By 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.
© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
To see our selection of Yoga instructor courses and continuing education courses for specialized Yoga certification, please visit the following link.
https://aurawellnesscenter.com/store/
Click here to see our online Yoga Nidra teacher training course.
Are you an experienced teacher looking for YACEP credits or continuing education?
Subscribe to Our Newsletter for Special Discounts and New Products
Related Resources
52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen your Practice
by Rina Jakubowicz
A Relaxing Way to De-stress, Re-energize, and Find Balance
by: Gail Boorstein Grossman
YOGA: THE PATH TO HOLISTIC HEALTH
by B.K.S. Iyengar
TEACHING YOGA: Essential Foundations and Techniques
By Mark Stephens
See our testimonials to find out what our graduates have to say about teaching therapeutic yoga sessions and our selection of online yoga teacher training intensive courses. To see our complete selection of affordable yoga instructor certification programs, please click on the courses and products button in the navigation bar in the upper left section of this page.
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!
A Yoga student who trains with an egotistical teacher will suffer mental or emotional injuries. Thanks for this valuable post.