As our first 200 Hour Teacher Training commences this month, I’m filled with excitement, tempered with a huge dose of “humble pie”. I consider myself a teacher, not a preacher, as defined by Merriam Webster: “to urge acceptance or abandonment of an idea or course of action; specifically : to exhort in an officious or tiresome manner”. I feel these roles are clear to me and most students, however, the lines are sometimes blurred – how do we teach an asana class in this current time, that speaks to the majority of students, yet is still infused with the traditional teachings – the ancient, vedic teachings that are so clear and important from a philosophical standpoint, and also from a place of respect – honoring lineage, and all those teachers before us? OR, is it even critical to understand the lineage, the ancient texts, if you can teach a well-balanced, safe, and inspiring asana class that, by default, brings these students to a place of peace and meditation/focus? I know my answer to this question – the important step is to now guide other, future teachers, to answer that for themselves – to read, study, absorb into every cell, and then discover for themselves what will be their “authentic teaching”.
We’ll begin this program learning the “Student Teacher Mantra” – asking for guidance, protection, illumination…..of course, we’ll learn this as a Vedic Mantra, with proper inflection and pronunciation – and our journey begins. As we all chant together over the coming months – will the adherence to this pronunciation enhance this journey? It will be for each of us to decide for ourselves….
Namaste ~ Michele
Michele
Jessica
