I led an Adaptive Yoga workshop this past weekend and thought it would be nice to invite some of my regular students to come share their experience and wisdom with the teacher trainees. The common theme these students shared about my teaching was “freedom.” Freedom to move in and out of a posture, freedom to come out of a shape before the teacher cues it, freedom to close their eyes to focus, freedom to feel heavy and dark emotions. .

One of the biggest frustrations I have about how many Yoga styles are taught is that they replicate the systems of control that exist outside of Yoga spaces. We have so many top down power structures in our culture and unfortunately our Yoga practice is no exception—it’s a microcosm of the macrocosm. As leaders in the field of Yoga, we must expand the practice for the better, not replicate “systems”. Dogma in the name of tradition is still dogma.

Yoga teachers it’s cool to know all of the nuances of your Warrior I cues or to be up on your anatomy game as it pertains to the shoulders and hips etc., but that’s not usually where the rubber meets the road. Like my students shared this past weekend, the simplest things are often the most profound. My allowing room for, and encouraging, them to make their own choices was the most impactful thing they gleaned from me. When I teach, I simply think of myself as a passenger. I hop in the backseat and let the students take us to where it is we are going. After all it’s the journey, not the destination and I really don’t need to drive.