Intensive Course

Last weekend I took a three day intensive ashtanga yoga course with my teacher. The subject was to go deeper inte your own practice and also to talk about teaching. Maybe half the people on the course were already teachers, and the rest were either thinking about teaching one day, or just there to deepen the practice.

Most people were from other parts of Sweden, people who don´t have Maria as there regular teacher. I realized how lucky I am to have such a good teacher (and of course the other very qualified teachers at the shala) so closeby and available every day. A few weeks before this course I was on another course with Maria in Ljusdal, where there also were many teachers from other places in Sweden. What struck me was how many of these teachers were teaching after having practiced only for a few yeras (one girl had practiced only for 6 monthes!), and not having a 5-6 times/ week practice. I guess this is something that can happen in small towns, where there is no competition, and people ask you if you can start teaching because they become inspired by you.

Anyways, Maria talked a alot about what a big responsibility it is to teach. You don´t go to a physician or chiropractor who has only studied for two years. As a teacher you are actually manipulating not only peoples physical bodies, but also there subtle bodies, i.e. on an emotional plane. The one most important thing to remember as a teacher is to always be present she said. Even if your life outside the shala is in turmoil, once you step into the yoga room it is your responsibility to be totally present and there for the students. There is a difference between being an instructor and being a teacher. A teacher has to take responsibility and guide the student. To be able to see if a student needs to back off or be challenged.

The last day we were suposed to talk about how to integrate the yamas and niyamas in the practice. Unfortunately there was not so much time for this. I took a course for a couple of years with my other teacher Lisa, and I think I learnt a lot from her how to incorporate these into my practice, not only on the mat, but also in the everyday life. Perhaps this is another post. At the moment I am listening to Richard Freemans "The Yoga Matrix", and I can really recommend it if you are interested in going deeper into the yoga philosophy.

To teach or not to teach, now there's a question!
Am I ready? Will I be able to keep up the practice? Will I loose interest if I make it into a proffesion (although not full time)? Or will it make me go even deeper into the practice and will it give me joy to help other people? Will I have to change my present life completely, or will it become even better?
? ? ?
Time will tell. I surrender and leave the question in the hands of the universe.