Teaching...

I'm finding out more and more things this month of teaching. There are many things that I'm not sure how to word just yet but lets see how this all comes out.

Okay, I'm loving teaching again, that goes without saying. I wrote a lot about how I was missing it and this is confirmed by the amount of enjoyment I'm getting.

I was told by one student the other day that she just loves the way I'll sit and watch and hold the space for a long period of time, that is when she feels the best in the room. I really always feel like I'm doing something because I'm watching everyone so intently that it feels like I am "doing" but moreso I am being and allowing them to be, unless they need my help that is or I see somewhere I can help them and maybe they don't really want my help lol, but I give it to them...

I always remember watching the videos of Guruji teaching, and in them he was often teaching people doing the advanced series, so you'd think he could relax a little, but he always watched them so deeply and made sure they were doing everything just right, so I made it a goal to do the same many years ago. That holding the space is something not everyone understands either, it means your intention, your practice and your focus is strong and sets the tone of the energy in the room. And people can feel that even if they're not so in touch with energetic sensations, but they just know something is different. So I guess I got that skill honed since others are noticing it now, good. Doesn't mean I can relax, its always a work in progress though!

I also noticed that when you have a led class once a week you should not really allow drop ins on that day only. A led class should ideally be for the people who are regularly coming to Mysore style classes. Now, if you're not doing all your classes traditionally then maybe this doesn't matter, but if you are and you are stopping people when they need to stop to work on a posture, rather than just allowing them to go on until they feel like it, with variations that really aren't preparing them for the work of the postures that follow, then newbies shouldn't be allowed to come only for that one led class a week. For one, with me not seeing you in class regularly I don't know what you're working with, what's going on in your body or knee or whatever issue you may have and so I won't have begun to understand how to help you work in your daily practice with it and then in led class when I see you and see you not doing something but have no idea the reason, then I'll stop you, you'll get mad or rather your ego will, and you won't come back. That doesn't serve anyone anyway. And to me it doesn't matter so much that you don't come back because you aren't committed to the practice anyway, but if you then you'll come to other classes as well and be working on something.

I'm not trying to be a dick here, but do you get what I'm saying? It's too hard as a guest teacher to help someone in led class when I haven't seen them also during the week, but they may not understand if they're only coming sometimes anyway.

That is why a month commitment is imperative in an authentic yoga shala, now I do know people have lives and sometimes life gets in the way of coming to a shala and so that's different. But if you want them to understand this method of yoga, not just asana practice, but yoga, then the commitment is needed. And that will automatically take care of that, and if you want to do a separate led primary class you can and allow them to come to that...

There's more but as I mentioned its not all formulated in my head just yet, so I'm not going to start on them and maybe let them become a disaster, so I'll leave it at this. Love you all, hope to see you on your mat or at a meal, or somewhere, anywhere soon!