Naikan on Yoga Teachers

At the Asala Center, we teach Constructive Living, which is a practical, mindful approach to life skills.  Part of Constructive Living is the exercise of Naikan, a self-reflective and meditative practice encouraging a more balanced perspective on the details of your daily interactions.  Last year for Yoga Month, I wrote about how Constructive Living lines up well with the philosophy of yoga.  This year, I will use a Constructive Living exercise (Naikan) to briefly reflect on my relationship to yoga.  This is a bare bones example of how to use Naikan--a real Naikan reflection could take up this entire magazine and would be much more specific!

What have I received from my yoga teachers this year?

I have received clarification on important key postures to yoga through my yoga teachers.  For example, Doug Keller last year changed my relationship to Warrior Two by several simple adjustments to how to move into the posture safely, and I happily share that knowledge when I teach Warrior Two now.  Gina Minyard kindly addressed my concerns about performing a hip opening posture which had injured me in the past.  She gave me individual attention as I sweat bullets through holding a posture that I normally brush off as "easy."  Shala Worsley taught me how broad a range of styles exist in Yin Yoga, which freed me up to explore my own beliefs on how to teach Yin.  

What have I given my yoga teachers this year?

I have given most of my yoga teachers money to learn from them, though some classes I am able to take for free or at a discount.  I have posted their workshops on my facebook page and told friends about their teaching.  For Gina, I told her specifically what I liked about her class and how it helped my injury.  For Shala, I told her specifically how her intensive helped me figure out how I wanted to better teach Yin.

What harm or trouble have I caused my yoga teachers this year?

I had to leave a Prenatal Yoga training early for a dance performance and caused a distraction in the room as I left early.  I stayed up too late before an Anusara workshop and arrived late and was groggy throughout the day.  I chose to skip a workshop from an instructor I admire, which was not supportive of their work.  When I try to describe Doug's precise approach to Warrior Two, I struggle with how to verbally describe the sensation that can be felt in the pose, so I don't do his teaching justice in that moment.

Normally, the question which follows the Naikan reflection is "And now what do I do?"

A start would be that I can get more sleep before my next workshop, which should help the late/groggy experience and should also help me be able to better take notes to retain the details of the material.  I can continue to tell teachers specific details that I appreciated about their class, and I can continue to tell others what I received from my teachers!