What Makes A Yogi "Advanced"?

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This past weekend, I was supposed to teach an Advanced Practice/Yoga 3 workshop at the studio, but we had to cancel it because we didn't have enough pre-registrants. Sad, yes, as it's always a little disheartening for a teacher when one of your workshops get canceled--but even more than the disappointment that I felt at "throwing a party that no one came to" (the way that we talk about workshops that we have to cancel!)--was the disappointment that I felt when I got a few emails from the students who had wanted to attend and were sad that it was no longer happening. Why did we have to cancel? There may be a number of reasons that I won't go into here, but I do think that partially, it has to do with the fact that no matter how many people request advanced classes, when it gets down to actually signing up, people are intimidated by them--and especially, by the word "advanced." 

Even as a teacher, I have a fear of going to classes labeled in this way; am I going to feel stupid? Am I going to be the only one falling on my face? Am I going to come up against some major fears and freeze like a deer in headlights? Is it going to take me out of my routine, out of my comfort zone, out of the classes that I always attend and where I know what to expect? Yes, yes, and probably, yes. But isn't that what our practice should do? Shouldn't it teach us how to work through challenge? This is the inner conflict that I believe many students go through when it comes to challenging classes, not just "advanced" practices. This happens to many Yoga 1 students who are nervous about moving up to an Open Flow or a Yoga 2 class, and it happens to many Yoga 2 students who are scared to try new poses or new transitions in class. But I still think that taking it to that next level--to the "advanced" level or to a Yoga 3 class--intimidates people out the most.

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So what makes a yogi "advanced," anyways?? Does it mean that you can "air surf" and go from one arm balance to the next without ever touching your feet to the ground? Does it mean that you never come into child's pose? Does it mean you can literally "float" through the air as you transition from one pose to the next? Does it mean that you can meditate for 2 hours without your mind wandering at all? In my mind, no. I believe that an "advanced" yogi is someone who isn't afraid to try new things, to challenge themselves both on and off of the mat; someone who is trying to truly live their yoga and make positive changes on a daily basis. When it comes to the physical asana practice, I think that advanced yogis know their bodies and know how to take care of them (work with injuries, props, etc.) while still challenging themselves by pushing towards their edge, experimenting with their body and their abilities, and working to enjoy each pose as they take things deeper--in a kind, non-harming, non-competitive type of way. 

One of my favorite quotes about advanced yogis comes from one of my teaching mentors (and a fellow TS teacher), who always says, "Yoga 1 students come into class and go get two blocks, a strap, and a blanket. Yoga 2 students come into class and don't get any props--often, even if you tell them to--as they see props as being for beginners. Yoga 3 students come into class and go get two blocks, a strap, and a blanket--without being asked."  

So what do you think makes a yogi "advanced"? Do you think this word can even be used in describing students of yoga? Obviously yoga is a completely personal journey, but when offering group classes in the West we do have to find some way to designate levels so that people don't hurt themselves or get too intimidated...right? 

Definitely something to mull over...

Namaste!
Mary Catherine

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