Sunday, December 16, 2007

Dilema Resolved

The teaching dilema resolved finally. Starting today my YS class is now labled a "hatha" class rather than vinyasa. so now i can teach my own way and at a slower pace and the students will expect a slower pace and longer held poses. hooray! along with that i've added a 'power vinyasa' to my class load at YS so i still get to teach some vinyasa which is fun.

this morning i went over to YS and got there around 8:30 to practice for a while before the students arrived. it was cold and grey and rainy out and i thought for sure no one would come. but i went and started warming up in "Air", the blue studio. and the room was warm with candles glowing in the windows and then from the french restaurant downstairs came the most fabulous scent of baking bread. it was all i could do to keep practicing and not run down there and buy a loaf. YUM!

this morning i taught with the theme of looking inward because of the winter solstice coming up on friday. that this is the Kali season of the year. the time of darkness of ending of dying away and is a good time for internal reflection. i started the class talking about that and ended the class with a lovingkindness meditation. and i personally felt pretty good about the whole thing.

what i've been thinking about lately is that people come to yoga because they want to be inspired and moved. that's what i want from yoga. i don't want to just do exercise, i want life inspiration and guidelines and to be reminded of what is really important. so by not giving those things in my classes i'm really selling students short. but offering those things is feeding their souls and they WANT it. i think i didn't offer it before because i was afraid for some reason, that people wouldn't be open to it. that is definitely not the case at all. yogis ARE open to it, and if they aren't it is just because they're having an off day OR they haven't been introduced to it yet. but anyone who comes to a yoga class on a sunday morning definitely isn't in church at that time, maybe they're looking for something else for inspiration. if i can help them find the divinity within through the yoga and meditation practice. i'm doing a darn good job i hope. today people left with smiles and thank yous. that's the best i can hope for.

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