Why slow down?

I was teaching a new student the other day and she had been to lots of yoga classes previously and had done lots of sun salutations. She enjoyed moving at a quicker pace than I teach, and her breathing was used to that pace too. She was looking for a quicker practice and then she stumbled upon this class. 

So what happened?

She moved quickly and breathed as she was used to. She would finish before everyone else, and look around bored. And she missed a fair amount of what the class was offering, the class simply didn't suit where she was. 

Here are a few things she missed:

A chance to leave behind the 'rushing' that makes up most of the rest of our life.  

Allowing time to not just 'do' a yoga pose or breath, but to actually embody, inhabit and Be in a pose and find a fuller connection to every single breath. 

The increased challenge of moving slowly. The body has to sustain the movement for longer, the breath requires more focus as it is so different to our habitual pace, and there is less chance to escape into easier bits of the practice.  

If we normally breath at around 15-breaths per minute in our everyday breath, in a typical sun salutation you might find yourself at 6 or 7 breaths a minute. This is great and offers a lot. But then what would happen if you went to 3 or 4 breaths a minute?
It feels really different, it requires 10X focus, the nervous system loves it, the body has to slow down to more control in each pose is required which takes more skill, and you notice way more. 

Needless to say, the after-class chat went along the lines of: do I do any other types of class where she can work harder and feel more challenged.

I'm not the right teacher for her, and if I was, my beginners class would be a great starting point so that she could established a good foundation of movement and breath.

Not every teacher is the right one for every student. You need to be met where you are, and engaged in the practice that they are compelled to teach. I wish her well and hope she finds a teacher that can catch her attention and that she can really learn from.