As a yoga instructor, I think I would probably have a different view of yoga and the benefits of yoga, as compared with the student attending yoga class. Each person would have some quite specific aims and goals that they hope to achieve by practicing yoga and trying to become proficient at it. However, the point of view of a yoga teacher can be different. Let me explain this in detail so that you can get the best out of your yoga class.
What does yoga mean to you?
As a yoga student, you could be thinking about getting fitter or thinner, or leaner. The aim could be to have a more attractive body, or what we understand as attractive in the conventional sense. Some people simply want to feel better and be less prone to illness. For others, becoming stronger, more flexible and having better body balance could be the goals.
Some people attend yoga class because it gives them a sense of calm and helps them relax. It helps them deal with the stresses of their lives and enhances wellbeing. Perhaps learners would try to gauge their progress from month to month to see how they have improved.
Yoga from the instructor’s point of view
Certainly yoga helps people achieve all of these goals to lose inches, become healthier, stronger, leaner and more relaxed. However for a yoga instructor, there is a slight difference in perspective. As someone who teaches yoga to so many, my focus is on the holistic improvement of each of my students.
I look at each student’s health at the organ level. Are the organs functioning better than they were? If an organ was diseased, is it in better health now? I look at the overall improvement of organ function, fitness, and mental wellness combined. Yoga will naturally result in weight or inch loss, improved strength and an enhanced feeling of tranquility. If one is doing the poses and the pranayama properly, these outcomes are expected.
However, for me the inch loss, the relaxation and the enhanced immunity, are all just by-products of the overall, holistic progress that I want to see in my students. Rather than gains (or losses depending upon one’s point of view) made each month, I look at the progress made by each student overall, since they began their yogic journey.
Why and how to tweak your attitude
I advise my students to tweak their attitude to yoga just a little bit – to be focused on the process rather than the outcomes. I would advise students not to aim for singular outcomes such as losing X kg or Y inches or being able to perform certain difficult aasans or postures. I advise students of yoga to commit to and focus on their yogic practice fully and completely. Concentrate on doing the aasans correctly, positioning the limbs and body exactly, and performing the inhalations and exhalations as directed. By becoming more mindful and more involved with the posture, the breathing process, you will be able to achieve more from your yoga class. To put it simply, by not focusing on the outcomes, you will actually get more outcomes from your yoga class!