Thursday, 9 October 2008

New to yoga? Shop around for a teacher

This post is prompted by a conversation at the end of class today when we were sharing feedback. It was one guy's very first yoga class and for this reason I advised him to try as many different classes and teaching styles as possible.

He seemed surprised by my suggestion, should we not stick to one teacher? he queried. Well yes, undoubtedly this is good advice. As we progress in yoga it becomes necessary to focus and define our practice and make a commitment to our teacher or style of yoga. This echoes the classic Hindu gurukul system of education, whereby a student or seeker would attach themselves to their master, often in a residential context in order to recieve guidance and instruction.

However, at the start of one's yoga journey it is worth exploring a little; after all we have in the West an abundance of different approaches to yoga. When I found yoga I was fortunate to be living in London. Within a fortnight I had clocked up yoga hours in Sivananda, Kundalini, Ashtanga vinyasa and Scaravelli styles. Phew! Even those classes I did not enjoy were helpful in the sense of letting me know more what I did.

I wish all new yogis maximum joy and excitement as embark upon their yoga journeys
Namaste.

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