On and Off the Mat

Lokah samasta sukhino bhavantu

'May all beings everywhere be happy and free and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all'

Connecting with students is one of the most exciting parts of my recent journey into the world of teaching. I invested in teacher training not only to expand my knowledge and grow as a person, but to spread this thing that I happened to stumble upon at exactly the right moment in my life. I wanted to spread this to others that were open to it so that I may help them in some way. 

I realized shortly after I began teaching that I was more nervous of the idea of communicating to a new group of people that I had never met before than I was of actually teaching. 'What if I don't say the right thing?' 'What if people know I'm new and hate my class?' 'What if people don't come to my class?' All of these silly questions were doing me no good. I had to reassess - find faith in the fact that I know what I'm doing and can safely lead students through their practice. It became clear that doing an hour or 90 minute home practice before traveling to the studio to teach helped me feel lighter and more capable of finding my words. I know I understand basic alignment, movement and how a very small adjustments can help you feel into your body differently. I feel giddy when a subtle cue helps someone relax in their face and find a greater degree of ease in their asana. I also know that I have so much more to learn - and that there is so much more experience to be had. I am eager and excited to strengthen my knowledge base and learn from others who have valuable knowledge to give. I am discovering that the relationship between the study of anatomy, watching students alignment and body language throughout class, and expansion of my own personal practice are all equally meaningful to my development as a person on and off the mat and as a teacher. 

Since I have begun teaching my own personal practice has taken off, and as my practice takes off I feel more confident teaching. This delightful cyclical relationship has enlightened me to the certain level of fear I needed to confront before my body would allow me to enter certain postures or express myself more clearly through my cues, speech, words and writing. 
When people ask you if you are a swimmer in department stores because 'they noticed your strong shoulders', you begin to wonder WHY, oh why can I not get into an arm balance? Perhaps it is of fear that I might face plant..? Perhaps I don't have enough core strength..? Perhaps there are subtle energies in my body that aren't aligned properly and other postures need a little more love first..? There are any number of explanations why your body might not be ready to approach something difficult. Perhaps I am over-thinking it and they will come when the time is right. Frustration disappeared with this recognition and eagerness and delight for what will come next replaced it. Just a few days later, I found myself in an arm balance that I had been struggling for months to get into. A week later, a second difficult arm balance found its way into my practice.

Was I jumping up and down with elation in my room alone after this happened? Yes, yes I was.
Yoga provides so many benefits it is hard to list them all. Each and every persons list will be different, depending on where they are in their life, what they are seeking, and what they feel they get out of it from their own personal standpoint. 

When was the last time you asked yourself these important questions:

Why do you love yoga? 
Why do you keep going back to your mat? 
What does yoga do for you? 
Has yoga changed your life? 
What is your favorite posture - the one that you can't wait to get into every practice - the one that makes you feel empowered, strong, invincible, comfortable, happy? What makes you love it so much?
What is your very least favorite posture - maybe it is even the one that has made you burst into tears out of frustration? Why is it so difficult for you? What would happen if you embraced that discomfort - surrendered to it instead of fighting it?
How might what you do on your mat translate into your daily life?


Breathe. Live lightly. Appreciate what you have.