As the youngest of three growing up, sometimes I felt like I had 4 parents: my mom & dad, and the brother and sister who gave me "advice".  I was famous in my family for saying (yelling?) "You're not the boss of me!" often in response to that advice. I also received poor marks in "Self Control" for much of elementary school.  It wasn't that I intended to disrupt class, but I liked to chat and laugh a lot.  By fifth grade, I started to pull it together, and by the time I got to high school, the vice principal joyfully gave me an after-school detention (one step below suspension for that particular school) for chewing gum, because she said it was probably the only detention I'd ever receive (she was right). 

Following directions may not have always been my strong suit, but it may be one of my most favorite aspects of yoga classes. I didn't realize that until I was going through yoga teacher certification, and my instructor said something along the lines of "Tell your students what you want them to do - that is what they came for."  How true - coming to my mat, I love that I literally have no decisions to make, because the teacher has already made them.  All I have to do is listen to his/her words and guide my breath and body to react accordingly.  That same instructor calls it "dropping in" - yoga practice allows you to settle into your brain and body, and let the other things (traffic, grocery lists, work deadlines, etc) fall away.  Over time, the muscle memory is such that I don't have to focus so much on the instructor's words, allowing me tap into a moving meditative state which is so refreshing. So, I will happily allow the teacher in every yoga class I will ever take to be the boss of me, for those 60/75/90 minutes - and I'll heartily thank them for it.

Following directions in yoga class may have the added benefits of improving memory and attention, as studies have shown. So, why not drop in (see what I did there?) and give it a try? I bet you won't regret it - even if you are a rule-breaker like me.