WAKING UP* IN COMMUNITY
Recently I have been the recipient of many expressions of gratitude for the work I have done in my life. It was both affirming and overwhelming. You told me how you have used yoga in your life during your deepest crises in ways that left me both inspired and tearful. You told me of the joy and connection that came to you through the Yoga on High community. That I could have been a part of that feels so gratifying, to say the least. I had the feeling that if I died right then, I would have known that my life’s mission was fulfilled. I hope you all have that feeling sometime—it’s amazing. And since I didn’t die, I know there is more for me as my life continues.
One of the things I want to keep conveying in all the ways possible, is that whatever happens in class, we are all a part of it. When you are saying that I benefitted your life, you were also there listening and showing up and bringing your questions and your full self in a way that meant you took something with you from what I offered.
And it goes far, far beyond that. I want to talk about something that I have never seen discussed in print before: when we are in class together, I, as the teacher, am different from my normal, every-day, non-teaching self. Your presence, your attention, your questions, and your trust, brings forth the version of me that is most awake, authentic, and connected to the Great Mystery. You are a vital part of this process. Yes, I come to class with a plan, and I know something that I may want to convey, and this is wonderful. I am doing my best to offer something valuable. And it is such a small part of what is going on. Us—together—this is the magic.
I used to say and think that I did my personal practices at home to have something to offer in class. That is not untrue, but it is not the full truth. I also come to class to have interesting questions and ideas to take back to my practice. When you are in the room, I see and say things that I also learn from. In the most awake version of myself, I have access to wisdom and knowings I don’t know how I know. My whole life is so richly nourished because you came to class.
Even when you are not talking, your energy in the room is a vital part of the experience. You are affecting all the people around you and me. During my last evening class at Yoga on High, I offered students the chance to be covered up by me or to have me bring anything they wanted for more comfort. A longtime student, a very capable woman with many well-honed life skills already, asked me to cover her and tuck her in. As I got closer, she let me know this was the first time she had asked for this support. I was so glad she had the courage to do so, AND likely she was inspired not just by my invitation, but by witnessing other people in the room who were also asking for what they wanted.
Her request modeled for me the bravery that allowed me to ask for something for myself the following week. Not only did recipients of my request respond positively but several commented that they loved the modeling of asking for what I wanted. And thus, the circle of learning and inspiring each other continues; we all win when we show up and are authentic!
Another aspect of waking up in community that is so vitally important to me is that in this model of the circle of learning/teaching/learning/teaching, is how we each see our own value. When we know our own value, we are not in danger of falling prey to a guru or system who wants to take advantage of us. When you know you matter, and you know you belong—JUST AS YOU ARE—then no one can harm you in the way that happens when you are expected to blindly follow a teacher who “knows what is best for you.” Too many people have been harmed over the years, and it must stop. Harming and being harmed is not real yoga; it is confusion at least and predation at worst.
More on that later—for today—let us know our own contributions to each other are real, and matter deeply to us all.
*By waking up, I mean something simple, yet mysterious, and often not obvious—that we are aware of and part of everything. That we can “see” through our conditioning and be nourished by all that is. I do NOT mean that the outer circumstances of your life will be as you wish, though this is often conflated with some spiritual teachings. Not at all. Yet, even in the midst of catastrophe, when awakeness is present, there IS a sense of OK-ness, like, OK, here we go on this new roller coaster.