Training with an Egotistical Yoga Teacher - Yoga Practice Blog

Training with an Egotistical Yoga Teacher

egotistical yoga teacherBy Amruta Kulkarni, CYT 500

A student who trains with an egotistical Yoga teacher is much more likely to sustain an injury during his or her  practice. An egotistical Yoga teacher is ultimately missing the entire point of Yogic theory, philosophy and practice. Yoga practices are based on an awakening of the divine awareness within our own beings. When this inner divinity is awakened and respected, that sense of respect radiates outward from the core of our beings to everything that we think and do. An egotistical Yoga instructor, who disrespects a student’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual capacities and challenges, is disrespecting the student at a very deep level and putting him or her at risk of harm during the class.

 

The Model Teacher

Your trust is valuable and must be deserved. One of the primary functions of a Yoga teacher is to model ahimsa, or non-violence, towards him or herself and the students. If an egotistical teacher continually disregards a student’s needs and limitations, the teacher is modeling violent behavior toward the students. This is a form of subtle violence that can penetrate a student’s body and mind, thereby encouraging him or her to disregard warning signs of muscle strain or pain. A truly great Yoga teacher will continually remind the students to check in with themselves and follow their own inner guidance during class. This sense of respect will teach the students to respect their own bodies and minds, thus minimizing the risk of injury both on and off the mat.

 

Fallout from Negligence

Training with an egotistical Yoga teacher can lead to permanent physical injuries to one’s joints. Some teachers, who are particularly adept at “performing” advanced Yoga asanas, may be doing just that, performing, in order to satisfy their own egos. An egotistical Yoga instructor may even push his or her students to perform far beyond their own capabilities, in order to boost his or her own ego. This will also put the students at risk of physical and emotional injury. They will also feel a degree of anxiety over feeling unsafe and pushed too hard during class.

 

Dangers of an Egotistical Yoga Instructor

A Yoga student who trains with an egotistical yoga teacher will suffer mental or emotional injuries. This is particularly true during the practice of Kundalini Yoga and advanced pranayama techniques. These techniques affect the balance of our hormones that affect our emotional states. If an egotistical Yoga instructor pushes his or her students to perform pranayama techniques that are too arduous for the student’s level; hyperventilation, agitation, anxiety or even depression may ensue. These are some of the reasons to train with a Yoga teacher, who models non-violence, compassion, and respect in all aspects of his or her classes. To be clear: Training with an egotistical yoga instructor might be considered exciting, like a cult practicing the “choking game” on a dare, but it is dangerous to all participants.

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2 thoughts on “Training with an Egotistical Yoga Teacher”

  1. A truly great Yoga teacher will continually remind the students to check in with themselves and follow their own inner guidance during class. Its really a valuable article, Thanks for sharing!

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