28 February 2014

Two things you can't hide from your yoga teacher.

Through the teaching of yoga towards different students, we want to collect as much information as possible from a student in the shortest period-- so as to better understand their actual conditions.

Most of the time, we depends on verbal and visual observations. 

To be very open with the range of students i've encountered, large percentage stands to the area of           " very self- conscious"--- which very few of them are open to their health conditions, their beginner level of practice and to their weaknesses in the class.

I'm not saying that they are lying or hiding it deliberately. Usually its a habitual low level of self awareness that they didn't even realize it.  

Thus, they don't mentioned it, consciously behaved in a conditioned manner throughout the practice--- portraying a "tough" expressions or expressionlessly that they are "alright".

But in most time, which is not the case.


There are two things students can't hide from yoga teachers:

Your breathing pattern don't lie.

However the students try to control their facial expressions, or their body movements--- their irregularity of the breaths leaks out the cat in the bag. Whether you are holding your breathing, or making too much effort in your breath--- your teacher knows it all, just by walking past you.

Because, you can't pretend to be relax till your breaths say so.

A touch says it all.

I love being touch and adjust by teachers during the practice.
Its like an information exchange within that few seconds of contact. A touch determined the decision for me to stay or leave.

I love touching my students too, its a non-verbal yet very accurate way to know and understand their bodies & conditions. The reflex responses is so spontaneous that usually display their real underlying problems ( them.. unknowingly, us.. knowing everything).

Each twitch, each softening and each tension from their muscles--- tell us a lot about them, which can be very useful for both the teacher & students.

Yoga teaching has made me realized not to take things as face- value--- till i experience it myself. 

In the modern society, people habitually tend to hide their real self, and present an "ideal" image of themselves to the peers. And one day, they lost themselves too, for the sake of being too conscious of how people view them. 

When students appear on the yoga mat, there are many things they do not know about themselves in the reality condition. They only recognize themselves in the " ideal" state of self- creation in their little fantasy. So when coming into this practice, some could not handle seeing their own truth. 

Students of the younger age appear to be more open to changes, and let loose to allow whatever the practice has got to offer--- thus making better progression. 

Students of maturity tends to hold back a lot of tension and present a great fear of releasing. 

Which also is a reflection of their mental state of learning--- rigidity. Very much because of years of conditioning from work & peers, they habitually want to take control of every inch of their muscles-- creating more tension.

I've no judgement of anyone, but this place a good observation study for me how we can slowly loose our real selves unconsciously, in the period of us trying to fit into the society through the creation of another pseudo of ourselves. 











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