I’ve heard yoga teachers and trainers say things like, “Yoga is not about outcome. We are to be unattached to the results. Yoga is the place to come and just be”.
This idea doesn’t sit well with me. It sounds sort of soothing in a way, I mean “freedom from outcome” – people write songs about that. But that’s not reality, or even respectful to who and what we are as conscious human beings. I believe this not only misrepresents the intention of the practice, but it pretends that ‘not being attached to the outcome’ means there will be no outcome.
There is always an outcome because your current body is always building your future body. We’re designed that way. When a teacher makes ‘no outcomes’ a central pillar of the class she is leading, it is professionally irresponsible and puts her students at risk.
Every student assumes her teacher will correct her if she’s doing something that may cause injury. That’s the main responsibility for any type of “movement” teacher – yoga or otherwise.
Allow me to explain.
Asana Exercises The Body
First of all, the reality is that the asana practice is primarily a fitness practice for the vast majority of Western students. For many, it transforms into a practice of self-discovery and a way to reconnect with themselves through breath, movement, and mindfulness. In this way, Asana is unique in the realm of health and fitness, because it is perfectly able to integrate both.
The body is an extension of the mind and spirit. The body can be a gateway to higher states and to expand consciousness. But for the body to become such an instrument, it must be tuned, strengthened, and refined using specific types of stimulus – not just releasing and relaxing.
“Letting go” is an aspect of the practice, but it must come after effort or it has little value. Yoga teachers and students alike hear this cue during a practice and think it means relaxing in Warrior 2 or Chair Pose will somehow achieve….something. Letting go of the mental stress or emotions is fine – but it’s not a cue that is meant to be taken literally at the level of the body.
Spiritual practice is a discipline, a challenge, intended to expand our capabilities. That kind of letting go” is work and there is an intended outcome and benefits that come from it. Anyone who has embarked on a true “self-development journey” is aware of this, and aware that doing nothing gets you nowhere. This is true of mind, spirit, and body.
Architects & Builders
Second, the body is our temple and we are both the Architects and the Builders.
Architects understand the principles of geometry, physics, the laws of matter, forces and energy transmission. The Architect is the planner that can predict outcomes and results based on solid principles.
On the other hand, the Builders follow the plan as laid out by the Architect. They don’t argue with the architect, they trust the architect, until something doesn’t work. That would indicate that the Architect had an incomplete understanding of the principles and the laws or was unaware of them.
See a BIG problem here? People are unaware that we are the Architects of our own body and its future. The general public doesn’t have the big picture perspective of a master Architect who understands the Biological Laws of the Body and can make a plan that results in a stronger, more resilient body, mind and spirit.
They just build their future body – every day they build it – by the way they use it, with no awareness of what they are building. Then they are surprised when it doesn’t work, when it’s weak, painful, dysfunctional, and finally breaks down.
The Mantle of Responsibility
But there is an even bigger problem. As Yoga teachers, our students assume WE are Master Architects of the body. They come to us to help them understand their body and to be guided toward building a stronger, more resilient body.
But most of us don’t know the principles and laws of body architecture either! We don’t know because it is barely mentioned in our training. We are led to believe that because we learned a lot about the history, philosophy, and various styles of Yoga, it’s enough to not only practice but to teach as well.
Imagine going to school to become an actual Architect and never learning geometry or physics! How successful would you be? How many buildings would fall down before you realized there was something fundamental missing in your training?
This is the devastating realization yoga teachers face. How stressful it must be to carry on posing as a Master Architect of the body, blindly leading junior architects and their faithful builders, and hoping for the best! Not only do you not know where this will lead, but even if you wanted to be a better leader, you simply don’t have the knowledge or the skills to create a better blueprint for your students.
What's A Teacher To Do?
I know there are yoga teachers out there that understand their responsibility and the gaping hole in their education. It’s a very tough problem to solve.
In your sincere desire to do better, you take courses on various body structures, like the pelvic girdle or the shoulder complex. But you still don’t know how to put this information together in a way that guarantees positive results – while also being simple enough for your students to understand and implement.
Without understanding the Biological Laws of the Body, you will never be able to be the teacher and leader you long to be. You’ll forever be searching for the missing pieces, falling prey to unrealistic marketing claims, getting totally confused by all the contradictory opinions and avoiding student questions after class – I know it’s an absolute minefield out there.
And that dream you had of offering workshops and retreats and making teaching yoga your main focus, keeps slipping further away. None of this is your fault! But it puts you in a painful position.
And this is my concern – if this ‘no attachment’ approach continues to become more pervasive, all we will be left with is a bunch of broken down techno human bodies and a dwindling interest in yoga. And I have to do everything in my power to stop that from happening because the power of the practice is too valuable and life changing for yoga teachers and students alike.
If you are a Dharma Driven yoga teacher and found this has put some words to your own reflections experiences and – come work with me and my inspired crew of Activated Asana teachers.
