The number of yoga teachers and styles can seem astronomical. Sometimes so much so that it's hard to motivate yourself to start a series of tests to find sessions that suit you. But it is possible. It is possible to find your Yoga teacher match. Here are 3 points to help you make your choice.
The Yoga teacher's values
If you ask teachers what their values are, many will answer in a similar way, sharing their passion for Yoga and the perspectives offered.
The secret is that it's not a question of what the teacher's values are, but of what values are applied in the sessions.
We all have lots of values in our heads, but which ones guide our choices, our way of communicating and connecting with others and ourselves?
Exercise: Write down the values you would like to see applied in a Yoga class. Kindness? Consent? Gentleness? Challenge? Severity?
2. Do you feel comfortable during the Yoga session?
Self-inquiry through postures or other approaches is a very intimate and intense adventure. It asks a great deal of us, emotionally, in terms of our capacity for introspection, openness and letting go.
Feeling comfortable enough to be yourself and to let go in complete safety has a lot to do with the quality of your session.
3. What do you feel is the most intutive?
Let's say we put aside society's suggested expectations and desires : what is it that really suits you?
We're told that inner well-being requires intense activity, sweating and cramps, physical goals and achievements, but is that really all there is?
Intuitively, some people will thrive on a gentle, meditative practice, others on an intense, invigorating, cardiac practice, and still others will do a bit of both. But what about you? If no one or your inner societal voice could judge you or suggest what you should like or be, what would suit you or complement you best?
- Yoga teaches us that our value does not depend on what our body can do or not do, can feel or not feel. Nor that are we defined by achievements or ambitions.
Based on your response and your feelings, you can choose a teacher who shares your energy and interest. So that the atmosphere of the class matches your intuive attraction. Therfore whatever style the teacher proposes, whether tonic, physically demanding or gentle, you'll feel in tune with the teacher's approach naturally Yin or Yang.
These three points can help you in your search and your reflections. Beyond the style of postural yoga or lineage, finding a teacher with whom you share values and interests and whith whom you are comfortable, happy and serene can make all the difference.
Marie Mazeau, Lifexploratrice, certified full-time Yoga teacher in Paris, specialising in gentle, joyful, educational and meditative sessions online, one-to-one, in associations, companies and studios.