THAT statement was really brought home to me in class this morning. We had one of our new instructors, a lovely little girl who was teaching her second class ever, so naturally remembering the dialogue was difficult for her. Having taught a scripted reading program to five year olds in the past, I so knew where she was coming from. She also had trouble with her right and left while facing us, which caused a bit of confusion now and then. Being her second class, and making it through that training, I still give her big kudos.
So how did all this force me to test the real meaning of being my own guru? Everytime she got the dialogue wrong, she’d stop, rethink, and say it the right way. Good, except for the fact that when your standing on one foot, holding the other one straight out in front of you, your only solace is knowing in 30 seconds the posture will be over. Uh, not so if the instructor starts the dialogue over from the beginning. By the end of the standing series, I had already decided I would have to be my own guru today, or I’d have to leave like some others did.
It was actually a good class in many ways. First, I had to put aside what she was saying, look myself in the eye in the mirror, stay in tune with my body and breath, and do what I knew I needed to do. With a polished instructor, I don’t usually have to think at all. Today I had to draw on things I learned over the last ten weeks and voila – many poses were much improved and though she had the temp up to 115 in the room, my breathing stayed slow and normal and my heart didn’t go into “fight or flight ” mode.
Another way in which this class was positive today was that experiences with different instructors and higher temps will prepare me for different studios when I travel. I’m glad our owner brings in many different instructors so we don’t get used to just her.
We need to be our own guru outside the studio, too. Constantly making choices according to what other people say and do is like listening to “white noise” and losing focus of what you need. Sometimes we have to shut out the white noise and focus on making choices based on what would be best for our own spirit. Growing and nurturing our own energy from within us is important because if our energy is based on others actions, it is going to be erratic and disjointed causing chaos within us. Whereas if our energy is our own, generated by the needs of our minds, bodies, and spirits, it will be consistent and always available, providing for a more peaceful existence.
And so, as another day goes by, I am my own guru, and….I have written.
Leave a Reply