#12 Not all teachers are created equal

Yoga teachers are a dime a dozen. I'd like to say I'm part of a small, select group but that's not the case. There are as many yoga instructors and teaching styles are there are hair stylists. Unfortunately, people often take more time selecting a stylist than they do their yoga teacher.

If you try yoga for the first time and don't jive with the teacher, don't give up. Try another instructor. Keep searching until you find one you trust. My hate to hear "I tried yoga years ago and hated the experience because of the teacher and gave it up because I thought it was all the same!"

Check and double check credentials, try out a teacher's class before committing, and listen to your instincts before making a final choice. If they don't seem concerned about your back condition, run! Most importantly, remember to build a relationship with your teacher takes time.

Keep these points in mind when searching for your personal 'guru' and you'll succeed in finding one whose style fits just right.

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#11 Change is hard

I'm fortunate enough to have a following of students who have been with me for some years. It's inevitable that I sometimes have to go away on workshops, trainings, or beach vacations and when I do, I find the best replacement teacher I can for my classes.

I make a point of listening to my student's feedback when I return all in an effort to be a better teacher. However, there are some students who've become so comfortable with my style of teaching that that they don't do well when I'm away. No matter whom I get to replace me, even if it's B.K.S. Iyengar himself, they prefer me. I don't let it go to my head; their preferance has less to do about me and much more do to about them. Let's face it: many of us don't do well with change.

The best thing you can do for your yoga practice is to seek variety in your teachers. A fresh perspective can do wonders for your practice.

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#10 Mirroring is a challenge

I can safely say I learned the difference between left and right over 25 years ago in pre-school. So why is it I still have days when I'm caught in class seemingly not knowing the difference?

Overall, I'd say I'm rather adept and comfortable with the whole mirroring teaching strategy: the student's practice a pose while you mirror them so they don't get confused. Simple, right? Not always. Mirroring is especially fun during twists when the student's already having difficulty figuring out how to properly contort themselves. They forget I'm mirroring and try to do what I'm doing instead of what I'm saying. I end up with half the class going to the right, and half the class going to the left and then I can't remember which way I told them to go!

Of course, this doesn't explain the days when I'm simply ass-backwards with my cues. Right-left, left-right. They're the same thing,...right?

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#9 Yoga can hurt you

Let me clarify this statement: Yoga poses, done incorrectly, can hurt you.

Yoga poses done correctly with mindfulness and the guidance of a certified, knowledgeable yoga teacher can be therapeutic. What do I mean by mindfulness? Leave your ego at the door. Don't push past your body's limits in an attempt to out-do the person next to you in class. Or worse: if you feel pain, it's not a good idea to keep going. Listen to your body and remember learning to touch your toes takes time.

Not every pose is right for every body. Don't struggle through Paschimottansana or any other seated forward bend at the expense of your back and SI joint. It's ok to use variations to poses. You're not a lesser person because of it. Repeat: you're not a lesser person because of it!

Follow this advice and yoga will be the blissful, therapeutic, miracle-working practice it ought to be. Don't and your body will suffer. I know because I learned the lesson the hard way.

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#8 We neglect our abs.

Not to generalize here but our Western lifestyle of posture-killing bad habits has made our abs weak. Consequently, many of us are chronic sufferes of back pain. The rest of us are at risk of joining the others in their suffering. THAT MEANS YOU! I can put myself in this group. When I neglect my abs, my back lets me know by a not-so-dull ache.

I'm not saying we all need a six-pack. All I'm saying is.....
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(I'm sorry, I got distracted by the photo)

Where was I?? What we need is core strength to support our pelvis and back in their natural positions. To do this we need to work more on strengthening our abs. How often? As often as we can, daily if possible. Yoga can help. If yoga isn't your thing, do something else but take charge of your health and stop suffering with back pain!

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#7 Fashion matters

Unless you're taking a nude yoga class, all the rage in some parts of North America, I'm of the belief you should keep yourself under wraps. Yoga clothing shouldn't be loose enough to expose your "undercarriage". I've heard stories from friends who, while practicing poses like Natarajasana or Dancer, were given a full view of the guy's wedding vegetables in front of them due to inappropriate clothing.

I'm sensitive to the fact that clothing malfunctions can happen. In a yoga class though one should take special care not to reoffend. I'm not preaching everyone should wear spandex. Loose-fitting clothing can be a blessing when trying to move comfortably through the poses. When clothing is so loose however you may as well not be wearing any, we have a problem. Think of others in class. Think of YOURSELF! Why would you want to spend the entire practice pulling up your itsy tube top or worrying about sweating through a white shirt?

I'm not a prude, I'm simply looking out for those student's of mine who appriciate the little mysteries in the world, or in a yoga class.

**Nude Yoga is growing in popularity these days. Check out this recent article about a studio in Montreal offering it's male clientele exclusively nude classes.

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#6 Riding to yoga is dirty.

In honour of Earth Day 2010 I made an effort to ride to my classes this week. Don't get my wrong, I've riden to work before but have seem to have fallen off the wagon as of late. Oh how I missed my bike!

It seems however to take me less time to ride to and from class than it does to pack up my stuff, lock my bike up, unpack my stuff, pack up again after class, and unlock my bike. I don't suspect this is the case for everyone but it is for me.

Did I mention the helmet hair? I'm pretty low maintenance but the one core essential required when riding to class, close second to a trusty bike lock, is a reliable headband. Don't go riding without one.

Oh, and prepare to get a little dusty if not dirty. My ride home last night was in rain, sleet, and wind. I was left sans rain jacket or windbreaker. When you live where I do, the ride out can be in spring and the ride back in winter. Preparation and layering is the key.

It's also nice to have warm, dry clothes and hot tea waiting for you when you get home.

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#5 Always charge your iPod

When I first started teaching, I never played music. Then I was asked by a student why I didn't. "Other teachers play music", they insisted. I broke down. I started playing music.

It took me years between buying my first "waves crashing on a beach, bells chiming" CD and getting tired of lugging around my CD case before making the switch to the iPod. Oh what a glorious day that was! No more worrying about scratched CDs. I had more space in my gym bag for important stuff like lip balm. I even had an excuse to use the iPod-designated pocket. I must admit, having some mellow vibes to drown out the karate-kicking/club-music/weight-room noise from other parts of the gym is a blessing. It's about creating ambiance where there isn't any.

The one drawback? Forgetting to charge said iPod.

Lesson learned: Don't forgot to charge your Nano or you'll be sure to hear about it from your students...

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Do the Earth some good: Earth Day 2010

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#4 Keep a lint roller on hand at all times

I clean my yoga clothes often enough. I keep them safely stashed away to avoid having them unexpectedly dirtied. I want them ready whenever the next class becons whether I'm teaching or taking a class. I do everything right to make myself presentable when I go out in public. But it's not enough.

You see, I have a dog. Not just any dog. A husky. A white husky. And what colour are most yoga pants? Black. At least my yoga pants are black. I choose black because in my backwards-thinking mind they are easier to keep clean. Except of course when you have a white husky.

I don't allow my dog into my closet. I don't allow my dog up on the furniture. I don't have cloth car seats because fur sticks to them. I do all these things in an attempt to keep the fur off of me but it's not enough.

I once had a guy, a stranger, walk up behind me at the gym water fountain and jokingly say "I see you brought your dog with you". I laughed politely but inside I was cursing!

So now I keep several lint rollers: a large one in the house, a second one in the car, a mini version in my bag. Even though I leave the house "furless" and feeling good about myself, somehow the stuff always follows me. My dog has taught me a valuable lesson: always have a lint-roller on hand...oh, and let go of perfection. No matter how hard you try, perfection will always elude you whether it be in a yoga pose or with trying to keep your clothes immaculate.

Don't get me wrong: I still keep the local shops in business by buying lint rollers.

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#3 Think before you speak

The use of clear, concise language when teaching is a large part of yoga instructor training. You're taught to choose your words carefully or else the students won't "get it". For example, I once went out on a limb and decided not to demonstrate a pose and to rely solely on my expert *ahem* descriptive skills. What resulted was a class of students attempting to practically levitate in Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose), trying to take both feet off the floor, legs straight up in the air...in a beginner class. Picture Dwi Pada Setu Bandha Sarvangasana. You can't because it doesn't exist. Lesson learned: Nothing beats the use of clear anatomical terms and directions, and apparently demos, to get the point across.

I can one-up myself with another true story. I always joke there should be a wall between thinking and speaking. Picture a barrier which allows the communicator to pause, mentally assess what is about to be said, and take that opportunity to modify if necessary. During a class one fateful evening, my wall was MIA. What slipped out of my mouth that night came out of nowhere and without warning: Full-frontal. Before I knew what had happened, I had said it. I'm not sure why and I don't remember what point I was trying to make (--inset your guess here--). I was then faced with a choice: 1. Try to laugh it off, or 2. Pretend like it never happened. I choose the later.

Unfortunately, my slip-up wasn't missed by friends who had attended class. They never let me forget it.

Lesson learned: Take a breath and think before you speak. You never know when your wall may be 'Out-of-Order'.

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#2 Not everyone likes Sanskrit as much as I do

Once while subbing a yoga class for another instructor, I was in the middle of demonstrating a pose when a student abruptly interrupted me to say "Ah, excuse me but we don't understand anything you're saying". I was reminded by the scene in Charlie and the Chocolate factory where Johnny Deep aka Willie Wonka interrupts Mike Teavee mid-sentence to quip "MUMBLER! Seriously, I cannot understand a word you're saying (little boy)!"

I was always careful to include the English names of the poses I demo but now I am extra careful all because of a chance meeting with me very own Willie Wonka. If I could go back and do it all again I'd ask: "Good morning, starshine... the earth says hello!"

*For the record, I don't remember which pose I was demoing. Probably Triang Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana...

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#1 Pedicures are not overrated

No matter how decent I think my feet are looking there's nothing better than a Paschimottanasana (or seated forward bend) to snap me back to reality. I am constantly reminded that my 5'8" frame hides a multitude of sins making my toes look considerably better than when I'm sitting on the floor, inches away from my feet, with all ten toes staring me straight in the face.

Lesson here: Take care of your feet.


*Update (Sunday, April 25th): Thanks to the Hyatt Sillwater Spa Calgary, my feet were soaked, scrubed, and polished to perfection. I was also treated to a glass of champagne. A pedicure doesn't get any better than that! I was also gratefull for the spa's exceptional customer service, lovely atmosphere and chance for some downtime.

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