@allalong it sounds like you didn't have a good experience especially as the breathing class sounded quite stressful!
I think one of the issues is that rather than yoga having changed generally the full background of yoga and all aspects haven't been taught in the West. In India Pranayama for instance is well known and probably practiced more frequently than the asanas (physical postures). In India yoga is a spiritual practice. In the west we tend to be focused very much on the physical and yoga has become an 'exercise routine' rather than a spiritual practice. The key thing is it should be about relaxation and breath,it is a practice to bring the mind, body and spirit together.
It is regulated in the sense that anyone who wants to teach needs to have done at least a 200hrs teaching course. I have just completed one in India which was fantastic and we were taught all aspects of yoga but I wouldn't feel confident to teach the more advanced asanas or pranayama until I have had more practice and done more training. At the end of the day we are dealing with people's minds and bodies and must be very careful not to cause any injuries.
I think one of the key things is that the teacher is aware of the different levels in the class. If someone has practiced Pranayama for some time they have less chance of getting dizzy or feeling any adverse effects. I agree completely that the teacher should be clear on what will be covered in the class/workshop but it sounds like generally some advanced breathing techniques have been perhaps been covered too early or not explained properly.
For myself I know after doing Pranayama exercises I feel more relaxed I can breath much easier and I feel I have more energy. There are some things that science can't explain or hasn't tested and there have been lots of yogis and students who have felt the benefits. I am sure if they did scientific tests on people who had been practicing Pranayama for some time they would find that people can hold their breath for longer and have more efficient respiratory systems as well as suffering less from colds and respiratory diseases as it undoubtedly does help to clear out any toxins.
Yoga philosophy and the overall yoga system has been around for 1,000s of years and there is a wealth of information out there on the benefits. I think given we have now adopted this in the west we should respect and honour where it has come from and look at all aspects of it while making sure we don't push anyone including ourselves down a path that feels uncomfortable.
I think one of the issues is that rather than yoga having changed generally the full background of yoga and all aspects haven't been taught in the West. In India Pranayama for instance is well known and probably practiced more frequently than the asanas (physical postures). In India yoga is a spiritual practice. In the west we tend to be focused very much on the physical and yoga has become an 'exercise routine' rather than a spiritual practice. The key thing is it should be about relaxation and breath,it is a practice to bring the mind, body and spirit together.
It is regulated in the sense that anyone who wants to teach needs to have done at least a 200hrs teaching course. I have just completed one in India which was fantastic and we were taught all aspects of yoga but I wouldn't feel confident to teach the more advanced asanas or pranayama until I have had more practice and done more training. At the end of the day we are dealing with people's minds and bodies and must be very careful not to cause any injuries.
I think one of the key things is that the teacher is aware of the different levels in the class. If someone has practiced Pranayama for some time they have less chance of getting dizzy or feeling any adverse effects. I agree completely that the teacher should be clear on what will be covered in the class/workshop but it sounds like generally some advanced breathing techniques have been perhaps been covered too early or not explained properly.
For myself I know after doing Pranayama exercises I feel more relaxed I can breath much easier and I feel I have more energy. There are some things that science can't explain or hasn't tested and there have been lots of yogis and students who have felt the benefits. I am sure if they did scientific tests on people who had been practicing Pranayama for some time they would find that people can hold their breath for longer and have more efficient respiratory systems as well as suffering less from colds and respiratory diseases as it undoubtedly does help to clear out any toxins.
Yoga philosophy and the overall yoga system has been around for 1,000s of years and there is a wealth of information out there on the benefits. I think given we have now adopted this in the west we should respect and honour where it has come from and look at all aspects of it while making sure we don't push anyone including ourselves down a path that feels uncomfortable.