Addressing the curvature of our spine this week … that spine that includes the often forgotten … NECK, the cervical spine:)
You can’t be all things to all people… Trust yourself first.
– Judith Hanson Lasater
We all know we can’t please everyone and foolish of us to even try. If you go to my favorite Iyengar teacher’s class, he speaks non-stop throughout the class about every minute details of your body parts and that … is so helpful in retaining that “attention” and focus. Some people need that. He is so full of words, some people call it OCD and other call it mindful attention to all details. When I auditioned I felt the need to fill the void with every little explanation and minute details of asana benefits, breath awareness, etc. basically to showcase how much I know. It was not really about the students and their needs but about the teacher and her needs to prove herself as the “knower” – it can be quite annoying for the students if the teacher habitually do this. Depending on the TPO, depending on the intention of the class it’s best to … just hold a quiet space – no preaching, no lecturing, no explaining … not even teaching. Sometimes, it’s the quiet, the silence … just holding space is enough. Students showed up because they already know. There’s no need to prove anything to keep driving the point. The point is … tune in to trust yourself.
Teachers should create a safe space
in the class, keep the focus on the breath and the flow
of the asanas. It is best to refrain from excessive talking,
explaining or preaching during the class—the job of the
Yoga teacher is to help people to feel safe in every aspect of
their self-experience.
– Bessel van der Kolk, MD
Yes.
Need not start reciting the Yoga Sutras or anything – but suggestion to weave in the psycho-spiritual-mysticism – just a suggestion by Saraswathi Devi …yoga teacher veteran of 40 some years … to weave in that… magic is quite challenging in some setting to say the least. Yes, I spent the whole weekend in Berkeley … doesn’t it show?