Linda’s post on being a good yoga student — be sure to read the article after her story — was timely for me as I have not attended the Monday night yoga class in several weeks. Her post made me stop and think about why I haven’t been going.
I’d been thinking of my non-attendance in terms of school: this semester has been a bit more hectic than anticipated, and while I like working in a short (15-20) minute practice whenever I can, going to class for 75 minutes just feels daunting.
But it’s more than that. I was starting to feel like I wasn’t being a good student. Back in November I mentioned the difficulties I’d been having with the class, but then things started working themselves out. Sort of. Or not.
I don’t want to be one of those students who comes to class only to proceed to do their own thing. Even when I just throw in a forward bend while the teacher’s talking, I’m paying more attention to the pose than to what the teacher’s saying. Not only is that disrespectful to the teacher as well as distracting to other students, but it’s disrespectful to my own journey as well.
These sentences from the article really hit home:
Whatever you think about your teacher is almost all about what you think about yourself and has very little to do with the teacher. A teacher is a mirror that reflects the student. This is the only way we can learn about ourselves – through self-reflection.
So looking in the mirror, this is what I see: someone who talks a good game without living up to expectations. Are those my expectations or those of others? Honestly, probably both. But it’s certain that I can’t live up to anyone’s expectations while stretched as thin as I have been this month.
Which gets me to this month’s WoYoPracMo theme of “grounding”. Although February’s asana practice went well, adding to my already cramped reading schedule was not a well-thought-out plan. I’m in graduate school — I don’t have time for more reading! So my ground this month will simply be the practice itself: four days a week, on the mat, mind in the moment.
My expectations for yoga are so big, but I can’t be a good student of both yoga and librarianship, not and give each the time and attention it deserves. Since formal education has a distinct end-point, my grounding also has a second part: to focus on school. After July I’ll see about coming back to the bookish side of yoga.
Linda’s post really was thought-provoking.
I think it’s good to know your limits, and to prioritize! You can learn plenty just through the practice, without reading for now!
Are there any yoga classes that are less then 75 minutes? I don’t know much — anything — about yoga, so I don’t know if it can be done in less time. But maybe a shorter class would still allow you to absorb some teaching and also give time for your academic studies.
I just read Linda’s great post and then came here and wow!—you’re writing about that post!
Hey, I have an idea—if the 75 minute class is too long, why don’t you just come in a half hour late?
Just kidding!!!!!
Yogamum: I’ve a tendency to want to get all of my information from books, so most likely learning solely from the practice is in my best interest, in the long run.
Tech: Part of the difficulty is that it’s Ada, so choices are limited. The other part of the difficulty is that yoga classes don’t often come in increments shorter than 60 minutes, and 30 minutes is about my max right now.
Wyrdbyrd: Two of the three yoga instructors in town are professors at the university where I work. The third is my supervisor’s boss. Somehow, I don’t think I’d ever hear the end of it were I to show up that late to class.
wow. thanks to all of you for reading, and especially, Kirsten, for posting my story!
now I know who the person is that I see in my sitemeter from OK…..;)