Shiva Power classes tonight and tomorrow night!!! Really nice teachers and staff made me feel very welcome. Excited to practice with the community here.
Had a nice conversation with an Indian teacher named Ramesh who teaches at the studio and we talked about teaching the students that yoga is more than just fitness. I remembered something one of my teachers said a long time ago when I started teaching. He said, even if it appears the students aren’t receptive or ready to hear about the deeper practice of yoga, and you encounter resistance when you try to teach them a little more than just yoga exercise — on some level they do actually hear you and year’s later when they are more open they might remember something you said that they initially resisted. This has been true in my own practice and life and I believe it’s true for all of us. It sometimes takes years but slowly we are all waking up. Think about the things you initially resisted that you have since embraced. Or the confrontations you had in your life that led to growth. Aren’t you glad these things happened no matter how uncomfortable they were at the time? For the new teachers out there — hold space for your students. Don’t be afraid to make them a little uncomfortable and teach them new things. Challenge them to think about things in different ways and help them to truly wake up.
I made a decision years ago that I wanted to be a part of this awakening that is happening in our world and contribute as much as I can to my students growth. It’s not easy when you encounter resistance. But this resistance leads to growth. And a lot of times if you’re a new teacher it’s not the students who sometimes resist you but the studio owners who encourage you to take less risks, teach what’s popular and not what the students need. They are looking at the students as customers who are always right instead of students who need to learn and stretch and grow. Our path as teacher’s is different. Excited to share the teachings of my teachers with these students tonight and tomorrow night!!!
See you on your mat.
