The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Benefits of Hot Yoga › Bulletproof Yoga
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I started going to Bikram Yoga classes in December 08. I am completely addicted to this relaxing and invigorating workout. I have a very stressful and fast-paced day job, and I try to as much as possible practice Bikram daily or minimum 5 times a week. It has worked
wonders with regards to getting rid of stress and giving me confidence both in mind and body. I have also experienced so many countless benefits such a better skin, lack of insomnia and improved bowl movement, the last being such a relief since I have had constipation most of my adult life. I can only go on and on about my love for Bikram. Recently I changed studios mainly because it is closer to my work and home and while the benefits are still the same I have experienced something negative, one of the instructors. I consider myself very thick skinned and have gone through so many tough situations in my life but it appears that my armor has been failing me. I go to class with a very open but bulletproof attitude and let me clarify:1. The smells, noises in the room don’t bother me.
2. I don’t drink water except during designated water breaks.
3. I do not wipe my sweat and rarely fidget.
4. I don’t care or mind if others drip sweat on me
5. I don’t mind or care if the room is crowded or mat to mat
6. I don’t care how hot it is my body loves the heat.My last class I cried. My instructor managed to stress me out. Throughout the whole class the instructor had a mocking and reprimanding tone towards someone for their breathing or their hand positioning or something. When someone grabbed some water or wiped their sweat the instructor would literally stop class and call them by their name and ask them to stop. As for me throughout the class the instructor would stop by and make comments like “Why are you already in this stage of the pose when you haven’t gotten this right?” “Look at the person next to you how they are doing it and do the same”, “How can your position be this way you are supposed to be in the front row doing it right! get it right!”. I suppose I won’t be going in front row again. I don’t feel I was singled out either. I feel so bad that I was emotionally affected this way and ruined my mood for the
day.Maybe if I had anticipated this type of teaching method I would have been prepared but I was caught off guard. The first time I attended class with this instructor I might have been shock so I mentally didn’t digest it like the second time. I already work in a high competitive and stressful environment, why did my bulletproof attitude fail me that time? Is it common for some instructors to push you mentally as such? Was it just a coincidence that I had relatively laid back instruction and that this is a more common method? Does anyone have any advice for me to cope with this better in the future as I have no intention of moving studios or avoiding that instructor’s schedule as that almost seems immature of me.
I’m a newbie but I feel one should not be mocked in class by an instructor. Also the comment to look at the person next to you and do the same, how are you to know that that person is in the pose?
I’m loving this hot yoga but if I feel I’m abused by an instructor I’m walking out of the class and will make the owner of the studio aware of the situation.
In my studio not everyone in the front row gets every pose rightI think it is so important to bring some meditation into your practise. I’m not quite sure if this type of attitude is conducive to a community feel in the class and not good for meditation! :down: I have not experienced this from an instructor yet but if I thought someone was being humiliated I would have to inform the owner. I can understand why you were so upset.
This particular instructor appears to be bringing personal issues into the studio, into the instruction, and thus into the experience of each student.
I was going to say that you have chosen the right word–bulletproof–to describe the state of being you’d have to develop to tolerate that instructor. But then I remembered that some years ago I encountered an instructor at our local health club (it was the Bikram sequence) who, without even saying anything, gave off a strong aura of disapproval and condemnation toward anyone who couldn’t do all the poses fully and correctly, or who stopped to rest. I ended up moving on out of that environment and away from him.
The psychic energy it would take to put up a wall between your instructor’s angst and your own emotions might take too much away from your practice.
If an instructor in my studio did what your instructor has done, I would definitely report it fully and concisely to the owner.
Bikram himself, I read, at times is rather hard on students … but apparently he does it with grace, humor and good intentions.
Wow GalaYogini, sorry to hear this.
Both Gabrielle & I have had personal experience of this many years ago and though there WAS no other studio to go to, we did modify our schedule where we could.
If there is a flaw with with the way hot yoga is sometimes presented, it seems to be the “right” that some teachers have assumed they have to be violent in their communication.
In my view, we don’t give them permission to treat us like this – it is NOT what we enrolled for – let alone the whole issue of being commercially savvy with customers.
So I would definitely present my views to the owner (we did this in our case and it did not work at all! But better to have spoken up than not at all).
I could tell a story where the whole class was stopped while Gabrielle was publicly berated for doing something …
Frankly it is your practice, so as long as you are practicing safely, no instructor has the “right” to behave in a negative derogatory manner just because this is what they learned was “OK” at training.
We believe that people will work just as hard if you provide encouragement and motivation towards goals, rather than humiliating them and “punishing” them.
And finally – it IS a great opportunity to practice “Pratyahara” or withdrawal of attachment to the senses and see if you can allow this instructional style to be the very thing that drives you deepen into your own meditation.
Luckily, most teachers are not like this – however, you might be interested to read Gabrielle’s “Shock Report” she wrote last year as it gives a lot more detail than I can here!
Do report back – we’d love to know if the issue is still alive for you!
Namaste
Robert
ufatbasted I agree here fully that looking at another person is not as helpful because I am not experienced enough to tell if the pose they are in is correct. In addition, moving my head around as I did in that one instance when the instructor commanded me too hurt my neck. I have also observed that not everyone in the front row of my class seems ‘perfect’.
Becks I am glad you understand why I was upset, at the same time I want to work get past it. I probably should take your advice and speak to the owner.
Rebecca, thank you for sharing your experience and for your advice as well.
Robert, I appreciated your post. While I have the option of going to another studio there are various other reasons why I love the one I am currently in albeit this particular instructor. I will read further about Pratyahara as this is definitely the kind of advice I was looking for initially. I cannot thank you enough for pointing out Gabrielle’s shock report. It was quite the eye-opening read! I have experienced some ‘signs’ and there is quite a bit of extremely valuable advice there. The report also made me realize that I might have some more important issues to work through. Needless to say I hope no one at that studio ever comments about my cookie eating habits!!!! Yikes.
I went to class immediately the next morning after this incident hoping that this instructor would not be there but no luck with that. A part of me was a bit glad though because I wanted to try to be able to get past it and not let it take away from my love of the energy in class. I decided I was still going to plant myself in the front row and performed the best session that I could. When that same instructor stopped by to comment on my less than perfect pose I would softly comment ‘someday I will get there’. To me it helped the over achiever in me to speak aloud that I was OK with my imperfection today, I am aware of it and will continue to improve in the future. I believe the instructor was a bit taken aback possibly and let me be. It was still quite the challenge tuning out the tirade imposed on other students.
Its great to read from all that I am not the only one with such an experience and I am very grateful that you have shared your thoughts with me.
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