Bow Down to the Yoga TeacherBruce Katz / Amelia Island Plantation-MCT-Getty ImagesGreg Gumucio, standing, leads a yoga class at his studio, Yoga to the People, in New York.
Marco, the tattooed instructor at the front of the room, is all charisma. He stalks; he pounces; he perches on my back as he corrects my Janu Sirsasana pose otherwise known as a forward bend. “If you tell it to me from your mind, I’m not interested,” he announces, to begin the class. “That’s just drama. I’ve got my own drama.” It can be difficult to exit the studio when Marco’s class is over: people lingering to talk to him block the door.
An article on Yoga in Newsweek- you do not see that very often. They are certainly trying to stir the pot in the yoga world, and sell magazines. As a yoga teacher, I certainly tend to defend teachers and find myself schlepping off what they are suggesting. The reality is though, when we find ourselves defending ourselves from criticism, that there must be some truth to it. Some truth to yoga teachers having egos? Certainly. The main take away from the article is that yoga teachers are people too.
As a yoga teacher, it is important to maintain a personal practice as a student of yoga along side your teaching. As we share yoga we can share from our personal struggles as well as our successes.
Thanks for sharing this article. It is always great to have an opportunity for self reflection.
-Bryan
