One of the techniques I almost always do when I am preparing for a class is to look up the etymology and definition of the word, as I am so inspired by where words come from. Resilience comes from the words: re + salire= which literally means "to jump back." I spoke about how when we literally jump up, we have to get close to the floor so that we can spring up towards the sky. How there is an inherent pulsation in the action of resilience: contraction and expansion. How in moments when we feel contracted, those are the most pregnant moments, filled with potential which allow us to bounce back and step into our new form, whatever that might be.

Theme: Resilience!

Highlights: 

*Brought in the pulsation between Muscular Energy and Organic Energy. Gave notes about breathing into the focal points of the poses and breathing out of the focal point of the poses.

*Decided that a way to cultivate this quality would be to do "holdings" of poses. Brought my handy timer and we held a variety of different poses including handstand and forearm balance, for a minute.

*Decided to not only do holdings on difficult poses but also on "softer" poses like child pose, restorative bridge, and a seated twist.

*So nice to dive deep into a pose. The holding poses allows us to see where the resistance is, whether it is physical, emotional and/or mental. If we are always moving fast and flowing from pose to pose, we miss moments of deep reflection that appear right at our edge.

*There is great power in challenging students in a context. I wasn't holding poses just to make the students sweat copiously; we were trying to cultivate an attribute. What happens when we are struggling in a pose and we have to stay longer? Where does our strength come from? What keeps us going? I was hoping that the students would surprise themselves with the power of their strength, especially in moments when they think that they can't hold the pose any longer.

Some things to work on:

*I do feel like it is hard for me as a teacher to push students to their edge! I think that the drawback for being an incredibly sensitive individual is that I can read people very quickly and see when they are getting tired and then the over protective part of me wants to step in and take them out of the hard place. Ay,ay, ay!  I have to remember that I like to be challenged by my teachers. And that coming to child's pose is truly one of the most advanced gestures a student came make in their practice. 

*Remember that inspiration for a yoga class doesn't have to just come from the Gita or the Siva Sutras. It can come from the most unlikely places, as long as we make it universal and tie it to the deeper reasons of why we do yoga. As the writer Anne Lammott once advised other writers in her magnificent book Bird by Bird: "If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal."

One last thing:

I was able to take Tiffany Fraser's class at Black Dog Yoga today at 11. It is not often that I can make her class but I am always grateful when I do. She has a way of being really challenging (I was dripping in sweat!) while weaving a gorgeous theme tapestry that holds everyone in class, allowing us to tap into more resources from within. I always learn something new from her class, whether it be a new way of doing a pose (today it was doing urdhva dhanurasana with a rolled blanket at the wall) or an alignment point (in uttanasana, keeping all the principles going, try to lift your lower belly in and up more, to go deeper into the pose). Most importantly I left class feeling great! 

Yay.

Life is good!

And then my lovely darkness rears it's head and whispers to me: "you will never be as good as her."

...

Oh, I know this voice well.

I gently remind my lovely darkness that all of us teachers have something to offer.

I tell my lovely darkness that I never, ever compete with other teachers. That there is room for all of us.

And that all that I can do is continue to develop my own adhikara, so that I can become a better teacher. 

Comparisons always hurt me: whether it is about a fellow teacher or the yogi practicing next to me. 

The lovely darkness recedes away, as quickly as it came. 

I rescued myself.