Yoga w/ Victor 5/6-5/12/2024: AMPLIFY WITHOUT BEING AN A**HOLE; Don't be that person in Class

AMPLIFY WITHOUT BEING AN A**HOLE
“Am I the a**hole?”- Marc Beaulac on Reddit, 2018

(This week's newsletter was composed by our dynamic on-demand teacher and full time writer Elinor Cohen. Check out her Instagram HERE and her amazingly empowering advanced & intermediate sessions on our on-demand archives.)

Here’s the scenario: you’ve signed up for a yoga class and you’re all amped to flow. You’ve set your mat down, your water bottle is nice and ice-cold, and your body is ready to get moving. The class gets off to a fine start, and while the teacher is kind, informative, and knowledgeable, the class just isn’t…enough. So you start adding an extra chaturanga here, a handstand kickup there, and all of a sudden you’re kind of doing your own thing. Yes, you’re getting what you need out of the class but it’s no longer the class that was offered; instead, it’s your interpretation of it. Is that okay?

There are varying schools of thought about the “take what you need” / “make it your own” approach to yoga. Some teachers openly encourage students to modify (i.e., add or subtract) according to their needs. Others may not explicitly say it but may make it known that advanced variations are welcome within reason. It could take time to build up a level of familiarity with an instructor to where you feel you can advance comfortably and safely. Others still may prefer that students adhere to the class format as it is offered without much deviation. So what’s a yogi to do?

There’s no hard and fast answer to this one. It’s a case-by-case basis as to how you can do you without disrespecting the teacher, the rest of the students, and the studio space in general. If you’re looking for ways to amplify your practice without being an a**hole, here are some tips:

• Make it make sense. If everyone’s in child’s pose, now probably isn’t the time to do 3 extra sun salutation As. Instead, try holding your down dog or floating up into a headstand, as both are static poses that likely won’t disrupt others.
• Change your gaze in balancing postures. This is a subtle but impactful way to dial up the intensity. Lifting your eyes to the ceiling or closing them entirely could be a really humbling experience.
• Always hold deference to the teacher. Remember that you came to a class to be guided so let yourself be led.
• Don’t. Sometimes the most challenging thing of all is to not amplify at all. Doing exactly what the instructor tells you to do and refraining from putting your own spin on it may be how you’ll advance your practice the most.

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YOGA AT OHHHMMM LIVE VIRTUAL SCHEDULE:

MONDAY: 5/6/2024
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TUESDAY: 5/7/2024
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WEDNESDAY: 5/8/2024
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THURSDAY: 5/9/2024
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FRIDAY: 5/10/2024
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SATURDAY: 5/11/2024
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SUNDAY: 5/12/2024
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Victor Cotto
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