I often find myself questioning the calm demeanor of the yoga instructors at my gym. They live in the same bustling city I do, grappling for their mere inch of sidewalk space at the crosswalk just like I am, hurrying to class after a chaotic day, just like all of us. How can they maintain such tranquility when I can barely sit still due to my own irritability?
What goes through a yoga teacher’s mind as she guides us through a sun salutation? What thoughts cross her mind when she places her hand gently on my back, adjusting my hips during downward dog? Is she really as instantly enlightened as her agave-nectar-fueled “namaste” suggests?
This video offers a peek into the true thoughts swirling in a yoga instructor’s head during class. “Yoga teachers, in my experience, are just as flawed as everyone else,” my friend Kate, a yoga instructor in California, told me when I asked if yogis inhabit a higher spiritual realm than the rest of us.
“But you’re navigating the same tough world I am! How do you remain so composed and serene?” I asked her.
“I’ll be honest with the class if I’m having a tough day. If you keep it brief, they usually appreciate the honesty—but after that, you have to find your focus because people are paying for your expertise,” Kate explained. This perspective made perfect sense—while I might suspect my yoga instructor doesn’t radiate sunshine all the time, I certainly don’t want her to dwell on her issues throughout the class. Kate added, “I often leave class feeling uplifted, and usually someone will mention they do too, which makes you realize it’s really not all about you.”
Interesting. She does seem pretty grounded and wise about life.
Then she said, “That said, I did have one student who really got on my nerves.”
I knew it!
Some of the standout lines from the video include:
- “If I see one more dude with a bun—not just a ponytail, but a bun! With a scrunchie! And those Birkenstocks. Like he’s some sort of vagabond samurai! And he’s the one turning me down!”
- “Reach up to the sky…like you’re at the airport and got flagged for carrying 150 mls of apple butter in your bag.”
- “Let’s rise into tree pose—if you can recall a tree standing tall and not burned to ashes or clear-cut.”
- “Stay in the moment because there is no future—because the government sold it to the highest bidder.”
- “Just breathe. Your life holds no meaning, and your children’s lives are worth nothing.”
This article was originally published on July 23, 2005.
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