Unpopular opinion? Many yoga teachers talk too much

This is Ashtanga Yoga Tech Support. Real questions from the yoga community, answered.

Our Response

Yeah. You're right.

The teacher's job is to point you toward your own practice. Not perform their life story.

Here's the thing though: you can't control what comes out of their mouth. You can only control where you put your attention.

So when the teacher starts rambling, that's actually useful. It's resistance training. Can you stay with your breath when there's noise? Can you stay internal when someone's being external?

Because life is loud. People talk. If you need perfect silence to go inward, you've got a fragile practice.

That said—vote with your feet. If a teacher consistently pulls you out instead of dropping you in, find another teacher. There are plenty who understand that less is more.

And if you're practicing Mysore style, this problem mostly goes away. The teacher adjusts you, maybe whispers a cue, then moves on. No speeches. No storytelling.

That's the format.

Find it.