10 Things Your Yoga Instructor Won't Tell You

1. “I just started doing yoga myself!"

Yoga is booming: For proof, you needn’t look any further than your health club, your cable-TV schedule, or even conventional retailers like Target and Walgreens, where yoga mats and DVDs are copious. Some 15.8 million Americans spent a collective $5.7 billion on yoga classes and products in 2008, an 87-percent jump since 2004, according to a survey conducted by trade publication Yoga Journal.

The problem is that there’s no real standard for how much teacher training is required of instructors, so almost anyone can lead a yoga class. Yes, there are plenty of certification programs around, but they run the gamut from thorough training—like that offered at the Advanced Studies Program at the Yoga Room in Berkeley, Calif., which requires 500 hours of classwork covering such subjects as philosophy and anatomy—to mere weekend workshops.

How, then, to avoid un- or underqualified instructors? Check with the Yoga Alliance, a national education and support organization. Although joining the group is voluntary and many perfectly good teachers haven’t signed up for its instructor registry, you can check to see if yours has at least attended a YA-approved program, which must require a minimum of 200 hours of teacher training.

2. “Sure, we have mats you can borrow—how about a case of athlete’s foot, too?”

You’ve probably seen yoga die-hards heading to class, their telltale yoga mat bags slung over one shoulder. Yet many studios lend or rent mats to their students, so is lugging around your own really necessary? Absolutely.  “One of the key elements of yoga is cleanliness,” says Ann Merlo, co-owner of the California Yoga Center in Palo Alto, Calif., and Mountain View, Calif. “You want your studio and your mats to be clean; that’s just part of the practice.”

Though some facilities do try to wash or disinfect their mats regularly, most don’t get sprayed on both sides. And think about it. Bikram yoga, a popular version that’s performed in 105-degree classrooms to allow muscles and ligaments, is designed to prompt the body to sweat out toxins. With 30 people sweating for 90 minutes, the room’s a petri dish. Our advice: Spend the $20 on your own mat—or go without.

3. “You’re not read y for this class . . .”

When instructors at the California Yoga Center spot new faces in class, especially at the intermediate and advanced levels, they’re encouraged to make inquiries. “It’s important that we know how much experience they have and whether they have any specific injuries,” Merlo says. “If necessary, we’ll suggest they come back for a beginner class instead.”

Yoga classes tend to be rated by level of expertise—typically beginner, intermediate, and advanced. But if you say you’re ready for an advanced class, chances are no one at the sign-in desk will question you. It’s not a bad idea to call the studio ahead of time and ask them which class is most appropriate. And be honest about your abilities. After all, you won’t learn much if you’re in over your head and become too discouraged to continue.