When the mystery becomes knowing
Sharing retreat reflections and an autumn curriculum to build our practice.
Hello from a yacht in Greece where I am challenging myself to learn new skills — gathering adventures and smiles and making new friendships along the way.
Last month I shared 6 yoga skills that are the foundation of how to practice asana. Just as my sailing instructor is drilling me through skills on the Ionian Sea, I'll be guiding you through 6 skills on the mat this autumn.
Breaking yoga down into skills is a great way to learn. It takes the mystery out of watching the teacher and just wondering "how on earth are they doing that?"
The Jivamukti Focus of the Month in September was A Lighthouse in the Dark. The lighthouse represents our teacher. Traditionally yoga was taught 1:1 passed down from the guru to the student. 'Guru' does not translate as teacher but as 'remover of darkness'. The teacher, like the lighthouse, enables us to see that which was previously hidden.
Being away on retreat helped me to reflect on what makes a good teacher. I concluded that the best teachers keep learning. They experiment with their self practice, using their own body as a lab to explore, with an open mind: 'What if?'
That's the sort of teacher I want to be. My first teacher called it 'playing not pushing'. It's an analogy for life — how would it feel to play through life with the wonder of a child rather than pushing to control the world around you?
'What if' we understand that joints are designed to have space and that bones don't stack — how would that change the way we move on the mat?
One client on September's Norfolk retreat summed up her experience as "I'm now in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time". We all deserve to be happy. As Marianne Williamson says: 'we all deserve to shine and in so doing we unconsciously give permission for those around us to shine too'.
Wherever your journey leads you, take your yoga practice with you for it will serve you well.