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| I went to another studio because I was at work late and couldnt make it to my regular one.
I was astonished by the lack of dicipline before class. People talking before class, people doing there own thing DURING class. One guy even let a big one rip (I thought it was pretty funny).
The teacher didnt respond at all. I love the dicipline aspect of class. No talking. No doing your own thing during class. If I had my way I would have a machette to deal with those people who steal my peace. 
Edited by Ram 2010-03-15 7:25 PM
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| Heheh, "Let one rip." It happens, right? (My most embarrassing moment on this planet involved doing just that. As an instructor was adjusting me. In STANDING SPLITS. omgomgomg)
I like your response to the lack of "discipline" :-) You seem mellow! I do like it that my studio owner occasionally mentions things like no talking before or during class, but some teachers go overboard. I have one teacher who unabashedly repeats, "no fidgeting! Discipline, please!" over, and over, and over in savasanas. A little overkill. |
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| So talking before class is often totally FINE, depending on the studio. There are some places where it's like a cocktail party in there before class! Bikram sure doesn't care. It can be really fun. It builds good energy in the room. (Just no talking AFTER class.)
Farting is DEFINITELY acceptable! Haha. Just "no silent, no deadly..."
This is a topic that I could go on and ON about, because I can totally see both sides, but I also have a pretty strong opinion.
I've practiced at both types of studios - places where no one puts a toe out of line, at any time, for any reason, and places where people can just behave as they please. The first school of thought says that you ought to teach discipline at yoga and create the perfect space for yoga practice. Okay. The second school of thought says that we're teaching movement, not behavior, and it is MORE distracting to spend time blabbing about "no water, no towels, no fidgeting" than to just teach the YOGA and let the rest fall into place.
I am leaning more and more towards the second school of thought. Fuck the rules! If you teach a good strong yoga class, you will get people to pay attention and move together without constantly parroting, "everyone pay attention..." and "everyone stay together." There are some things that you want to nip in the bud, like talking during class, but that can be done in a positive way without falling back on "rules". Let's say some people in the back of the room are talking during class. The "discipline" school's response is to say: "We don't allow talking here!" That works. The alternate approach is to look back and say something like, "Hey, what's going on, are you working out an escape plan back there?!" and then the culprits smile, laugh, and stop talking. Same short-term outcome (no talking), but creates a very different environment.
The ONLY rules should be: be safe, breathe, and try the right way. Those things will give the MOST benefits for everyone involved.
I know you're totally joking at the end there, Ram, and I really like your attitude, but check out what you just said! You know what Bikram says about people who steal your peace, right? "If ANYONE can steal your peace, then YOU are the loser." So it's very good for you to be surrounded by distracting people - it will help you practice keeping your peace! ;-) Life is FULL of distractions, and what good is yoga if it's not preparation for life?
Edited by thedancingj 2010-03-16 4:01 AM
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| When people talk in my class, I just tell them to hold the tip of their tongue to the roof of their mouth. It stops their talking, they get the message and it adds a bit of fun.
A strong teacher maintains discipline through keeping the students focused and involved. A weak teacher maintains discipline through reprimands, lectures, yelling, humiliating, threats, anger etc. If you want results, you need to tell your students what you want, not what you don't want. (Anyway, you teach behavior best through example, not words.)
If the students are focusing on their breath and on the poses, they simply don't have time to talk or otherwise "misbehave". A teacher needs to bring the focus back to the breath and the pose, not let the badly behaved student take over the class. Verbal reprimands disrupt the flow of a class just as much as the student's talking.
A yoga teacher's job is similar to an orchestra conductor's or a train conductor's: to keep the train moving and on the right track.
For those who want or need external discipline, martial arts or the military might be a better choice than yoga.
Internal discipline comes from practice, not an outside source. Yoga is a great way to develop internal discipline that is based on understanding, awareness and focus and not force.
Edited by jimg 2010-03-16 1:03 PM
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| I'm pretty loosey goosey but there is a studio I sometimes go to and people come in late, sometimes 20 minutes or so, they bring their kids who just sit and play, or run around in the yoga room, after Eagle most of the class sits down and gabs, and one time when I was in Camel, I looked back and some woman was flitting around behind me like Tinkerbell. It's all just part of the wonderful world of yoga, I guess... |
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| Our studio there is talk before class but not during.. Infact if someone talks the teacher will quickly address the situation.
After class the the teacher will like clockwork say when leaving the yoga room leave quietly respecting your neighbors resting in savasina save your conversation for the lobby.
The lobby is where the chatter continues |
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| My two personal favourites have been when someone answered their cell phone (very quickly addressed by teacher) and when someone was receiving and sending texts (teacher didn't see) - I tried (not to successfully) to block it out, which is difficult when they are next to you. |
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| What? A cell phone in class? No one ever brings a cell phone--or even keys or a purse--into class. Unbelievable. And she answered it?
"Oh sorry, I can't talk, I might drown the phone with my sweat from half-locust pose." |
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Veteran
Posts: 149
 
| i thought the whole purpose was to be free for 90mins lol i go so i dont have any obligations |
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| I really like the range of answers esp. JMG's. The teacher who is really focused and aware himself will translate that energy to the students. That was a very astute statment.
I belong to a meditation movement and people there automatically have the respect to be quiet when going into a studio. There no dicipline or signs need to be posted.
Unfortanatly that's not the case with your generic yoga studios where anybody and everyone shows up. (thats a good thing). So I do think there must be signs and there must be some teachers/students willing to enforce this dicipline. When I have a very busy day I want to come to the studio and lay there in some peace. I dont want people talking. And I dont like people doing there own thing in class. People in our society have very little dicipline in there lives and most object to people asking them to follow a few simple guidelines. I dont have any problem with a teacher willing to step on some students toes.
And if that doesnt work I am considering the machette. I think I would get a good response out of that! |
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| Ram,
This is the essence of these kinds of forums, instead you go and visit experts, experts themselves comes to you and give you best suggestions.
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| The other evening a woman was in class and going against the very grain of discipline Bikram tries to instill.
*She was chewing and smacking gum.
*She was continually wiping her sweat and using her towel for grip assistance.
*Her boyfriend doesn't bring water to class in in the middle of a pose she walked up to him with her water and asked if he wanted a drink.
*About 2/3 of the way through, she walked up to the instructor and explained to him why she would be sitting out the rest of the class.
People were looking at the instructor pleading with him to say something to her, but he never called her out on her behavior.
What puzzles me is that especially in our studio, all the rules are explained to new students verbally, are posted in the studio, and are in the ettiquete section of the website.
Edited by CleverYogaName 2010-06-05 3:53 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 149
| all i have to say is wow!!!! my studio is lax but that would never fly |
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Dicipline in class
