Too Much of a Good Thing?

DISCLAIMER: This is not in any way intended as a criticism of yoga workshops, or of teachers leading or hosting workshops. It’s simply my own, singular experience of being overwhelmed by them.

You know what I’m talking about: workshops. I’m gearing up for 3 days of yoga with senior Iyengar teacher, Joan White. Am I thrilled? Absolutely. Am I also filled with dread? You betcha. I understand that when a senior teacher is in town, you want to maximize the time students have w/ them. At the same time…let’s be reasonable. Take a look at my schedule: tonight, yoga 6-8:30pm, tomorrow, 8:30-11am and 1-3pm, Sunday 9:30-12:30. That’s 10 hours of yoga in 42.5 hours of life. Granted, most teachers, this one included, build in at least 3 hours of restorative and pranayama (breathwork) practice, but inevitably, my muscles and mind are battered by workshop’s end. I guarantee it will be Thursday of next week before I can get out of bed without groaning in pain.

So why do I do it? Because I’m in a teacher training program and it’s a requirement that I attend 3 workshops per year. Honestly, I don’t think I’d put myself through it, otherwise. I simply don’t think it’s healthy to push the body that hard in such a short period of time – it’s an invitation to overwork and injury. Between Friday at 6pm and Saturday at 3pm, I will have done 7 hours of active asana. Maybe some bodies can take it, but mine protests. In the past, I’ve had to get special permission from the visiting teacher to sit out a session and simply observe. I had an injury, so that made it OK, but I got the distinct impression it wouldn’t have been so OK to just say, "I need to sit this one out." There’s a push-through-it-iveness that I’m picking up on; almost like it’s a competition to see who can hold out the longest w/o fatiguing. I am strong and flexible and I do love a challenge, but I’m also trying to learn (and respect!) my body’s limits, and these workshops are not built around that idea.

I don’t know what the answer is – of course you want a great teacher to offer as many classes as possible! The restorative and pranayama practices are key, of course. I wonder about offering a lecture component in place of an asana session? But really, when a fabulous teacher is in town, most people want to see her or him teach, not lecture. I know that my answer – once my teacher training course is completed – will be to only attend partial workshops. Maybe one 2-3 hour asana session and the restorative practice. That’s plenty for me.

And as for this weekend, I will make my personal challenge less physical, and more mental: instead of pushing myself to do it all, I will ask myself to notice when I’ve had enough, and then respectfully say – both to teacher and body, "Enough is enough" and rest.