Before teaching a yoga class, I like to write down my dharma talk—this is something instructors usually say at the beginning of class, which sets the “bhavana” or tone, mood, and theme for the practice. Some days, I skip it and focus on straight-up alignment and the physical aspect of the poses. In those cases, I’ll still begin with something like, “Today, we’re going back to the basics, breaking asanas down to their essentials.”
Here’s what I’d written down for last Wednesday’s class:
When you go through teacher training, you’re taught to teach in your truth. Teach like who you are. There may be an instructor whose style you admire or wish to embody, but ultimately, teach from your truth.
So with that being said, I was recently out of the country as my maternal grandmother passed away. The odd thing is, I have not cried yet. [Note: I already have by the time I taught this class.] I got teary-eyed while saying goodbye to my aunt, but a full-blown bawling session has yet to occur. It could be two things: either I’ve become a heartless, detached New Yorker; or, the yoga must be working.
In yoga, they say how you are on the mat is how you are in life. Yoga equips you with the tools to weather the contractions and expansions in life (so you don’t break).
On a similar note, when you travel especially, things don’t always go your way! 😀 I’m sure many of you have a lot of anecdotes on this. We won’t get to mine but overall, this is where I’m at.
[Contraction and Expansion Practice; 75 Minutes]
