people start their yoga practice from this archetype. The second type of student is the “scientist/engineer”. This archetype loves the details of alignment and wants to know how to do the poses. The third type of student is the “poet/mystic”. These students love the philosophy and history found in yoga and want to go deeper in their understanding. Sometimes my classes emphasize the physical aspect; sometimes they focus more on alignment and sometimes on philosophy. Ideally I try to address all three aspects in any given class.

Let’s return to our earlier definition of yoga; specifically the part having to do with “both physical AND mental.” In my opinion, the majority of yoga teachers in the United States focus entirely on the physical; never teaching or speaking to the mental aspects of yoga, which is where I believe yoga becomes extremely potent and life changing.

So, what is “Good Yoga”? We see a lot of students at our studio. We’ve taught thousands of classes and have seen hundreds of students over the years. We never know who is going to show up for any given class; presenting us with any number of physical and or emotional issues. Typically, the easiest students to work with are the ones who have never done yoga. These students come to class wide open and eager to learn. Many students come to class in a place of knowing, having had some experience in yoga. If we offer a different perspective to these students, we sometimes get, “well, that’s not how I learned it” as a response. Your attitude is the single most important aspect of your practice. Good yoga begins with you, your attitude; your openness to grow and learn.

I specifically remember one teacher training with Baron where I was getting extremely challenged. Not so much physically, but mentally. Fortunately I had the awareness in that moment to see what was going on inside my mind and had the ability to shift my perspective. Once I shifted, the whole experience of the class changed for me. It actually turned out to be one of the best classes I’ve ever had with Baron. It wasn’t Baron, it was me! This is an example of the mental aspect of yoga I’ve been alluding to. Yoga is in fact an unlearning process. The yoga student at some point in their practice must unlearn that place of knowing; learning beginners mind and humility instead.

*** The central principle of yoga is to change old ways of thinking. ***

Many yoga teachers do what is known as teaching from the mat. The teacher is on their mat doing their practice with the class. What exactly are you paying for in such a class? The teacher isn’t watching you, helping you, guiding you; making sure first and foremost that you’re safe and aren’t doing something that could potentially injure you. Our number one priority in our classes at our studio is that no one gets hurt, which means we never teach from the mat.

The breath in yoga is equal in importance to the postures themselves. If you are working so fast in a yoga class that you no longer have total control over your breath, you are no longer doing yoga. Too many yoga teachers and students think “good yoga” is about how fast you move and how much of a cardio workout you get; or how many challenging postures you can do. Your yoga teacher should be speaking to breath throughout the entire class. The breath is what keeps you anchored in the present moment. Good yoga isn’t a “workout”, it’s a work-in. The example I gave about being challenged by Baron at a training is exactly what I’m talking about as a “work-in”. I had to go inside myself to relieve my mental suffering. This is good yoga!

To be connected to breath is to be connected to the present moment. The present moment is the doorway into the mind, where we can begin to see ourselves more clearly and begin to change our old ways of thinking.

Listen carefully to what your yoga teacher is saying. Are they actually teaching, or are they instead doing what we call, “directing traffic.” It’s a BIG difference. Too many yoga teachers “direct traffic”. They take you in and out of poses, but never teach you what is actually happening in the pose. Often, they move you from one pose to the next so quickly that you never have time to really enjoy and benefit from each pose. I believe this happens because they simply don’t know what to say while you’re in the pose, so they just keep you moving, usually too fast and not connected with the breath. Not only can’t they teach the pose, they never speak to your heart and mind. Sequencing a class should also be mentioned. Sequencing is how you move a class from one pose to the next, from the beginning of the class to the end of the class. This understanding is crucial in keeping people safe in their bodies.

The archetype of the “scientist/engineer” deals primarily with alignment and anatomy. A strong working knowledge of anatomy is a must for anyone teaching yoga. The alignment we teach at our studio is The Universal Principles of Alignment found in Anusara Yoga. To explain what exactly these principles are in the most simple way, these principles work with anatomical neutral; the way the human body aligns in the most natural, healthy way possible. We are very specific in regards to alignment as even an inch can be the difference between injury or healing. I’ve been to classes where the teacher uses the word “alignment” throughout the class, but never actually teaches alignment. We will always explain why we are asking you to try something. 

Some yoga students come to class and project how they want the class to go. It can be very subtle or quite obvious. “I’ve had a rough day, let’s really work hard.” Or, “my day sucked, can we do restorative yoga?” This relates back to attitude. Can you go to class with no expectations and no projections whatsoever? No expectations for yourself, of the teacher or how you think the class should be. Whether it is a large or small class, an experienced teacher will know what class to teach so that everyone in that class benefits and stays safe.

So you see, with what I have written so far, a yoga teacher needs to have a great deal of knowledge to help guide people in their yoga practice. A yoga teacher doesn’t just need to know some poses; it goes far beyond the poses. Already I’ve written about alignment, anatomy, breathing, sequencing, philosophy, history, the mental aspects, addressing any physical limitations and psychology. Another important topic is assisting; actually touching the student. This is where a lot of students can get hurt by an inexperienced teacher. We will first give you a verbal assist; asking you to do something. If we do touch, we ask first if we can assist you; then we make sure you’re stable in the pose and then we give the assist.

It was never intended that yoga should be practiced without the guidance of a teacher. Too many people teaching yoga in the United States are not qualified and or certified to be teaching. Some of the people who are certified aren’t certified in any credible style or system. I know people who have gone through an entire teacher training program without ever teaching!  Some people are even becoming certified through on-line courses now. I am the first and only person in the State of Oklahoma to become certified in Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga; one of the twelve major recognized styles of yoga in the World. Martha is the first and only person in the State of Oklahoma to become certified in Anusara Yoga; one of the twelve major recognized styles of yoga in the World. Anusara is also the fastest growing style of yoga in the World today. As a yoga student, do you really want to study with someone who hasn’t worked with the very best teachers in the World; who chose to get certified in the quickest, easiest, cheapest, most convenient way possible? Do you really want to study with someone who teaches yoga as a hobby; who isn’t certified; who hasn’t studied and worked/working with a credible teacher in a credible system?

High level students seek out high level teachers. I’m a student of Baron Baptiste and John Friend because of their vast knowledge on yoga; they are two of the most highly experienced yoga teachers in the World. I don’t travel to study with them because they have a great play list, offer me fresh baked goodies after class or the time and location is convenient. My level of studentship doesn’t rely on how hot the room is, how loud the music is or how fast the teacher moves the class. How hot the room is isn’t yoga. How much I like the teacher isn’t yoga. How cool I think the yoga teacher is isn’t yoga. How much of a “workout” I get isn’t yoga. Actually, true hatha yoga is interpreted as a method that will achieve the maximum results by the minimum expenditure of energy.

Do your homework. A credible yoga teacher will have their credentials on their website. If you don’t know who is teaching the class you are thinking about going to, don’t go. If the teachers name is listed, but there is no information about that teacher, don’t go. Read their biographies carefully, if in fact they even have a biography to read. A teacher should never list a teacher on their biography who doesn’t know them by name. Taking a class or going to a workshop with someone famous is great, but they aren’t your teacher if they don’t even know who you are, so don’t list them as such; it’s “name dropping” and dishonest. Just because someone is teaching somewhere doesn’t mean they are qualified to be doing so. You can get seriously hurt doing yoga, so don’t trust your body to just anyone. The MINIMUM number of contact hours for a certification in yoga recognized by Yoga Alliance is 200 hours. I have over 1,000 hours, divided almost equally between Baptiste and Anusara Yoga. Martha has over 1,200 hours in Anusara Yoga alone, not counting her first certification in yoga. Would you go to a doctor who has gone to medical school or who has graduated from medical school?

What is YOUR yoga practice? Beyond the physical aspects of yoga lies the mental yoga. We use the physical yoga to take us to the mental yoga. Hardwired into our bodies is the “fight or flight” response. Through the practice of yoga, we develop and learn a third option to fight or flight and that is the option of just staying and not reacting; a place of equanimity. Baron teaches this as squeezing an orange. He says when he squeezes an orange; he knows he’ll get orange juice. When we get squeezed by our yoga practice, (maybe holding a pose longer than we would like) Baron asks, what comes out of you? The tendency of students is to exit when they get squeezed by something that happens in a class. The room is too hot, the room is too cold, the yoga is too easy, the yoga is too hard, the yoga is too fast, the yoga is too slow, we always do handstand, we never do handstand, the teacher corrected me in class, the teacher ignored me, etc., etc.. These reactions are your yoga practice. Often the student blames the teacher; making the teacher wrong so that the student can be right. What I’ve offered in this writing is some information to think about as a yoga student or someone considering starting a yoga practice.  

What in your life makes you react? Who or what situation has the power over you to push your buttons? This is your yoga practice. When you are on your mat, your objective should be complete and total equanimity, or “evenness of mind” as defined in our first definition of yoga. An experience, educated yoga teacher can help guide you to that place of equipoise in your practice, thereby empowering you to live a life that is “skill in action”, helping you live your life to its fullest potential. There is not a single pose in yoga that is not intended directly or indirectly to quiet the mind. Having a practice to quiet your mind so that you experience less fear and anger is good yoga. Having a practice that will take you to a place of more freedom and joy; changing your old ways of thinking, this is good yoga. Yoga is so much more than just a way to “workout”. If a good workout is all you’re wanting from your practice, that’s fine; the real transformation however comes from welcoming in all of the timeless teachings yoga has to offer.