Why Being a B Student Might Be the Most Advanced Yoga Practice

In many parts of our lives, being a B student can sometimes sound as if we are settling. I think it’s because most of us are taught to aim higher, try harder, and push until we achieve something worthy of praise.

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As a yoga teacher for a couple of decades now and a student for even longer, I can personally attest that, that way of thinking doesn’t automatically turn off when we step onto a yoga mat. We can pinpoint where we get stuck. Be it a thought or a way in which we hold a yoga position physically.

In yoga, the A-student approach often looks like forcing deeper stretches, holding poses longer than the breath allows, or measuring progress only by how a posture looks from the outside. While discipline and dedication have value, this achievement-driven mindset can quietly pull us away from the true purpose of our yoga practice.

Yoga was never designed as a performance.

The postures (asanas) are tools—ways to observe sensation, feelings, breath, and thought patterns. When we approach them as tests to pass or goals to conquer, we miss their deeper function. And we may even not know we are doing this. Like it could be happening from a place of unconsciousness. From our conditioning. I wholeheartedly believe that this is where the wisdom of the B student comes in.

A B student shows up, participates fully, and stays engaged—but without hurting themselves. They become the listener of their body instead of overriding it. They are the friend who genuinely listens to what's going on (inside). They notice when overly effort-ing turns into strain and adjusts accordingly. They allow for imperfection, inconsistency, and plenty of rest. Pausing between poses even if the teacher isn’t suggesting it. This B student knows better than to be tough on themselves. Even with something as seemingly harmless as skipping a few chaturanga’s or just not doing them at all. That feels advanced to me. Obviously doing a completely different sequence than the class is doing and being in the front of the room would be distracting at best for others. And to know this about our practice and therefore decide that being in the back of the room is probably a more suitable position for this kind of thing is priceless. Being a witness to a student realising this and adjusting accordingly is magic and helps me too.

This kind of practice aligns closely with core yogic teachings. Ahimsa, or non-harm, asks us to avoid causing injury not only to others, but to ourselves. Aparigraha, non-grasping, invites us to release attachment to outcomes, including the “perfect” pose. And the balance of sthira and sukha reminds us that stability and ease must coexist.

A B student shows up, participates fully, and stays engaged

The B student embodies these principles naturally.

Rather than asking, “How far can I go?” the B student asks, “What is going to be best for my healing today?” Mind, body and soul healing. And from a yogic lens this kind of healing that is not seen as three separate things being “fixed”, but as the restoration of harmony (yoga=union) among all layers of our human existence. Yoga views our healing as remembering our wholeness rather than we are someone that needs curing or fixing.

Asking ourselves what is going to be best for our healing today speaks to the reality that our bodies are always changing. Energy fluctuates. Stress, sleep, emotions, and life circumstances all influence how we move and breathe. A sustainable practice means (to me) to eventually make room for this kind of truth.

There is also profound nervous system wisdom in being a B student. Constant striving activates stress responses—tight jaw, shallow breath, bracing muscles. When we allow ourselves to back off slightly, to choose moderation over intensity, the body can shift toward self-regulation and repair. This is often where real transformation occurs.

Ironically, many folks discover that when they stop trying to be A students, their practice deepens. Strength develops more organically. Flexibility increases without force. Awareness sharpens. Yoga becomes less about self-improvement and more about self-relationship.

Perhaps most importantly, the B-student mindset doesn’t stay on the mat. It follows us into life off of the mat. Which I am feeling, is kind of the point. We become more patient with ourselves too. Less reactive when things don’t go to plan. More willing to pause, listen, and respond instead of pushing through at all costs. And if we have a practice around this, we are more likely to be this way with those around us too.

In a culture that is still rewarding overachievement and burnout, choosing to be a B student is a quiet act of wisdom. It says: I am paying attention. I am practicing with care. I am here to learn, not to prove.

And that may be the most advanced practice of all.