i was wondering if you would have any tips to keep learning yoga in a way that does not involve talking.
allow me to explain. i’ve been doing yoga on and off for years. i love how flexible the whole practice is, that i can do it everywhere. it makes me feel capable and independent. as a person with anxiety and mild agoraphobia, i prefer to practice at home, and i would consider myself a beginner-intermediate. that being said, i’ve noticed that in the past few months i’ve been getting so annoyed/downright angry with the amount of talking in the instructional videos. it’s just so much! sometimes i don’t want to hear about the connection with the universe, or a cute dog, or even to be encouraged, i just want the instructions. i want silence, i do not want to think, i just want to feel my body. i want to learn how to move my body and listen to what it says and reveals as i go. my knowledge of poses is limited, of course, and i know there is still a lot to learn.
i asked for advice of a yoga friend and she said to just listen and respect what my body is asking for. i want to keep practicing yoga, and explore how grounded and capable it makes me feel, and i want to do it with no chit chat and in silence.
do you guys think that’s possible? which routes would you advise me to go?
thank you for taking the time to read me have a good day!
I totally resonate with what your friend said. The most fulfilling experience is when you completely tune into your body, so much so that your thoughts are less busy, or even go away. It’s quite a beautiful experience being so fully present. It takes practice, and I encourage trying it each time you do a class. Of course, as you say, sometimes teachers talk more than you would like them to, so you can do your best to stay with your breath and body sensations and avoid that class in the future - and maybe choose a different instructor.
I like silence too, and can get distracted or annoyed when there is too much talking…
At one point I made my own flows written down on paper. But it asks me more organisation, and I ended up doing only poses I like… I often choose classes from quiet teatchers, and generaly change when there is music in the background…
Hope you find your way !
On DYWM, the first I think of are David’s and Tracey’s quiet voices, and sometimes silences. Ron Steward has some quiet classes too, even if his cueing is not always the clearest.
Here are some new thoughts: on beginner’s classes, teatchers have to give a lot of cues to make sure everyone is getting what to do and how to do it, specially on video, when you don’t see the people in front of you.
I found that with a regular practice I have easier to feel quiet and silence inside even with people talking, and that might be part of the practice too?
Cheers, Marie
I am totally with you on this! I want to breathe nd move my body, build some heat, etc but the incessant chatter is so irritating. I want to do yoga and if I wanted a counselling session i would book one with a counsellor.
Self lead practice might be what you are seeking! You can move through poses in silence and focus on inner sensation rather than expectation or guidance? Shadow yoga is also something that might work where you watch a teacher and follow what they model rather than teach?
I have 2 classes with less talking, called moving meditation and moving mediation 2.
I realize that this original post is 4 years old but the concern around too much talking so resonates with me right now. I’ve been doing yoga for many years but still consider myself the the begginer 2 - intermediate 1 level because I can’t do the more complicated poses at the higher level. The struggle I’m having is at this level there is a lot of instructial talking. I’m looking for a practice that has simpler poses, with basic promps that honours silence.
That’s so interesting. For me I like the cues and talking. I started using DYWM when I used to travel overseas for work.I’d be in another country where I couldn’t understand the language and so mornings I’d be in my hotel room doing yoga listening to English voices. It was kind of comforting. So after 13 years of DYWM I suppose I’m just used to all the talk. Sometimes I pick up something new even though I’ve heard the comment a hundred times. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to try a silent class. Might be worth a try.
Yes, I agree that incessant instruction and/or talking can be a distraction. I tend to be able to tune it out, but I avoid instructors who tend to talk too much on this site and in in-person classes.
have a good day!