Yoga Teacher Pet Peeves (Part 1) with Byron de Marsé

0:00 All right, listen up everyone, Paul Byron and myself have been working so hard on putting together a platform dedicated specifically to yoga teachers. And the good news is it's almost ready for you soon. This platform is going to be publicly released but we want to actually make a special offer to those who have been dedicated to following us since the beginning. So that's a lot of you listeners right now. We want to make a special offer for you. And if you are interested in

0:28 being one of the founding members, Hours of this going pro platform, then you're going to have an opportunity to do. So. All you need to do is just go into any of the description of any episode and you'll be able to sign up to the waitlist for this going pro platform.

0:42 So that you can take advantage of this offer will hope to see you there. All right. Here we go. We are live with Bayern and Michael. We're going to be talking about some yoga stuff today and we actually got some feedback from the last episode that we needed to be a little bit more.

0:58 What's the word cunning cunning little bit more to the point? Yeah, to the point authentic, with how we really feel about edgy edgy. Yeah. So for that reason, we are going to do exactly that. You ask and we will deliver. So we're going to talk about some pet peeves. Things that piss us off.

1:15 Bother us when it comes to yoga. The be the teacher, or the student and to start breaking that down. Maybe you'll relate with some of these, maybe you won't, maybe you'll be like, I don't really get that one. But either way, we're going to be bold and beautiful to say how it is. Yeah, welcome to the going pro.

1:30 Yoga podcast, nugget series. My name is Michael Henry and I'm Byron de Marseille and these short 15 minute episodes. We're going to be answering some of the most common questions in the yoga industry so you can walk away with the answers in a short period of time. That's right.

1:45 Michael with each topic that we I choose will be discussing it from two different perspectives, the teacher, and the student. I'll be approaching these questions as a physiotherapist or physical therapist with over 10 years experience treating.

1:57 So the most common and complex injuries. And my guidance will be from the perspective of having taught 7000 classes, roughly 10,000 hours over 10 years. Welcome to our podcast. So, what should we start with Byron? What do you think teachers of all? I just get pissed off.

2:13 I get fucking pissed off. You know, I just all kinds of It happening all the time and thank God for yoga because it's helped me to calm my nervous system. Take a few deep breaths in these moments and realize that the world is perfect as it is and accept. Those previously mentioned things. That would make me angry right now, speaking to specific pet peeves, as a yoga teacher.

2:43 Wow, I mean some of them are quite comical actually, because we're talking about what just bothers me, which can be something so personal, you know, might not bother everyone. I'm sure some will be pretty obvious. But let's just start with. We're talking about you as a teacher what pisses you off or what's a pet peeve for you?

3:02 What you see with students just to be clear. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So teaching several thousand classes over 10 years time you collect. You are. Let's say, adopt a certain preference for the way that you like the environment. You're too polite and sorry.

3:20 Yeah, except the market. So let's start with the obvious thing students show up late. Okay? Students show up late, and it's just a pet peeve because the thing about students showing up late and honestly, it's not, every time it's, it depends on the situation.

3:38 But if it's habitual and the same people are showing up late over time. Then you start to notice a pattern. And for me, at least and for many yoga teachers, we get into this business because we really want to help people change the people that want to change at least. And so yoga is a way to recognize all kinds of things within the actual practice of yoga. But even your habits coming into yoga leaving yoga mat. This is all yoga practice.

4:06 So, to me, it's them, not paying attention to that. And then there's the other side of that, which it's not about, Mm. It's about me and maybe there's a little bit of me that feels disrespected. The reason is because it's sucks.

4:20 A little bit of my energy, my bandwidth. If I have a hundred percent energy going towards my students that are there and then all of a sudden 10% of it might go over there or 20 or 30. You see someone walking in even if it's like quietly. It's like hard, not to notice that. Yeah, and, you know, I gotta say that it's glamour, that I'd still rather the person come then not because maybe it's Going to take 50 times for them to figure it out. And that's okay.

4:47 They needed to go through those 50 times. I'd rather it be with me, right? Then another teacher. So so what do you? What do you do up to the 49th time? Are you grinding your teeth? Just being like, are they gonna learn those one more time?

5:00 Yeah. I mean, I used to have a friend and teacher / Mentor fetus fetus is a teacher in Santa Monica. And his classes were so packed that he had no problems. Just locking the door and just turn. You away. Alright. For this exact reason. That's the simple way.

5:16 Yeah, just turn you away and not be rude about it. Just you weren't on time. Yeah, any kind of quit doing that after a while gaining a reputation of you would also do other things. Let's not get into that. I'm so yeah. Students showing up late.

5:29 That's good. It's interesting that he did it that way because then it helps to train your students. Hmm. So, even if you did start unlocking the door, they would just know. I can't show up for that class. I'm not going to get in right?

5:39 Yeah, yet pretty brilliant. When they have 80 people, every class. Yeah, yeah for sure. Yeah, and then you know, a bit if you're dealing with like building a following and you know, it's probably not a wise thing. Yeah, you do.

5:51 If you want people to like you're not so much for want people to respect you probably. Yeah, and hey, I'm not perfect. I show up late. Sometimes so do I actually showed too late to your classroom Place? Yeah, and if it's once in a while and I see that student all the time, I don't have a problem with that.

6:04 Oh, I got a story for you. I'm gonna interrupt you. I got a story for when I showed up, showed up late for one of your classes, which was like during the teacher trained actually to be fair. Not to justify my tardiness, but I was just finishing, I think teaching anatomy class and then I was going to Byron's public class which also had our students in it. And I showed up you had already started and I was walking in. I was got my sitting all set up,

6:27 putting my bags off to the side and then I accidentally turned around, hit the clock in the room and it smashed on the ground and glass just went everywhere. That's right. And I was just like, okay, I'm gonna go get this cleaned up. I just kind of walked out.

6:41 I was like, I was a little embarrassing. I'm late. I just smashed a cloths. A little clock on the ground with glass all over the place, which went on some people's mads. It just kind of shot and I was just like, oh, yeah mind you this was that this was at 9:00 in the morning.

6:54 And this was it about 905. Yeah, so it was all those already late and I was just getting a late start to the Clyde. Yeah, but it gave me an opportunity to say something about the time. I kind of forget what I said, it was like, this is going to be a Timeless class. I'm really saying that and I was looking down at right. That's right.

7:12 Thank you. For that. I'm just going to. Yeah, you got to bring quietly going by Matt. Yeah, use it a few times during class. That's right. So yeah, no big deal. If you're late once once in a while, I really don't care. But anyways, it's only mainly because it takes a little bit about out of me, and I'm trying to get my own Focus going on right second thing.

7:36 I'll go into his cell phones in class. This is an obvious one. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I guess we have a thread going on with the teachers right now about this topic specifically because there's been more permission. I guess you could say more what happens is if somebody sees this happen and they hate it, then I will. First of all, they might despise it and never come back. The second type of person, not second. There's probably a few different

8:05 types of it. Let's say, the next person they see it happen and they don't like it, but they still come back. See what happened? We come up. Cell phone cell phone gets pulled out in class. Oh, you mean from a teacher or, from a student? From a student, practicing yoga?

8:19 They set the camera up on the side. They watch themselves do yoga so they can play it back on Instagram, right? Or they just take it out for a selfie or something like that. Yeah, maybe they take it out during class through story or something like that.

8:33 Yeah. That's what I'm talking about. And sometimes this happens in your, like, I hate that as a student, you're looking at it. Like I really don't just don't like that. But then it's you doing it because you saw it. It'd be okay.

8:43 Yeah, and so a few times later, you're like I feel like doing it. Yeah, you do. It's like it's infectious. So infectious. Yeah, and I don't know how much we want to elaborate on this one because it's just such an obvious thing.

8:56 You're trying to unplug from technology and enjoy your time at your breath. Yeah your connection. Yeah. Yeah. We don't need to talk about more about that because I think we did a whole thing with controlling the room on that one. So, okay just go to that episode whatever one that was how to control the room talk about this is more complaining that the Those about about feedback.

9:15 Okay? Okay, let me complain about this one. Oh, yeah, this is a unique one. You might not think of. So when a parent is obsessed with a child's new yoga experience. I'll say it again. When a child comes to yoga with their child. This could also be perhaps a friend brings another friend, but I'm I see it happen.

9:33 With more parent relationships with their kids where they're wanting them to have this wonderful yoga experience. They're introducing it to them and they're Obsessed with the to the point where they're not practicing yoga.

9:47 They're looking at their, their kid and they're like, trying to fix their leaving. Take themselves out of down dog, then try to fix their down, dog, sometimes, right? Or they just look over to them and they say, Hey, you know like oh, you know like pushed do this or whatever.

10:00 And and I see the kid look at them and I just I hate that so much for kids. I know what, it's almost pressure so much pressure and maybe it's harmless in some instances. But to me, it's like lead by example. Yeah, exactly.

10:15 That's what I was thinking. Enjoy your yoga practice. Enjoy your breath, like, show this person that this is a time where you don't have to be concerned about being perfect. So I'll actually take that one kind of hard and I I'll even snap it, the, the parents and like I go over there and live your life them know, like you're out of line.

10:34 This this woman was in class today, for the second time with her child, child is impressive to. I mean, he's done to yoga classes with me and he went from like, such a progression. I was like, wow, this is a true Yogi, kid, eventually, but he's new.

10:50 He's definitely knew. And his mom was doing the but I said, she's getting out of her practice. She's just Trying to fix everything he's doing and I got on her in the first 10 minutes of that. And, and I her Half Moon, pose was terrible and his pretty dang good. And so I called her out.

11:08 I was like, I was like, hey, you might want to stop fixing his work on yours. Cause yours is not even close to as good as his. Oh, no, I even said that because she kind of ticked me off, right? Anyways, we can move on unless I want to know what her reaction was first. Before we move on.

11:25 What is she? Yep, she had a reaction where she just quit bothering him. Okay, good. So yeah, it landed. Well. Maybe internally. She was boiling, but guess what today? Right. They went on opposite sides of the room. Yeah, and I they showed up late actually, which I'm still happy to see them but it was I remember that happen as I was given my Spiel in the beginning the opening and they walked in late. I was like, yes good.

11:54 They're back. So I After the first five, ten minutes when she was doing that class number one, obviously, it didn't matter people appreciate but they respect, you know discipline. Yeah they do and if they don't I don't want him at my class. Yeah.

12:09 They're a rebel. Let's talk about it. Cool. All right, what else? I'm asking a question, ask a question. Like I'm in my flow. I'm teaching I'm walking around the classroom. It's not every time someone asks me a question that I a little bit taken aback, but this is a question. Action.

12:25 That could be asked after the class. Right? Right. Right, right. So, if you're interrupting in my opinion, yoga experience, then. Yeah, you just gotta think about that. Now, certain teachers have a style where it's very interactive.

12:40 Mmm. I've been to classes like that, and I've enjoyed classes like that. And mine's not a library. It's not like shit, you know, have to be silent. It's not like that, but it is an inward experience. At least. That's what I'm hoping for. And there are special circumstances that require may be asking for something.

12:59 Can I go to the restroom? I don't expect somebody to what is, people usually ask, I'm curious, like, what are some things? It could be a physical technical thing. It's a technical thing about maybe something they're not understanding, right?

13:12 But it's called the yoga class to me, but not a class. Yoga trainings are classes. It's a yoga experience, right? Yeah. It's a yoga practice. As you're not here to learn. I try to say that sometimes, but but I do some learning type stuff.

13:29 Sometimes work some moments where someone's like, wow, I'm he's saying this in a way where it's important. I better, I better get this and so in that moment there, yeah or could be asking for a song. What's the name of this song?

13:43 You know, and I'm, I'm just like you can ask me after class. You know, it's just like that and on that same topic talking to the person next to them can be a bit. Track death, is that one bothers me? Because it distracts other people.

13:58 Totally. I don't know how many times I've had people. Other people tell me in class Rick regular students, like, oh my gosh, that one person is talking so much. It was really annoying where those people will never know that, because nobody told them right, you know, they just throw their world the other.

14:16 Yeah, they're in the world and my regular students didn't tell them and they just tried to practice through it. Yeah, but it's still annoying. Yeah. Yeah, now, sometimes rocking the boat is the way to go. Yeah, sometimes it's not, but let's keep going.

14:31 Well, that going off the sequence, the sequence. So when I'm teaching something like Warrior to flow, or your dance, where your wine or exhale, inhale didn't someone's up in the end. I've got my Miley. Yeah, Miley Cyrus is pumping bumped Pom-Pom.

14:44 It's like Taylor Swift, you know, I don't play that stuff actually, but if you did, I'd probably country class more. I, you know, it's probably true. Yeah. So when someone's in Pigeon pose orange, something that's not a neutral resting pose. Neutral means, child's pose vajrasana where you sit on your heels, a seated position shavasana, even qualifies to me as a resting, or as a neutral pose, but we're doing doing something and you're literally doing something else that we're going to do in 10 minutes.

15:21 That perturbs me and for both reasons again, my reason and the students reason, my reason takes away from my energy, my time, that I could devote towards the people that are still in their practice. And then, the other part is that the people are distracted by it. Now, let's get into the depths of that. I understand that there's, there's lessons to be learned for everyone, and maybe that person just hasn't learned that lesson yet.

15:50 So to me, it's a lack of awareness of social awareness and it's like, yeah, let's let's try to fix that somehow. Like sometimes that maybe you don't do anything. Maybe You, observe it for two years as a teacher, what their practice because they come to you so much because you like them, or love them, but at the same time, you're just curious of like, why are you why are you here?

16:14 Why are you here? So true? I have to point out, one more thing. I realized over the years of teaching, in this regard, on this topic. Some people just by showing up to a group activity, whether it's late or anything to them.

16:36 That's a major accomplishment. It's a huge win for them. Whereas, someone else is like, they're the most punctual person always on time. Blah blah. It's not a win for them at all, to show up. It's their practice. More important, but for these other people, some of them are like, who need yoga, who needs structure in their lives. They show up to yoga.

16:57 They showed up late. They don't do anything that you said, but they're super, they love you. They keep showing up to your class, you know, and you're like how? Why? Yeah, because they need it. They need it. And you got to remember, we're all on this individual experience. So, uniquely tailored to our life and we can't see outside of this life, right?

17:19 You're in your life. I'm in my life. And what God is here. Just such a unique different journey, and we, I think we forget that when we develop our pet peeves. Yeah, and I totally, it's, I mean, pet, peeves, probably come a lot from just being triggered in some way that, you know, something to do with our childhood. I'm sure her some sort of experience dramatically or mildly traumatically that just bothered us at one point or as people did it to us and then it

17:48 turned into, that's what I feel. Like I feel like most of those things that really, really trigger us, which is basically a pet peeve come from some experience. Well, they definitely come from childhood. But the other thing is they come from your desire to want them to be able to change their life. Like you did totally.

18:02 Yeah. Yeah, you know, and so and you want them to do it, faster. Sometimes it takes 50 tries and really come on. You're still rooting. You're still, right? Yeah, that's part of your own practice. Right? Just absolutely do the yoga so that everyone else can do the yoga. All right.

18:17 I got three more. Three more. Yeah, okay. Well, you know, we're 15 minutes. I think we're going to just keep going. Okay, let's just go and then we'll do part to close. If you're listening to this right now. We're going to end this episode.

18:28 We're going to keep going. Okay. We'll see you soon later. All right, listen up everyone, Paul Byron and myself have been working so hard on putting together a platform dedicated specifically to yoga teachers and the good news is, it's almost ready for you soon.

18:47 This platform is going to be publicly released. But we want to actually make a special offer to those who have been dedicated to following us since the beginning. So that's a lot of you listeners right now. We want to make a special offer for you.

19:00 And if you are interested in being one of the founding members of this going pro platform, then you're going to have an opportunity to do. So, all you need to do is just go into any of the description of any episode and you'll be able to sign up to the waitlist for this going pro platform.

19:15 So that you can take advantage of this offer will hope to see you there.