A student of mine recently asked, “Do you find that yoga has increased your psychic power?”
My first reaction (spoken quietly, in my head) was, “Wow. You are asking the wrong person.”
My out-loud response was, “If by ‘psychic power’, you mean ‘intuition’, then yes.”
Since completing yoga teacher training last year, I’ve been trying to define who I am as a yoga teacher. That is, what message I am passing on to my students, or what values I’m sharing with them.
I’ve encountered many yoga teachers over the years. Some of them fully embraced ideas about earth mysteries, shamanic healing, chakra alignment, etc. – and they wove those beliefs into their practice. Although I fully admit the existence of unexplained mysteries in the world, none of those so-called New Age beliefs ever resonated with me.
To quote Rufus Wainwright, “these three cubic feet of bone and blood and meat are all I love and know”.
I know my body – and that only happened after many years of feeling alienated from it. Personally, yoga helped me to feel less like an alien in my own body. It also taught me how best to confront the chaos of my everyday world. Every practice is a “date” I have with my body, during which time I give thanks for its continuous support and I allow it to make all decisions about where it wants to go. I kindly ask my intellectual body to have some quiet time, while my physical body (and the breath) enjoys a more full expression.
Unsurprisingly, it turns out that I am a very pragmatic yoga teacher. My goal is to teach students how to have a better relationship with their own bodies. I want to help them increase their body awareness. I hope to lead them towards increased peace with their bodies – strengths and limitations combined. I wish for them the clarity of mind that opens new thoughts, dreams and creative endeavours. And ultimately, perhaps all that will lead to better coping skills in real life.
It’s not a very “sexy” approach, I know, but that is exactly the kind of yoga teacher I want to be. Hopefully, I’ll attract the students who are looking for just that. In the meantime, even if I can’t teach my students how to increase their psychic power, perhaps I can help them learn some other lessons instead.
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4 Comments
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I love your post! I think that we need more yoga teachers who speak to people in language they can understand and offer yoga as a system of practical tools to live better…I understand that yoga can be alienating to those who find themselves on their mat for the first couple of times, and teachers like yourself, who speak to people with compassion, sensitivity and humour, are exactly what’s needed to encourage these newcomers to delve deeper into the yogic realm.
wonderful post! i thing this is the kind of examination and self-reflection that all yoga teachers should have to go through. for myself, i’ve also encountered a similar relationship with my body. i think that it manifests in my teaching in a slightly different way, although the original intention is there. i think that, ultimately, my message to my students is different, although on a similar vein. however, it’s so important that each teacher is clear about our goal and intention, and what we have to offer.
as for the psychic powers and chakra wisdom ~ i’ll leave that up to somebody who knows that stuff! i’m concerned with the day-to-day challenges of what it means to be human and live in a physical body in this material world.
As difficult as it may be coming to an understanding about who you are and what you’re capable of, the feeling of achieving that understanding is exhilarating. Thanks to all for your continued support! xo