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| Lately I've been noticing that many yoga instructors TRY to be comedians. They throw in all sorts of bad jokes, many of which have been recycled ad nauseum. For the most part these jokes are not funny and I don't understand the point of them. They are especially not funny when you've heard the same one over and over again.
I've been thinking about WHY the instructors feel the need to throw in these jokes which in my opinion are corny and disruptive. I think it is because Americans are so uncomfortable with meditation and focus that they need jokes otherwise they just tense up. When I am feeling meditative I don't need corny jokes to release me. In fact, they ruin the whole experience.
Now don't get me wrong. I really appreciate humor and spontaneous jokes. It is the 'bad' humor which seems almost forced and rehearsed that is annoying. I wonder why the people in class laugh sometimes. Do they really think the jokes are that funny?
My favorite teacher creates a beautiful and serene class that puts me into an extremely meditative state. I overheard some students criticizing him because he doesn't joke around enough and doesn't create a 'fun' atmosphere. Are telling bad jokes the definition of fun nowadays?
Example of bad joke: All the students are in a challenging asana and then the yoga instructor asks everyone if they are smiling yet...Then the students start laughing at this joke. I think it was sort of funny the first time I heard it, but I've heard this joke countless times by now. Very unoriginal.
Edited by shalamOM 2007-11-02 11:35 AM
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| Thanks for this interesting post. |
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| i would recommend you not attend my class...
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i probably wouldn't go to it
(don't tell my students)
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| I say more jokes, more fun, more smiles in yoga classes. Yoga humor seems to be a trend these days. Here are some links when you ever feel you need to lighten up. Maybe you have EPS
Enlighten Up - Excessive Presence Syndrome:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=12484433
Loud Yoga:
http://www.loudyoga.com/streamb.html
Elvis-Yoga Is As Yoga Does
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=6385576
No one said that Yoga has to be a dour pursuit.
Edited by Jambo 2007-11-02 8:48 PM
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| If yoga isn't fun, why do it? As a famous yogi once said: "it's only yoga". I am a master of bad jokes. My family cringe at most of them. Some people find them exceedingly funny and some people don't see the subtle humor and find them everything from bad taste to offensive. Life is more about fun than enlightenment. As soon as you get it, you get both!
Edited by jimg 2007-11-03 12:34 AM
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| When I saw the title of this thread "bad jokes in class" I thought they were talking about my asanas.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| I am not responsible for anyone's meditative state. Class is not practice, (in the style I teach) it is a learning time. Laughter and learning go together and even the tired "are you smiling yet?" may be the little memory activating device that helps a student at some point in their personal practice.
There are exceptions: when I find myself making too many jokes, I know I am making the class about me instead of the yoga and when I lead restorative classes, which ARE a practice, the joking is set aside. |
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| i think you need to seriously lighten up. These are facetious remarks, not really jokes, and they're a valuable teaching tool.
during yoga classes, many people (particularly beginners) get trapped into their tension (physical, emotional, etc), their expectations, trying to hard, competition and comparison games, etc. When i notice this in their countenance, i speak to it with a bit of humor.
they laugh not because the statement is a funny joke, but because they recognize that without them saying it, i was able to see that they were not being relaxed, calm, steady, and present, but instead that they were being tense, agitated (or distracted), unsteady, and over-striving. The light tone of the statement allows the student to be brought back to the moment, to reflect on how they're striving or not being present, and then come back into the moment.
and it is this that will lead a person to meditation over time--in or out of yoga class. |
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| Well I like levity, however I don't think I would want my instructor cracking jokes either. Though I understand why one would believe it can help the tensed student, however I would just prefer subtle reminder rather than a distraction. HOWEVER and a big HOWEVER is
Everyone needs different things in life. Meditation is one of those things we practice to learn to quiet the mind so we can listen to and adjust our internal dialog. We need quiet to learn how to do this, but once one has practiced meditation long enough, one realizes they begin to meditate even with the distractions, and then finally and hopefully one is walking in meditation through all of life's adventures.
Meditation is awareness training, and we need practice in all environments or we are just dogmatic whiny wannabe buddhas....
And I mean all of us, I am not talking about any individual here, I am talking about all of us.... |
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| watch out, shalam!
i was dropping bombs in class today.
what does that even mean?
jokes, not like, farts or anything.
we were working on boat poses.
i'm demonstrating and i says, "the first rule of boat pose: you don't talk about boat pose. the second rule of boat pose, don't let your boat sink, keep that chest lifted!"
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people laughed at that one, and a few others.
let the hail of scrutiny about my humor and instruction for boat pose begin!
...
the boat poses came along pretty decently, though.
heres the series:
-one legged with a belt
-one legged w/o a belt
-two legged with belt
-two legged with hands behind knees, calves parallel to ground
-full boat pose
i told my girlfriend (who finds boat very challenging) about it, and she said she'd probably hate me.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| One legged navasana? Explain, please... |
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| karmann - 2007-11-05 10:12 AM tourist - 2007-11-05 9:57 AM One legged navasana? Explain, please... Tourist, here: http://www.yogabasics.com/yoga-postures/seated-yoga-poses/one-leg-boat.html I am a Google hound I'm a google hound too (woof), but I was picturing something more like a one-legged teaser from pilates: http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesexercises/ss/Intermediate1_8.htm The asymmetry of the hips in the version you posted scares me a bit, in terms of my unstable S/I. Almost looks like a variation for the set up for heron pose, now that I think about it. Interesting. |
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| yeah, i had them in the version displayed in Orange's post.
that first one looks downright unstable...
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| I thought of google image but there are always so many contradictory images there. Thought it was best to see the one that you meant rather than the one I guessed you meant.  I prefer OM;s as well. |
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bad jokes in class
