As I have been delving deeper into the role of the yoga teacher, I have found that I am entering an ever-expanding realm. Becoming a yoga teacher is not so much about perfecting your skills and then offering them in little bundles to the students. It is more like opening a door and seeing the whole universe on the other side. There is nothing that isn't yoga. And somehow through the lens of yoga, it all becomes especially vivid and tactile. Of course you cannot wrap your arms around the whole universe, but you can pluck one small part of it, examine and contemplate that part, and then offer it to the students. And through that examination, the entirety of the whole can be felt, and maybe even understood for a moment.I think it is important for all of us to have teachers. Even if we often embody the role of the teacher, to be a student is invaluable. To be allowed to be vulnerable and to not know. To be allowed to ask questions. To not be the one responsible for boundaries. In her awesome book Insight Yoga Sarah Powers says, "Although we may need to abandon certain teachers and adopt others along our journey, our teachers will continue to act as our spiritual friends and mentors, helping us to deepen our capacity to listen to our own essential nature." This is the key - that the right teacher will continually reintroduce you to your own innate wisdom. Ultimately, they are always leading you back home to yourself.
What does this have to do with running? I don't know. I guess Danny Dreyer is sort of my running teacher since I'm following the teachings of his book. And I think that his book is all about reuniting with the inherent wisdom of your own body. Today I ran 5 miles, yesterday 3. Dreyer emphasizes 'Body Sensing' as a way to get in touch with what your body needs or when it is on the brink of injury. Just like a yoga teacher, he encourages the students to cultivate access to their own inner knowing. Because who could know you better than yourself?
That being said, I think I should hire a ChiRunning instructor to make sure my form is happening correctly and to not have to pretend to know anything I'm not quite sure about.
Thanks for being a rad yoga teacher!
ReplyDeleteyour comment about examining a piece of the universe and finding the whole is very well said and important when challenging yourself with news things. It's also a difficult thing to teach someone else because when it's done well, you're right, the teacher and the student are exploring new territory that makes them both vulnerable. I wonder if there are any specific techniques or guidelines that would help strengthen the results and the process of these interactions?
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