By Gopi Rao
It is said that the art of yoga may be practiced anytime as long
as those involved remove their shoes first! All joking aside, yoga has, for
thousands of years, been one of the best ways to maintain a prolifically
positive quality of life and well being. The most unique aspect about yoga is
that it requires involvement from not only one's mind and body, but the spirit
as well. The ostensible meaning of the word “yoga” is not easily nailed down in
an etymological sense. The concept of yoga is perceived in many different ways.
This explains both why and how so many different varieties and “schools” of
yoga have emerged over the ages. However, the most enduring aspect of the art
of yoga comes from the realm of empathy and compassion. Yoga unites all of the
senses, which gives way to a seemingly magical, truly palpable sense of
heightened mental clarity and balance. This is why yoga has been known as an
integral healing tradition for millennia.
Yoga instructors are infamously well tempered both physically
and emotionally, and rightfully so. Yoga is not about garnering power or
achieving a vain amount of muscular strength. It is about endowing a sense of
respect for one's body – the spiritual vessel. Through this method, yoga
instructors are able to personalize pose routines based upon the experience
level of the students. Regardless of whether one is teaching beginners or
seasoned professionals, the greatest teachers of yoga are the most patient and
kind. This is because compassion is unattainable without patience. Imagine a
tree with no roots, or a song with no chorus. Both can be completely real
within one's mind, but could never exist within our reality.
However, it is not only the instructor who is held to a higher
standard. Students must also be patient with themselves. Rome was neither built
nor destroyed in a day. It takes time to overcome obstacles put before us. It
also takes time to fortify new abilities within oneself. This is why compassion
is of utmost necessity when it comes to properly understanding the balance and
the intention behind practicing yoga. Breathe deeply, be confident, and give
thanks for the holy reality in which we live from day to day. This is the most
important way to make progress when practicing the art of yoga.
The Perfectionist Trap in Teaching Yoga
All kinds of people with all kinds of personalities attend yoga
classes. One of the most complex challenges for a yoga teacher arises when they
encounter students who are perfectionists. In their drive to master every
element of every pose, these students frequently lose sight of their original
motivation to come to yoga in the first place. Rather than being a time to
become centered, to focus, and to meditate, for them yoga is just one more
thing to memorize. The practice becomes stressful because they are so focused
on getting it "right" that they miss the big picture. In this
article, I will tell you how I approach these students in the hopes that you
can learn from my example.
Of course, in yoga we cannot make anyone feel judged, and these
students are particularly vulnerable to the feeling that they are somehow not
meeting the expectations of a teacher. They have likely faced this kind of
vulnerability for their whole lives. It can manifest in different forms: some
students push themselves to do everything perfectly and will practice for hours
until they are satisfied, while others compare themselves to their classmates
and want to become the best student. These attitudes are not beneficial to
their growth and development, so they will be better off if you can somehow
illustrate a different way of doing yoga.
It
is very tempting to try to correct these students and tell them what they are
doing is wrong, especially if you feel irritated when they ask a lot of technical
questions and seem to be missing the point. But first of all, you should
recognize that just being in yoga could be a big step for them. It might show
that they have some awareness of the fact that there is too much stress in
their lives. So you need to make sure yoga is still a welcoming place for them.
Talk to them, but instead of telling them what they are doing is wrong; discuss
the beauty of yoga and its powers to guide your focus. This positive approach
will show them what they might be missing in yoga. In the end, however, it is
their journey, and you cannot take it for them. As much as you want to just
tell them they are doing it wrong, they need to come to such a realization by
themselves.
© Copyright 2016 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
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