Seeing is Believing: the Teacher-Student Relationship

Last night I was gazing at the beautiful moon and I thought of one of my students. She's been a student of yoga for quite a while-think years. Through our Desire Mapping work, she chose the word luminous, and she is amazingly luminous and beautiful. Now I can't  look at the moon without thinking of her. 

I love and appreciate the trust that people give me in my teaching. I take that very seriously. Patanjali tells us in the very first Yoga Sutra-1.1 अथ योगनुससनुं atha yoganusasanum that when we begin the study of yoga, both teacher and student commit to the practice, the teachings and to each other. It is a sacred vow that both are to honor.

Through this commitment I get to experience the change my students' have over time and they get to experience my growth and learning as well. Some of them stay for a short bit and some stay for a very long time. The teachings must resonate with us. We build trust and faith and over time, our kavaca, (pronounced-ka va cha), our protective shield starts to lift and our true selves are revealed--teacher to student and student to teacher.

#truthbomb

I pulled this card out of my truthbomb deck about a week after my first Desire Mapping workshop. How appropriate, "I see you." I realized that the work I have been doing my whole life is about learning and teaching people about uncovering their true selves. Even all of my years as a school teacher, it was more about helping young people connect with who they were more than learning the facts about wellness or science.

The point of this post is to say thank you for those students who have been or are along for the ride willing to lift the veil between human beings as well as to share that I don't always love what I find when I go digging for truth. It doesn't always feel good, and it's not usually easy. 

The same holds true in working with others. 
Some people run away at the first peak behind their protective shield (kavaca) and some stick around for the real work. Thank you to those of you who stick around for the heavy lifting, the deep excavations, the intense stuff. The miracle is that once you peel a few layers away and shed a few tears, there're often times joy, peace and a new sense of self-love. 

A dear friend who was pivotal in my growth through my early 20's and 30's told me that I had to trust and feel the bad stuff so that I could one day feel the joy as well. I didn't believe her right off. I am grateful that over time, I remembered her words and was surrounded by people to guide me through many of those layers. By the way-it isn't always painful; I've done some work that was quite humorous and uplifting as well.

So if you're looking to "to attain what was previously unattainable," according to one of TKV Desikachar's definitions of yoga, then I want to work with you. If you want to make some lifestyle changes, connect with your deepest desires and live the life you've always dreamed of, I want to work with you. I am so enjoying the magnificence I see when I truly get to see people. Have a great day! 
I'd love to hear your thoughts about change, seeing people, the masks we hide behind...

#truthbombs #desiremapping #Patanjali