PSA: Beware the yoga voice!

This is a public service announcement!

At some point during your practice, you have been subjected to “yoga voice.”

It comes in the form of a well-meaning yoga teacher who, in attempting to create a certain atmosphere, will use a heavily affected, drawn out, sing-song tone during class. It may go something like this…

“And you raiiiiiiiiiiise your arms aaaaaaaaaaall the way up to the ceiling…
Reeeeeeeeeeeaching as faaaaaaaaar as your fingertips will go.
Exhaling slooooooooowly as you continue to streeeeeeeeeeeetch as far as you can goooooooooo…” While cooing reassurances all the way.

You get the idea. It drives me nuts… and to distraction.

Why would a perfectly good teacher feel the need to put on a performance like that? Just last week, I had the displeasure of being taught by a yoga voice-using teacher. There is no way she talks like that in the “real world.” Her sequence of poses were fine but I couldn’t focus because I was wondering how bad yoga voice happens to good teachers.

Don’t get me wrong. I wish I could be and sound like the gatekeeper to Nirvana but it just ain’t happening. That’s not who I am. Yoga voice smacks of insincerity. Your knowledge of yoga, your carefully chosen words and the sequence of poses you put together is all your students need to create their own internal yoga practice. A little incense, essential oil or soft music might be nice but mostly just you in all your authentic glory. Just like you don’t need an expensive yoga studio or mat to make beautiful yoga happen, you don’t need an affected voice to inspire your students.

I have run into a few yoga teachers who use this alternate voice to teach. I don’t know where they learned it or who encouraged them to do it. But it isn’t necessary. If you don’t speak that way outside of the yoga studio, don’t do it once you’re inside. Voice and tone is important. It sets the tone in the room so that a student knows it’s time to turn his gaze inward, let go of the outside world and begin his practice. But leave the sickly sweet voice out of it. You sound totally ridiculous. I don’t think your students are buying it either.

So my dear beloved fellow teachers, new and old alike, don’t let yourself fall into the trap of using a yoga voice. Our students deserve better than that. You are beautiful and wonderful without adding any affectations to your style.

Namaste.

Photo via Flickr (Creative Commons) by Picture Perfect Pose.