Voices Inside My Head

Voices Inside My Head

I actually choreographed a dance for myself with this title. It was solo, no music. Very radical back then…  Little did I know that this theme would be a recurring one in my life. Ok, well, I did kinda know that I was on to something…

Those of you who know me and/or the classes I teach, know that it’s all about off the mat. You know that I could care less whether you ever get into the splits or get your legs behind your head.  Not to say that I don’t give ample opportunity or instruction to help get you there if those are your goals. But for me, the real juice of teaching is what happens outside of class.

I was trying to quantify what it is I bring to the table as a yoga teacher. What makes what I’m teaching different. As teachers, we ask ourselves these questions. First of all, it helps when a potentially new student wants to know what your class is like. And it’s critical as we brand and market ourselves, which based on the fact that yoga has fallen into the “Health and Fitness” model, we have to do that.

So I asked my students. They said, “Even though I feel amazing after your classes, and so and so’s  classes, when I’m out there in the world, having some trouble, it’s your voice that I hear in my head. You help me off the mat.”

To be clear – it’s not “me” – it’s the primordial pool of teachers that stand with and behind me, that come through me when I’m teaching. But that makes total sense. I don’t shy away from using gross and radical imagery or examples in my classes. You know why? People remember them. And do you know why else? People see that they are just like me and as Dennis Adams taught me “if I can do it, you can do it.” I like to close the gap between student and teacher and acknowledge that we couldn’t exist without each other, that they are teaching me as much as I am teaching them. Period. So if it’s my voice in your head that I hear, and it’s helping, YAY! If it’s someone else’s and it’s helping, YAY!  Even if I can help inspire you to want to know yourself, who you really are, then I’ve done my job. Whatever voice you hear in your head that’s helping is great. My goal is that it leads you to your inner voice of truth, so it’s your voice inside your head that’s helping.

And as Edith Ann would say, “and that’s the truth. (big raspberry followed by sheepish grin).

Hari Om Tat Sat