"The main duty of a yoga teacher is to serve. To serve your students and yourself by hastening your spiritual evolution. Service is done with gratitude. Gratitude of the divine who has chosen to make you a instrument of good.
To your teachers who have imparted their wisdom.
To your students who by coming to you give you an opportunity to be of use to humanity, benefiting the life around you.
A teacher is not just a teacher but a YOGI. One who based his or her life in lofty and sublime principles. Being an ideal representative of all this stands for so that everyone around you will understand what yoga is and develop there own respect for it.
Continue to be students; continue to learn.
There is NO end to knowledge.
Be Humble.
A definition of Yoga is perfection in Action. What ever you do in THOUGHT WORD & DEED, let there be perfection
And what is a perfect act You ask ?
It is an Act: that brings Someone Benefit and Harm to: NO ONE"
The Science Of Life - Swami Sivananda
I stumbled across this quote the other day and thought it was perfect.
Ayama is three months old today and I can't believe how quickly its gone. I am in love with the space that we have created, yes WE. Before it was simply 4 brick walls. 3 months later, it feels like home when I walk in. That's all I ever wanted for Ayama, for it to feel like home to anyone who came, for you to feel comfortable, for you to want to show up for yourself and want to work your hardest, even on the days when it might be harder than usual.
I try my best to make my classes a combination of all of my experiences, a mix of hard work and fun and in turn making you want to work to your ability at every class. I have felt the benefits of yoga, I have seen the benefits of yoga. Students show up with a sore back, knee, ankle or tightness here or there and I see them loosen up throughout class and leave saying they feel like they can move again. I see students show up stressed, rushing in from their day and then I see them walk out the door after practice calm and focused. I see your little smiles and the relaxed faces after savasana and it never fails to make me incredibly grateful whether I have one yogi or ten.
Yoga has a different meaning for each person that practices. Each time we step on the mat, its a completely new experience, regardless if its the exact same asanas (postures) used. We are not the same, we change, our bodies are formed differently, our experiences shape us in different ways. So it's important that we remember this when we step on our mat, not to compare and not to judge ourselves. Its easy to get caught up in the mindset that everyone else is watching you or judging you SPOILER, they're not. They are in their own practice. They are focused on keeping their tail tucked under, their shoulders back and down and on top of that to continue breathing.
So every time you show up for your practice, know that I am grateful that you're there. That I do not take it lightly that you chose to spend your time at Ayama.
If this is just the beginning, I can't wait to see where we go from here fam.
Thank yourself for showing up for your practice,
Thank you for sharing your time with me, I know its precious.
Take a deep breath,
Namaste.