I regularly teach the 26 posture sequence developed by Bikram. I know the monologue associated with its instruction, but I get further away from it every time I teach.
There are inevitably moments that are the same in every class. Like the Sit-up, where the whole class is meant to do the movement together. These moments require a forceful, rhythmic use of the language that gets repeated several times. The class can simply do what I say as I say it, and the result is that they all do the Sit-up together. But these unison, rhythmic movements are few and far between. I would even argue that they are the least yogic. I want to encourage my students to explore their own experience, to notice their bodies and minds, and to adjust what they need to adjust. I do not want my students to all take the same approach, move their bodies the same way, or even look the same in the postures. Each day is different, and each student is different. Some need to work harder, some need to back off their effort. Some need to bend their spines more, others need to focus on their hips or feet. This is an inevitable challenge of teaching more than 2 or 3 people at the same time. But sticking to a scripted monologue adds a layer of restriction that prevents me from addressing each class, each day and each student appropriately. There is the argument that a scripted monologue allows new teachers to guide their students with more precision and effectiveness than they would be able to otherwise, by using the words of their teacher instead of their own. This is true, though it ends up being detrimental to everyone over the long term. New teachers are often thrust into a leadership role with a poor understanding of the body and the postures, relying too heavily on a script. Also they are prevented from making their own mistakes, enduring their own struggles on the way to developing their own language, tone and pace. New teachers would be better served by studying the mechanics and purpose of each posture and sequence. They should be required to come up with their own language to guide the students based on their own experience of the yoga. That is the only way to keep the tradition alive and prevent it from becoming stagnant and dogmatic.
0 Comments
With so much going on in the past few months, I lost track of my practice of surrendering my accomplishments and embarrassments.
Each night as I lie in bed, I scan my ego for the things I am proud of. I release them, acknowledging that they are not me. I scan for anything I am ashamed of or afraid of and release them too. I become much lighter, much closer to my true self, I believe. I am not the sum total of my accomplishments or fears. I am something else, perhaps I am nothing more than a construction of my own imagination. This practice of emptying the mind and ego humbles me, gives me perspective and strength to move forward in my life. I recently began reading Bernie Clark's book Complete Guide to Yin Yoga. Bernie is at the forefront of the Yin movement, and I have been curious for awhile now about the purpose and intention behind the practice of Yin.
Yin Yoga, a practice with long holds (1-5 minutes), has been available at our home yoga studio for many years. I have taken dozens of classes. They are slow, occasionally relaxing and sometimes quite intense as the body opens up. One of our closest yoga teaching friends is the local authority on Yin. Even though I have read several books and attended many classes, I have never been able to fully comprehend the purpose of the Yin practice. Is it for the tendons, ligaments, fascia or muscles? Is it even healthy for the body to stretch some of these tissues? Bernie Clark's book is well-written and informative. He draws much of his knowledge and inspiration from martial arts, which is oddly comforting since I too started there. For me, the jury is still out on Yin Yoga. My understanding is growing, but I must admit that I am skeptical. I will continue to read and practice. This morning we put 2000 books in our garage. The shipment arrived of our Beginning and Intermediate Manuals plus the Bose book. It is a lot of heavy boxes full of a lot of hours of blood, sweat and tears.
We feel compelled to offer the information in these books. It is difficult to find good, clear instruction on yoga practice, whether you are a beginner or an advancing student. As we were learning we searched high and low for teachers, books and videos. We continue to. We want these books to be useful, easy to understand and packed full of information. They are designed with a coil binding so they lie flat on the floor. You can set them next to you while you practice and refer to the instructions and setups. We included as much information as we could about each posture. Why do we do them? What are their benefits? Are there any tricks or shortcuts? What should we be careful of? Each posture has its own page of explanation separate of the pages that describe its execution. The instructions for each posture are what we are most proud of. We have never seen a book with this approach before. We break down each step of the postures and include a picture of the step. Each turn of the foot, each bend of the elbow has a photo and a description of what is happening in the body. So execution of even the most complex of postures becomes very clear. Do you ever feel like you need to start over from scratch? Like your habits have piled so high that you can't even find the bottom - the pure intention or expression that made you start?
Sometimes I find imbalances in my body, ruts and movement habits that I have reinforced over years of movement. It is so difficult to undo them. I find myself returning to the beginning - the simplest movement, the smallest bend. I try to engage the proper muscles, use them evenly, with control, not just plop down deeply into a posture relying on my habits and imbalances to support me. It is funny, because I feel like the deeper I get into any given posture, the closer I am to the beginning. Somehow I am simultaneously progressing into unknown territory and at the same time retracing my steps backward to undo my bad habits. I don't need to worship Bikram in order to benefit from his system of 26 postures. I don't need to vilify him either. The postures are useful and the system is useful. I am grateful that they exist, regardless of who invented them.
I don't need to worship Steve Jobs in order for my Mac or iPhone to be useful, and I don't need to worship Alexander Fleming in order to use Penicillin. Today is the first day of a new era for me. Our books are finally at the printer, so my days of endless proofreading and editing are over (for now, at least). I am returning to my practice with a renewed passion and vigor.
So much time in the past few months has been spent focused on instruction, both with our books and the regular classes I teach. I have noticed the lack of personal focus, development and progress. I am eager to explore some new depths of myself and continue on my own journey. I have kept up my practice enough to not slide backward too far, but I can feel the build-up of un-tapped potential. I am so happy and relieved to be returning to dedicated practice. Also, I hope to return to regular posting here in my online journal! When we come to our practice each day, it is easy to bring expectations and baggage. What has this practice meant to me in the past? What was I capable of yesterday or last year? What do I expect my performance to be today? This is especially true if we do the same or similar practice each day.
While it is generally desire that brings us to our practice - the desire for fitness, stress relief, spirituality or something else - once we arrive and begin practicing our postures, breathing or meditation all desire and expectation should be discarded. The practice becomes immediate, with complete mental presence in the moment. There is no future and no past, no expectations and no baggage. Only right now, only our body and breath and mind right now.
Yoga is not Buddhism, but there is a belief in Buddhism that the journey is far more important than any personality or cult of leadership that may form. This is valid when applied to the practice of yoga, especially amidst all the "guru" scandals that have arisen in the past 100 years, not the least of which is Bikram. The practice and the journey are more important than any single teacher or personality.
"Throughout his life [Gotama, the Buddha] fought against the cult of personality, and endlessly deflected attention of his disciples from himself. It was not his life and personality but his teaching that was important... If people started to revere Gotama the man, they would distract themselves from their task, and the cult could become a prop, causing an unworthy dependence that could only impede spiritual progress." - From Buddha by Karen Armstrong |
This journal honors my ongoing experience with the practice, study and teaching of yoga.
My FavoritesPopular Posts1) Sridaiva Yoga: Good Intention But Imbalanced
2) Understanding Chair Posture 2) Why I Don't Use Sanskrit or Say Namaste 3) The Meaningless Drudgery of Physical Yoga 5) Beyond Bikram: Why This Is a Great Time For Ghosh Yoga Categories
All
Archives
November 2017
|