Many people learn yoga or probably MOST people learn by attending a class at the local YMCA, gym, or upscale yoga studio. Classes can be wonderful if you find a skilled, patient instructor who provides clear instructions. Your class should be small enough so your instructor has time to give every participant at least a minute or two of individualized guidance. Otherwise, you might has well watch a yoga DVD.
Unfortunately, one drawback of attending a class that fits your schedule and budget may be the particular personality and outlook of the yoga instructor. A yoga instructor who lives the core principles and tenets of yoga should be calm, relaxed, flexible, and accommodating to his or her students. Such is not always the case! One of my work colleagues was "kicked" out of her weekly evening yoga class this past week. That's how she described it!
My friend takes certain medications prescribed by her doctor that can cause her to be drowsy at different times during the day. Needless to say, during an evening class, the relaxation she enjoys through yoga sometimes has caused her to doze off and snore, to her teacher's great chagrin. Granted, snoring could be disturbing, however, this instructor seemed to be a bit more irritated and rigid than a "centered" yoga instructor should be, based on my colleague's tales of discomfort in this particular class.
My also colleague revealed that after a few episodes of dozing off in class, the instructor relegated her to the classroom closet during the meditation segment of the class. Imagine, in the middle of a yoga class, lying in a dark closet covered by a blanket, to avoid disturbing others! After months of classes, the instructor finally decided that my colleague just didn't fit in...
This past Tuesday, as diplomatically (sort of) as she could, she strongly encouraged my colleague to find another class. Well, at least she was slightly more sensitive than my modern dance instructor in college who asked me if I had ever exercised, at all (or something along those lines). My conclusion? If you do yoga at home, you will never be kicked out!
Yoga Quote of the Day: "The benefits of physical Yoga are very great. Not only do they far surpass those of any system of self-improvement for the body (calisthenics, jogging, isometrics, competitive sports), but they extend also to the emotional and mental asepcts of the individual." ~Richard Hittleman