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Anyone else out there sometimes do their practice to please their teacher? (Go on, be honest). I had a pretty ferocious class last night, sweatted buckets it was great. My teacher is HARD (I love her tho she can seriously put us through our paces, and when shes on one, you sure know about it!

She was asking us to go further, push harder, really motivating us and I find that when she gets like this my practice move on leaps and bounds. I guess I push myself out of my comfort zone and into a new level. I left on a serious high, buzzin', butthen I couldn't sleep. I woke up this morning feeling a bit flat . Maybe the high is so high that the low is...well, just low. I'ms ure it's becasue I pushed through it and now I'm wandering if it was worth it. I need her to get me to this level and I know when it's working, I feel like I'm flyin and she's pleased with me. But if I dont feel so good the next day...I'm confused. Any thoughts?

Hi Purple, interesting and honest post. I'm wondering, were you always a contender for Teacher's Pet at school? Seriously, I'm thinking that if this is a pattern thru your life, then your yoga calling might ultimately be about liberating yourself from that.

Maybe it's no coincidence that you post this in Bikram. Bikram tends to attract more high-flyers emanating that competitive edge with their pheremones. Also, in larger classes, the instructions are more general, less tailored for and attentive of your specific place. Not every word is meant for you.

Yea, most of us can do with a push in our practice, but I suggest you be careful out there. Only you know where you are at. Listen to YOUR body first and don't move too far out of your zone just to get brownie points. Please yourself.

I think there's something in a lot of us that seeks approval and accolades from our peers.

Anf contrary to popular opinion, I don't know that that is entirely bad.

The person you always have to be true to, first & foremost, is yourself. But we are a part of a society, and if we get positive feedback from our bosses, customers, parents, children, neighbors, car mechanics..... it's OK that that makes us feel good.

Positive feedback means that we made someone happy. If we can make someone happy, while being true to ourself, that how can that be anything but good?

I also think it's good to get out of our comfort zones.

After reading anothier thread about pushing out my edges (or boundries), I tried to do just that last night and it was super!

I had been having a hard time keeping my leg kicked out in standing head to knee, the firts pose right after the break... but last night I told myself that I wasn't going to accept that boundry, or edge... that I was going to push it out. and I did and it worked!

Interesting post. Well if I'm honest I think there is a part of me in the class that wants my teachers attention. I go further, deeper, and I love it when she comes over to me and gives me an adjustment or says I'm doing well. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. You need someone to encourage you and help you reach where you need to go. I don't think it's about being a teachers pet.

Isn't this is point. It's about trying to be a bit selective. Picking out the bits that refer to you, and most importantly listening to your body first. If you take on board everything that's being said then you'll probably be knackered the next day or worse, seriously hurt yourself.

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Couldn't it simply be a case of feeling flat after a great experience because it has ended?
Like going out or having a great time with friends...only to wake up the next morning and realise that normality has hit and it's off to the same old same old and you are going to have to wait for that feeling or experience again.

I envy those of you who can push your body to its limits and then some....my body has a very nasty way of telling me that it has had enough....pain/cramps/ and just flat out refusing to get into another pose. And what I'm doing can not be seriously be taken as challenging.

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Oh Dear......You really think i can get myself into that pose.........and then back out of it?

Not necessarily, I wasn't bringing apples or anything like that . But you do have a point here. If I'm honest it makes me feel good when she notices, it sort of gives me a lift. I look for that in a teacher, so is that being a pleaser or wanting someone to motivate me. Someone who will push me and help me get to the next level. Is that a bad thing?