Falling and Getting Back Up

Falling and Getting Back Up

Thanks to Angela, our guest blogger, for sharing her experience and wisdom. She provided key insights to holding the space of student, which guides our deepening understanding.

In these past two weeks Angela and I have both blogged about the numerous ways the ego can sneak in and take over. This is normal. I repeat, this is normal. I get frustrated when people say "I can't believe s/he said or did that. After all, they are a yoga teacher". Have you ever heard that? It's as if the credentialing process for being a yoga teacher should include self-actualization. If this is true, there would be fewer teachers and many more gurus.

I don't know any teachers who profess to be perfect. Speaking for myself, I honestly admit that I teach because it keeps me on the path. And what is the path of yoga - it is about remembering our natural state of balance and wholeness, our union. And how do we figure out where we are out of balance? It is by weaving, swaying, tripping and sometimes even falling over. Being a yoga teacher does not mean we don’t trip ourselves up. Hopefully what it does mean is that we are committed to noticing that we have fallen, having the courage to look for what caused us to fall, i.e., the ego, and then getting back up and playing with a new kind of balance. Our mats are places where we practice awareness so we can be more aware in the world. Awareness is the key factor to healing into our wholeness.

Now you may be wondering if Angela and I learned anything on the mat at the yoga therapy training. Indeed we did learn many gems that we will be sharing. One is very apt right now. When talking about the leg action in certain poses such as triangle, trikonasana, Doug Keller would use the imagery of having one foot on the dock with the other foot on the boat and trying not to fall in the water. Just after the workshop, I was about to leave for the cabin in Canada (on a little island in a big lake and reachable by boat only), and I got the image all too well. I have been there and done that. Anyway, try it and see what your experience is and let us know.