Comments on: email to teachers: trust and safety http://boundlessyoga.com/2007/02/04/email-to-teachers-trust-and-safety/ Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:01:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: tori http://boundlessyoga.com/2007/02/04/email-to-teachers-trust-and-safety/#comment-1467 tori Mon, 05 Feb 2007 01:31:06 +0000 http://boundlessyoga.com/2007/02/04/email-to-teachers-trust-and-safety/#comment-1467 I too like "trusting" better. For me this starts with the fact that in a truly devoted practice, there's a lot of uncertainty. There has to be. If you're always sure of what you're doing, you're not learning. By the same token, moving forward in your asana practice entails falling, "failing," maybe even getting hurt. Otherwise how the hell do you know where your limits are? Anyone who's practicing handstand without occasionally falling over isn't really practicing handstand. I loved this NPR piece: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6196795 The essayist's message: "Success is boring. Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do.... Failure is how we learn." For present purposes, the point is this: I agree with Kim that practicing can *feel* unsafe (even if it isn't *actually* unsafe -- which hopefully it's not unless one has been poorly taught) (which doesn't happen at this studio, yo!), because that's how extreme uncertainty registers, especially when we're talking about the body. It follows that we need to trust. Got to have trust in order to keep coming back to an endeavor that is inherently uncertain. Anyway, cheers Kim & the teachers on this whole editing/honing process! I too like “trusting” better. For me this starts with the fact that in a truly devoted practice, there’s a lot of uncertainty. There has to be. If you’re always sure of what you’re doing, you’re not learning.

By the same token, moving forward in your asana practice entails falling, “failing,” maybe even getting hurt. Otherwise how the hell do you know where your limits are? Anyone who’s practicing handstand without occasionally falling over isn’t really practicing handstand. I loved this NPR piece: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6196795 The essayist’s message: “Success is boring. Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do…. Failure is how we learn.”

For present purposes, the point is this: I agree with Kim that practicing can *feel* unsafe (even if it isn’t *actually* unsafe — which hopefully it’s not unless one has been poorly taught) (which doesn’t happen at this studio, yo!), because that’s how extreme uncertainty registers, especially when we’re talking about the body.

It follows that we need to trust. Got to have trust in order to keep coming back to an endeavor that is inherently uncertain.

Anyway, cheers Kim & the teachers on this whole editing/honing process!

]]> By: maura http://boundlessyoga.com/2007/02/04/email-to-teachers-trust-and-safety/#comment-1481 maura Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:52:51 +0000 http://boundlessyoga.com/2007/02/04/email-to-teachers-trust-and-safety/#comment-1481 Or how about this: our first home is the soul. It's the only "thing" about us that is eternal. The material plane is only the physical manifestation of the soul; it is the cause and not the effect; the result, not the intention. The power lies in the cause and intention. We can trust that power, honor that power, and everything else may fall by the wayside. Or maybe I'm just a chick with cancer, who has been operated on too many times, and is beginning to feel this body of mine is merely rented space on an operating table, surrounded by so many doctors' knives. I think of donating my body to science after I die, so that doctors may learn more about the disease. But then that makes me feel like I'm renting a very valuable sublet, and there is a line of people outside my door, just waiting for me to move, so that they can move in. I can burn down that sublet and say to hell with it all, but I will still remain. I will still exist. Or how about this: our first home is the soul. It’s the only “thing” about us that is eternal. The material plane is only the physical manifestation of the soul; it is the cause and not the effect; the result, not the intention. The power lies in the cause and intention. We can trust that power, honor that power, and everything else may fall by the wayside. Or maybe I’m just a chick with cancer, who has been operated on too many times, and is beginning to feel this body of mine is merely rented space on an operating table, surrounded by so many doctors’ knives.

I think of donating my body to science after I die, so that doctors may learn more about the disease. But then that makes me feel like I’m renting a very valuable sublet, and there is a line of people outside my door, just waiting for me to move, so that they can move in. I can burn down that sublet and say to hell with it all, but I will still remain. I will still exist.

]]> By: luis http://boundlessyoga.com/2007/02/04/email-to-teachers-trust-and-safety/#comment-1488 luis Thu, 08 Feb 2007 05:22:42 +0000 http://boundlessyoga.com/2007/02/04/email-to-teachers-trust-and-safety/#comment-1488 I like better “trusting” too, I have to say that last week at your class we went in to hand stand, I remember you saying “Everybody should go in to the full asana” and so we did. I had never gone in to the full pose until that night and I was feeling kind of afraid, then you started talking about the transition, think of your legs floating as feathers, you kept saying… And so I did, I let my self “float” and realized I could do it. After that I got this feeling of freedom and relief that I could do almost anything. The next day I was trying to practice at home and guess what? I fall down! I knew it could happen but it’s not until you live it when you realize how it feels… I was on the floor in my room feeling my heart beating 200x’ and holding my breath, trying to figure out if it was only my shoulder and the top of my head what had hit the floor, but a bit later after collecting my self It felt so good to realize that there’s much more to learn, that I have to keep practicing, and that feeling insecure as you said must deepen my trust in the fact that indeed it is all good! (by the way the shoulder it's cool now, so I'll be there soon!) I like better “trusting” too, I have to say that last week at your class we went in to hand stand, I remember you saying “Everybody should go in to the full asana” and so we did. I had never gone in to the full pose until that night and I was feeling kind of afraid, then you started talking about the transition, think of your legs floating as feathers, you kept saying… And so I did, I let my self “float” and realized I could do it. After that I got this feeling of freedom and relief that I could do almost anything. The next day I was trying to practice at home and guess what? I fall down!
I knew it could happen but it’s not until you live it when you realize how it feels… I was on the floor in my room feeling my heart beating 200x’ and holding my breath, trying to figure out if it was only my shoulder and the top of my head what had hit the floor, but a bit later after collecting my self It felt so good to realize that there’s much more to learn, that I have to keep practicing, and that feeling insecure as you said must deepen my trust in the fact that indeed it is all good!
(by the way the shoulder it’s cool now, so I’ll be there soon!)

]]> By: kim http://boundlessyoga.com/2007/02/04/email-to-teachers-trust-and-safety/#comment-1491 kim Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:32:24 +0000 http://boundlessyoga.com/2007/02/04/email-to-teachers-trust-and-safety/#comment-1491 hey luis! the class you're referring to is the challenge class, in which, indeed, we examine more deeply our levels of trust in the body. and i LOVE your story! and the legs can "float as feathers" when the pelvis is totally secure in supporting you in this inversion. i always congratulate people for falling down, because as one of my favorite teachers rodney yee used to say, you never realize how easy it is to fall until you do. can't wait to see you again in the challenge class; let's do more headstand! hey luis! the class you’re referring to is the challenge class, in which, indeed, we examine more deeply our levels of trust in the body. and i LOVE your story! and the legs can “float as feathers” when the pelvis is totally secure in supporting you in this inversion.

i always congratulate people for falling down, because as one of my favorite teachers rodney yee used to say, you never realize how easy it is to fall until you do.

can’t wait to see you again in the challenge class; let’s do more headstand!

]]> By: sean http://boundlessyoga.com/2007/02/04/email-to-teachers-trust-and-safety/#comment-1496 sean Thu, 08 Feb 2007 19:42:22 +0000 http://boundlessyoga.com/2007/02/04/email-to-teachers-trust-and-safety/#comment-1496 this reminds me what we talked about before class last night, kim. to "trust" the body means i not only need to listen to it, but i actually need to *learn* to listen to it. and once i learn to listen to it, it will tell me what i need to do to keep it safe. for me, yoga is helping me learn to listen to my body. just my two cents. with metta, sean this reminds me what we talked about before class last night, kim. to “trust” the body means i not only need to listen to it, but i actually need to *learn* to listen to it. and once i learn to listen to it, it will tell me what i need to do to keep it safe.

for me, yoga is helping me learn to listen to my body.

just my two cents.

with metta,
sean

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