[update - April 3, 2008 -- Every year when I do this I fear someone will take it seriously and they will be turned away from our studio. I try to make the third announcement (below) outrageous enough that nobody could possibly fall for it but I am always surprised that some do. Please know that we would never consider accepting tips from any of our students and we will certainly NOT be whipping anybody in class, however lovingly. This announcement was an April Fool's Day joke. Please, if you come to our studio, try to bring an open mind, a light heart and a sense of humor.]

EarthHour.org
If you’ve been in the studio recently you’ve seen the poster. You may also have heard me mention it in class. On March 29, 24 cities around the globe took a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced. Earth Hour used the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming. As a business that relies on a heated room I’ve always done whatever I can to maximize the efficiency of our energy usage: our yoga room ceiling is double-insulated; I replaced the pre-existing single pane windows in the yoga room with double-panes; I have our heating system and many appliances on timers; I use a low energy/high efficiency, water-saving washer/dryer. So it was easy for me to turn things off for Earth Hour but since we are always closed at that time anyway (8-9 pm, Saturday) it felt a little bit like cheating. I participated at home, too but I wish that I had been able to make a more dramatic or visible statement. I have therefore decided that we are going to hold a “dark class” sometime soon. This will be a class with no energy use at all: we’ll turn off the lights, shut off the heating system, we’ll even unplug the batteries in the emergency light fixtures so that we can have a completely “off-the-grid” class. I’m not announcing which class will be “dark” because I don’t want to take the chance that some of you might not be willing to show up for it. Just be prepared some day soon to have the lights go off when I walk in the room.

Tipping
I have often joked in class, after bringing a towel to someone who forget theirs or refilling a water bottle for a thirsty yogi, that tipping the teacher after class is allowed. Well, I woke up this morning and thought, “why not?” We live in a culture where lots of people get tips: waitrons; taxi drivers; hair stylists; sex trade workers, etc. Service industry workers in America depend on and expect tips because it is not only etiquette but also a significant portion of the employee’s income. As studio owner, it would be in poor taste for me to accept tips but I am now encouraging tips for the other teachers. This will allow you to show your appreciation when at teacher “gives good class” while providing a performance incentive for the teachers. The sad truth is that yoga instructors don’t make a lot of money and tipping will help improve their situation without affecting my bottom line as an employer.

Discipline is the Essence of Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, one of the world’s most prominent yoga proponents in the middle of the last century, once said, “The foundation of Yoga is self-control. Discipline is the essence of Yoga, discipline of the body as well as discipline of the mind.” Anyone who has attended more than a few classes at BYD will surely have heard us talk about the importance of discipline in class. The benefits of self-discipline are foremost for the individual in practice but in group settings it is also beneficial to the class as a whole. It is particularly important for those students in the front row or center of the room whose visibility is prominent to demonstrate good self control, maintaining a calm stillness both in postures and while at rest. Some studios address this by having strict rules dictating who is allowed in the front row and who must remain towards or in the back of the room. We’ve alway been less formal in this regard and so we occasionally get feedback about people who practice in prominent locations being distracting to others by excessive fidgeting during rest times, gesticulating during postures or constantly looking around. It is with this in mind that teachers are now going to be carrying a “riding crop” during class to help keep those unruly students in line. If you’ve never seen one, a riding crop may sound harsh because it’s thought of as a whip but it doesn’t have a lash so it’s effect is really pretty mild. When appropriate the teacher will issue a short snap of the crop to the top of the head of the offending student, much as a Zen Buddhist Monk does to awaken his disciples. Also, before we actually implement this practice I’ll make sure all our teachers are properly trained and experienced from both ends of the crop.