What do you call a yoga instructor?
Not all who practice yoga are yogis, one would think but maybe they are, and we prefer to listen to Nisargadatta Maharaj than Huffington Post or Elephant Journal which is talks about the name of a yoga instructor.
Still, do a few Google searches for bhogi and you can see the differences that some draw between each. We prefer to find commonalities. Still, for me, a yogi is one who lives their lives ‘in yoga’, or in pursuit of the unifying nature of the True Self or Atman/Brahman.
This is perhaps a bit of a standard to meet, but… yoga for s is ashram life and Swamis. Others might think it is yoga mats and sports bras.
In the end, definitions are always completely subjective, so it’s a kind of losing a game that one must be detached from to some extent. Now let’s take a look at the name of the yoga instructor according to some sources.
Midhun C S
A Yogi, but it’s usually used to denote “deep divers” who are one of their kind.
Some also use the word Saatvik as the resemblance of the nature of a yoga practitioner which will be very peaceful yet well balanced.
But nowadays the whole psychology of yoga has shrined to fitness for many.
The real benefit is that you are getting a good concentration for meditation by doing yoga with daily low-intensity cardio. Meditation after yoga gives you that feeling of peace, full willingness, and joy all day long
Asan Yoga School
Osho says, “If you want to learn go to a Teacher. If you want to unlearn go to a Master”. Master is not the best translation for ‘Guru’. The word guru means the one who has dispelled all his darkness. The word master means he is not your master but has become a master of his own mind and body. Now he is helping you to become a master of your own mind and body. Basically, Guru will transform you. He will give you his own light.
A teacher is the one who will transmit all the knowledge he has gained till now. He is not necessarily the one who has come out of darkness fully. But one can learn a lot from the teacher as well. Then you can name him yoga teacher or Acharya or Swamiji etc. Guru and teacher both play a significant role in yoga practitioners’ life.
Raghu Bhaskaran
To claim oneself or a popular instructor as Yogi/Yogini, well it seems a stretch, given that most modern teachers are teachers of only Aasanaa – 1/8th part of 1 type of Yoga.
But then the state of being a “Yogi” can be achieved by myriad means which does not involve pants, pads, or mats. Even stretches, postures are not needed.
V. Lakshmi
I have learned Yoga from Sri Patanjali Yoga Shikshana Samiti. Here the culture taught us is to call all ladies “Akka” (sister) and men as “Anna” (brother). This terminology is used irrespective of the relationship. For example, if a husband and wife both are students, they call each other Akka and Anna while attending the class. The intention behind this is that people get the brotherly feeling amongst each other.
Allison Bond
I call them yoga instructors. Some people loosely use the terms yogi or yogini, but those terms are reserved for one who lives the path every day and has transformed.
Sadhak Mukesh
There is a difference between an instructor and a guru. An instructor only teaches what he/ she has studied. But a guru is a person who breaks you to transform a new you, better you, or real you. What you call a yoga instructor is based on your true experience and feelings. The whole world is our instructor. We can learn from everyone if we are aware.
Mindy Zhou
Here is what Google says when I search for a name for a yoga instructor :
Someone who practices yoga or follows the yoga philosophy with a high level of commitment is called a yogi (may be applied to a man or a woman) or yogini (traditionally denoting a woman).
What you call a yoga instructor is based on your true experience and feelings. The whole world is our instructor. We can learn from everyone if we are aware.
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