Yoga Students Pressured to Buy Extras
Long-time yoga practitioners are experiencing discomfort and frustration due to instructors consistently pushing them to purchase additional products and services, creating a feeling of obligation and undermining the practice's intended benefits. This pressure detracts from the core value of yoga and impacts mental wellbeing.
SOURCES (60)
“Hey yall im dealing with a herniated disc and its kinda taken over my whole life honestly I had a massage at massage envy and got pressured into a membership like a fool ik Its a service I genuinely thought I could use because i…”
“It works on me every day. Even when I’m not on the mat. I just had to say this have a good day. submitted by /u/RealDrugDealer [link] [comments]”
“We have been having some discussions recently in the yoga teacher sub [ r/YogaTeachers ]( r/YogaTeachers ) about noticing steady declines in yoga class attendance with many citing high / rising class costs amidst an increasingly expensive world and many simply not being able to afford yoga classes, particularly with how much "free" content is available online, among other factors. I'm curious, here among this more general yoga audience, what a yoga class costs on average where you”
“Can you tell me about how you consistently did yoga not in a class? I sometimes find it hard to do it at home because it’s not as enjoyable (for me) as doing it with everyone else in a class. but I’m trying to save some $ and do yoga at home more. any tips? resources? i currently use ther MadFit app and i think it’s great :) thanks <3 submitted by /u/Signal-Cow-3524 [link] [comments]”
“Hello fellow, yogis, My life has been dramatically changed since I started regular yoga practice about three years ago. I lost weight, got stronger, my mental health benefitted tremendously. On top of that I made friends with the people at my small studio. Yoga was my lifeline. A few weeks ago I was injured at work. I have a MRI tomorrow- workman’s comp approved my claim immediately. I fear it’s a herniated disc due to the symptoms I am having. As an athletic woman who needs to be outdoors to do”
“Hello yogis, I’ve been practicing yoga for 20 years with various teachers and studios. It’s a humbling and joyful journey, and I’m deeply grateful for the gifts yoga has offered to me. As a student and member of my studio’s community, I try to be as respectful as possible during class. I would hate to be doing something that is annoying or bothersome to both my teachers & fellow yogis. I know I struggle with some behaviors from my fellow yogis and try to practice an open mind and heart inste”
“So I have got a new male yoga teacher. I have been practicing yoga for past 3-4 yrs, sometimes in a studio, sometimes with a private tutor. They mostly did verbal correction or sometimes no correction. In studios there used to be cards to choose whether verbal or physical and even so teacher's touch would be minimal. Now this new teacher is teaching well but he always corrects me physically and never asks. Like he would use his legs to help me bend and stretch backwards while sitting. Someti”
“I’m about 25 years into an on-again-off-again relationship with yoga and it’s very much “on” at the moment. I’ve gotten into hot yoga, practice about twice a week and love it. The only thing I don’t love is that as I’ve aged & the magic of perimenopause, and probably because of the hot room too, the vasovagal syncope syndrome (fainting/near faints) I’ve had since childhood is acting up more and more. I can’t lift my arms over my head much or I get lightheaded, can’t shift from a down dog to”
“Those of you that include this in your practice, how do you maintain count aside from mentally counting as you go. Id rather focus on breath than numbers. submitted by /u/chowderpouch [link] [comments]”
“Both the setups are very different. My batches are smaller, I correct postures personally and try to give each student proper attention. I can only take limited students in each batch, so pricing too low just to match gyms can make it harder to scale the studio sustainably and this also would leave me with no profits, not even break even. I am at a position where I am handling all the admin and teaching work to keep costs down and grow my business in next few months.. so when people push back on”
“I’ve been on a health journey which has included the goal of 30lbs weight loss which I have now achieved. I want to stop focusing on weight and have some yoga “goals”. Mostly yoga for me is about switching off and enjoying the movement but I would like to do wheel pose again as I had some years of practice. Currently I just don’t have the arms strength/back flexibility. I also want to set out to practice at least 4 times a week, I go to class twice a week but the rest of the week is hit or miss”
“Hey there, folks. I’ve been really struggling with my identity lately, who I am outside of work, and what my interests are. One of the things I’m trying to return to is my yoga practice. I started practicing about 20 years ago and was instantly hooked on the calmness it brought me. I felt like I connected not just with the asana practice, but learning about the philosophical side as well. I even became certified to teach in 2016. However, around the pandemic I really fell away from it. A lot of”
“Cause mine has. It went from a yoga studio forever (over 15 years) to like 1/2 or more classes of Pilates which are done by mostly 20 something's I live in a college city so that's fueled it in part. I guess I have a few questions. Is Pilates like the new exercise for Gen Z females? Just trying to get scope on this phenomenon It's potential shelf life etc It's definitely a different energy now submitted by /u/iliketocongratulate [link] [comments]”
“So around 2013 I had this favorite YouTube video of a yoga practice I really loved. Since then life and work and kids and health issues happened and I have hardly moved my body in years. Anyways, I am looking to get back into it and this video would be such a safe place to return to for someone who has zero confidence in what my body can do. I have tried and tried but I can’t fint the video. If anyone knows what I’m talking about I would be so grateful. Here is what I (think) I remember: - I bel”
“So I have been dealing with some injuries, lower body and shoulder, and I am doing yoga more because I have been pretty tight. I noticed I am so tight that for child's pose and lotus I need some blocks to support the stretch because I am so tight. Any tips or just practice more? submitted by /u/femamerica13 [link] [comments]”
“I saw on a podcast that it has the ability to improve posture through breathing because of the way the lungs fill during diaphragmatic breathing or something like that, is that true? I've been experiencing pain in my quadriceps when meditating sitting cross-legged. submitted by /u/Stock_Bandicoot_5863 [link] [comments]”
“Anyone in the pose anatomy know? I have sore ribs when I sleep or breathe. I would like to rest from whatever aggravated the injury. Pretty sure I only did yoga today. Which poses were most likely to have strained my ribs/intercostal muscles: seated half spinal twist, revolved extended side angle pose, extended arm side plank, peacock? I employed a degree of purchase for both the twists (seemed within comfort), but I also tried to extend the hold for both the peacock and the side plank. su”
“I’m pushing 70 but still enjoy Vinyasa style yoga. I admit my knees are not what they were when I was younger. However I can still keep up and do 98% of the poses. submitted by /u/Wonderful-String5066 [link] [comments]”
“I really like video sequences for general guidance through structured routines and calming atmosphere, but i feel like every instructor is rushing me through the routine. They say to hold a pose for 5 breaths, and then move on in the time it takes me to complete 4. I dont want to stop my practice to pause the video, but I also dont want to cut the pose short or lag behind. Are my breaths too long, if this is a consistent issue across different instructors? Is there an actual problem wit”
“So I'm about 6 months into my yoga practice, and after using a $30 piece of foam I had sitting around the house from my kiddo's Zoom "gym" classes from the covid lockdowns for the first three three months, and finding it cushy but slippy, I decided to splurge and get a Liforme XL. For context, i'm 6'3" (& 50YO), so I wanted a mat that was a bit longer than usual. I have been doing yoga 3X a week at my gym (mix of slower hatha classes and somewhat moderately pac”
“Hi! I’ve recently started attending a lot of yoga classes, and have noticed that a lot of the people there are already very established with the poses and can go upside down. I wasn’t able to do so, but the instructor still pushes me to do it, which motivates me to reach the level where I’m comfortable with executing most positions. I’m someone who’s naturally flexible, and I want to get actual guidance on how to get good at yoga in a structured way, as many studio classes don’t really offer tha”
“I’m not sure if it’s my area I live in, or a yoga trend or just the general movement away from anything slow and long. I.e. in the same vein as shorter classes, like how 90 mins used to be the norm and now it’s 45 or 60. It’s been a while since I have practiced regularly in studios. I practiced for 10 years in studios before doing my 200-hour, and taught only a short time before moving away and focusing on my home practice. I am amazed at what studios call a “slow flow” class around me… they are”
“No, the purpose of the postures is to prepare the body to be able to sit in meditation. And the postures do NOT need to be perfect. It’s supposed to be a practice, an ongoing practice, and benefits are reaped at every stage. If you need to use a block and a strap forever, there’s nothing wrong with that and your practice is not worse or less beneficial for it.”
“Thanks for the tips! I do have a gym near me that offers yoga classes 3x a week so I think im gonna look into that”
“Not really but I tend to burnout very easily. I usually did 20-30 mins but as time went on it started feeling like a chore so I did 5 minutes and half assed it until I quit”
“You heard it here first no yoga is being done during the day. That directly contradicts what I saw when I was there. Yes, it’s practiced first thing in the morning but saying no yoga is done during the day in India is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard”
“Yin yoga should not be practiced in a heated environment. The point of yin is to get into the tissue. But when you heat your body, you end up loosening your muscles instead. So it defeats the purpose of the class altogether and puts you at higher risk of muscle strain. It's also dangerous to practice yoga in heated spaces. It makes you more susceptible to injury, dizziness, heat exhaustion, and dehydration. Not sure what autoimmune disease you have, but hot yoga can aggravate inflammation an”
“Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. Yes, it's a specific hot yin yoga class that's near where I live. I'll definitely go earlier then and try chat to the instructor, might even call to the venue beforehand if that's an option. It does sound like it might be a good starting point for me given how out of shape I am. ( had full hysterectomy last year so haven't been up to much since then other than walking) I'm excited to get going and try get back to good heal”
“Hi there! I think yin is an excellent class for what you describe- the long held poses give you a bit of time to adjust and find what feels like a comfortable and sustainable pose to hold to you. I work a really physical job on my feet all day long, and my yin/slow flow class at the end of my workweek really helps me keep mobile. A lot of yin classes use props like blocks and blankets to adjust poses that might not accommodate injuries or even just people with different proportions, like when yo”
“This is big! I personally do this with the programming my cosch gives me. I know enough to know what I can sub out and still be achieving the same or near same stimulus And I make sure my clients know they have options too. Because choice, and getting to choose what the individual finds fun or stimulating (and thus doing thr move is self rewarding) is going to build way better fitness habits and routines than a program that is strict, no matter how perfectly set up it is for goal achievement”
“You can lay, or sit, with your arms crossed and your palms resting on your shoulders (kind of like a self hug) Everybody's anatomy is different, so your palm placement may vary - just do what's comfortable What this does is turn off your respiratory accessory muscles in the neck and allows you to naturally breathe diaphragmatically, bringing you back in to a parasympathetic state (rest & digest) Its not the EXACT adjustment you mentioned, but can give a very similar experience. And a”
“An old studio I used to love that shut down had different sized sandbags for this purpose. The instructor would come around and place them on the lower back in people in child’s pose or shoulders in savasana, or encourage us to use them wherever we liked. Once she put one on top of my feet during let’s up the wall pose and it was amazing, my Achilles heels opened up like woah. Thanks for the reminder I should get some! Ha maybe this would work for you too”
“That’s amazing about the recovery !! For some reason the heart just recovers faster in that half forward fold with your head looking straight out. When you tuck your chin, keep it tucked an exaggerated time until you reach your next posture. It’s sooooo helpful honestly. Hard habit to get into but 10/10 recommend lol”
“The right way is the way older teachers show because they know what causes injuries. My oldest teachers taught me the positions that would protect my joint in the long run.”
“Simple single leg balance routine while waiting in a line or for the blender to finish its cycle. It can be very subtle such as barley lifting one foot off the ground, hold it foe 3 to 5 breaths and then do the other side.”
“I hold a lot of tension so, to relax, I use a technique I learned in pre-birth classes. I start at the top of my head, moving down to each body section and consciously relax. Then I do box breathing to stay relaxed. That also helps me to be closer to meditative so I don't let my thoughts wander to other things that may stress me out.”
“Do you practise much at home? Not just in training sessions but using the learning through the day, so she gets a lot of practise and repetition. Like, we would usually have a little training session in the mornings before breakfast but all through the day I'll ask for things, like sit or down, heel, mancave (crate)... while I'm doing stuff, walking around and even going from room to room, inside to outside ... easy, but also improving and extending how well he will do it. Or 'bed”
“I had to fight a bit for classes, challenging to get a full class load especially at one studio, the vibe is independent contractor instructors”
“It's a constant stream of minor insults that accumulates to the fatigue. Ordering an xray isn't the problem but it's the reinforcement in the patient's mind that they need an xray and that indirectly I supported the chiropractor which slightly reinforces his nonsense to begin with. Also a small but measurable risk that I just took on.”
“I wear shorts and sports bra pretty much every day from April-September as do most people at my studio. They make reformer towels that I bring with me since I don’t like my skin directly on the reformer when I wear crop tops but I also bring a towel when I lift weights at the gym because I don’t like my skin on the weight bench.”
“Just document the skilled instruction you gave during those 30 minutes. If you're truly hitting a wall, look into adding more specific neuromuscular re-ed or manual techniques to justify the extra time.”
“Could be muscular, could be pinching nerves, for many people it's wrist development that doesn't support full loading. General rule: if it hurts don't do it (or support/modify it so that it doesn't hurt) I'm on the nerve compression and sad connective tissue side of the load bearing spectrum so I avoid those poses, but for people without nerve pinching I often suggest using those pushup assisters (bars??) or using fists instead of palms like you might in”
“Work on suctioning the ground with your hands and fingers (grip while keeping the hand in contact with the ground), and then for plank try to externally rotate your humerus a little bit. That will keep your arm and scapula in a healthy place. Keep your elbows mostly straight, and don’t hyperextend if that’s a category you find yourself in. A lot wrist issues are from simply dumping the weight into wrists and not observing the other joints leading up to the wrist”
“Lots of good advice here. I offer you this . . . I have chronic tendinitis on my right wrist due to way too many complex excel spreadsheets!! I use G-Loves and they are a game changer. My table top, bird dog, plank, side plank, down dog, etc. are so much more doable. I also do strength training and focus on my shoulders and upper arms a couple times a week which helps my wrist strength.”
“Part of yoga is practicing non-judgement. Think of your poses more as in alignment or out of alignment rather than "cringe." Start this pose in plank. Line up your shoulders over your hands. Then push back toward downward dog. Keep your knees bent and butt pointing to the sky. Only then extend your knees and press your heels toward the ground to your ability (till you feel the stretch). You are looking back at your feet. Your gaze affects the ali”
“I know with knee pain for me it mostly stopped when I started PT and strengthened up my quads in particular but also my glutes and hammys. I think it's worth seeing a personal trainer or physiotherapist to get some specific strengthening exercises for your body.”
“This is a way to place your hands for downward dog but I’m not sure I have the language.. chair u should feel no pain in the back, all the engagement should come from your abs, thighs and glute muscles, many people drop far too deep putting a lot of pressure on the lower back, don’t do that, tuck tail bone slight bend in the knee as u drop slightly! You will feel the muscles engage without pressure on the back, if you feel anything in your back you have lost the”
“I highly recommend counter stretches for your wrists or even using light weights to counter the yoga positions of Down dog and table top. I’ve found that yoga is fabulous for showing me where my weak muscles are. I had a sore psoas muscle for a couple of months, sore wrists for a couple of weeks, you get the picture. I’ve worked to strengthen those. You may need to see a dr and/or physical therapist to get specific exercises.”
“Find a Iyengar teacher or mentor who will work with you. Last time I did we spent 2 hours on DD. I hurt everywhere the next day!”