Today I stumbled upon an interesting article on Forbes.com. In a nutshell, it says that both men and women prefer to be managed by a male in the workplace.
Maybe it’s just because most of my bosses over the years have been female, but I just don’t get it.
Regardless, it made me start to think about leadership in a yoga setting. It takes many of the same “masculine” leadership characteristics the Forbes article refers to to be a yoga teacher—confidence, assertiveness, decision-making skills. But I have an inkling if we were to conduct a survey, we’d find that people might prefer to be under the leadership of women in the yoga studio.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you prefer male or female yoga teachers? Why? Be sure to give a thorough explanation!
Remember how as a child a summer used to last forever, one endless adventure. Now as adults we blink and it seems summer is over. Its all because later in life there is little new, everything is a repeat and the mind is not engaged.
With yoga we are all children once again facing that time of wonder and discovery. Well who better to lead us than the same mother that would ask how our day went and listen to all our adventures.
Our father was off taking care of the business side of the family, it was our mother that shared in all out questions, joys, and even sorrows.
So thats why I think I for one associate my yoga journey best with a female leader.
I hope this summer never grows old
I have no preference either way… it comes down to how I feel about them on a more personal level.
Man, woman, gay, straight… it's all the same to me. You're either competent and carrying the heart qualities I look for in a teacher, or you're not.
This is a very interesting topic of conversation – I have taken classes from both male and female and don't really have a preference. For me it comes down to the quality of their voice both in actual sound and their ability to convey their essence.
never really thought of it
I think I prefer females. Adjustments seem less charged and I like the energy. But maybe that says more about the (few) males teachers I have had…and the awesome female ones. Interesting topic, for sure!
Of the really good teachers I've had, I prefer male teachers with clear instructions, a gentle voice, and a kind touch when providing adjustments. But it could simply be the fact that I haven't yet made a similar kind of connection with an excellent female teacher yet.