Tuesday, November 27, 2007

My most favorite-est teacher

At the CT shala, there is one student who lies face down before the photo of Guruji and steeples his hands over his head towards the photo.

There is another student who sits before the altar for a moment before taking a fist-sized rock from the altar, heating it up in the flame of the altar candle and then cupping it in her hand.

There are people who say of the shala, "This is a sacred space", even though it is, essentially, just a rectangular, sage-green room, carpeted with industrial carpeting, in the middle of a strip mall in the middle of a highway in the middle of Fairfield County, Connecticut.

There are those who stand up whenever the invocation is chanted in the room, even if it is chanted for the next class, even if they chanted it themselves 90 minutes earlier before they practiced.

And when it is time to leave the room, everyone, including me, places hands in prayer and bows to Val. This last one, I do because I assume it makes Val feel good, and in my opinion, she earns that big time.

These are practices that I do not understand. These are practices which leave me feeling alienated and confused. These are among the reasons that I find myself wishing to practice alone in my house at times, for weeks at a time. It's nothing against the CT shala. I think Val is a wonderful teacher and uniquely supportive and communicative. I think Sir and Lori are wonderful teachers, brilliant and intuitive, as well. It's not that or them.

Rather, there have been aspects of being a yoga practitioner in general that have confounded me from the very beginning. Chanting the names of Hindu gods, for example. That really has no place in my life. I love the story of Hanuman, Sita and Ram and find aspects of the story to fill me with admiration and awe, but I would no more invoke their names for inspiration, motivation or worship than I would chant the name of Madeleine, of the Ludwig Bemelmans book, who has long inspired me to feel brave even when feeling very very small ("...The smallest one was Madeleine...She was not afraid of mice; she loved winter snow and ice. To the tiger in the zoo, Madeleine just said 'pooh pooh'....And nobody knew so well, how to frighten Miss Clavell").

I don't want to go to a Kirtan because every time I think about going, I realize that what I really need to be doing is singing with my own peeps, the Jews, which is how it came to pass that I joined the choir at my synagogue. I don't want to see Krishna Das in concert (see Tiff? You're not the only one), and I don't want to read the Bhagavad Gita. I want to see Pat Metheny as many times as I can in this life and I want to get through To Kill A Mockingbird, finally, while still having time to read Us and House Beautiful.

I think very highly of all of the teachers who have actually taught me Ashtanga yoga. But I don't know Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. I have never studied with him. Sure, I have taken his led classes. But he is not my teacher. And frankly, I am not sure that I entirely buy into the system as an efficient gestalt. If I did, there would be no need for yin stretches and prep poses, for which I have always felt the need, or strength training, which many others out there feel is important to their practice. I feel no urge to prostrate to SKPJ's photo, and I removed the photo of myself bowing at his feet, which used to grace this blog's sidebar. It felt silly to have it there. I should be boing at the feet of my oncologist, of my children, of my husband for giving me such a comfortable life and such perfect children, of my former nannies, Ella, Norma, Tereza and Sarah, all of whom have taken such incredibly good care of my children and myself.

Until I bow at the feet of the people who matter in my life, I'm not bowing at anyone else's feet. And if I can't make the time to pray to my own God, then I sure as hell am not making the time to pray to anyone else's.

And as much as I love getting a good adjustment in this or that pose, and getting the professional dropbacks from Val, I feel like I need to practice alone for a little bit. Ultimately, I am my most cherished teacher. Ultimately, no one knows my body and what it needs better than I do. And sometimes, I feel this knowledge acutely, as I learn to bind by myself in Pasasana, while balancing with my heels just "thisclose" to the floor, as I learn to bind Supta K with my ankles already crossed, as I touch my own toes in Kapotasana, albeit with my elbows splayed in the wrong direction.

After practicing alone at home for short periods of time, I usually come back to the shala refreshed. And this is where I am at right now. Feeling a bit disconnected, feeling like I need to be teaching myself for now.

I'm just saying.

YC

18 comments:

Lees Lamar said...

Yeah, sista.
Yeah.
Fuck yea.
Amen.

Tiffany said...

Well, if I didn't have plans thurs night, I prob would go see KD. Yes, there is an element of churchness at kirtans, but then isn't that the same thing as going to sing gospel hymns. It's bhakti, devotional stuff.

I had already made plans prior to knowing about KD, and right now I really just want to get in the holiday spirit more than anything.

Sorry if I seemed to attack you on my blog. Something happened at work today that was rather ridiculous and my inability to let it go clouded my mind. I should've responded more compassionately. Still, as I said on my blog, email me your address and I will clear any debts, monetary and emotional.

DebPC said...

Excellent post.

Yoga Chickie said...

No need, Tiff. I am going to try to be more patient...you will get there someday...Lauren

Yoga Chickie said...

AND my parents!!! I bow to their "lotus feet" too. Whoops. Like Jen forgetting to thank Brad or something...sorry.

Morningside Yogi said...

amen

Everyday Yogini said...

What a fabulous post! I am so glad that I found your blog... just lovely!

Natalie said...

another thanks. i'm sorta on the tail end of a long breather from one rather church-y shala. actually now i have found 2 places with mysore. untraditional, sure, but i think this arrangement will suit my learning and allow me to stomach the 90 bazillion ganeshes at the more established but somewhat stifling studio.

on the challenge to feel the legs in backbending, roll the shoulders, gear up for second yet weed out excess force... i hear ya. tho at the moment i admire your discipline! not quite on that side of things myself yet.

Anonymous said...

you do totally need to bow at MY feet though.

Yoga Chickie said...

How's that pincha coming, Laksmi?

Anonymous said...

yer SOOOOO mean

Unknown said...

"Your" God, hmmm.... Awesome post, insofar as it is honest and probably how most people feel anyway but are too chicken to say it out loud. A classic case of what happens when parts of a tradition are co-opted and decontextualized. I recommend "Naked in Ashes" and "Origins of Yoga" to get over the illusion. Also, my Jesus is better than your Jesus :-) I'm just sayin'

Anonymous said...

my jesus is totally better than all of your jesuses

Carl said...

I don't understand how prostrating oneself can be a supplicating gesture toward any god, save for the gods that are actually men. Or the ones that are created in the image of man.

Laurie said...

Wow! What a fascinating chat. I think it's important to remember that the asana is just a way "in", a way to tap into our spirituality and burn off whatever is keeping us from our joy.

I really woke up when you said "my peeps". I was raised Mormon, where we're taught we have the Truth with a capital T. Now, that concept makes me laugh! We all pray to the same God... even the atheists. So when your yoga friends prostrate, it's just their way of connecting deeper. Maybe your way of connecting deeper is sitting deep in your asana or going to synagogue.

Who knows, I just know that when somebody else gets under my skin like that, it's time to pay attention. Usually what I find resistance to is a great opportunity to learn compassion and understanding.

If you're feeling annoyed by the other students, you're probably getting the perfect exercise (big smile).

Good luck... I enjoy reading your blog.

Yoga Chickie said...

Burn it off!!! I LOVE IT!!!!! Thank you, Laurie!!

Globie said...

When I began practice I thought the chanting was mumbo jumbo. 7 years later I have done chanting workshops with DK that have produced the most incredible energy in the room. But most of all I like the opening and closing chants at the Friday evening counted practice because they bring us together and give the feeling of being part of something bigger.
Kevin (Globie)

Archaeolaw said...

I just read To Kill a Mockingbird recently. It was beautiful! Digging your blog, just stopping in to say hello.

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About Me

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Northern Westchester, New York, United States
I live by a duck pond. I used to live by the East River. I don't work. I used to work a lot. Now, not so much. I used to teach a lot of yoga. Now not so much. I still practice a lot of yoga though. A LOT. I love my kids, being outdoors, taking photos, reading magazines, writing and stirring the pot. Enjoy responsibly.

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