do it from center

Like many Americans, I first went to a Yoga class looking for an exercise regime that would also make me flexible. Unknowingly to me, Yoga at its essence is a complete science to living and a self-honoring spirtual path. It did not take long for me to begin to dig deeper into the philosophy of Yoga nor for me to see the positive effects on my mind, body, and spirit.

Mrinalini Reddy of the Medill School at Northwestern University published an article this week that explores the popularity of Yoga in America and the lack of spirituality in many Yoga classes. Read the article: Yoga teachers question loss of spirituality in Western methods.

Most people would agree, no amount of education or training guarantees a teacher will do a “good” job or impact their students. On the first day of Anusara yoga teacher training, we were all asked to ponder qualities that we saw in our favorite yoga teachers. We then looked at our list to identify which qualities we already possessed and which we would like to cultivate. As a group, we shared our findings. The most overwhelming trend was leaning towards qualities like patience, encouraging, presence, challenging, and playfulness. Everyone agreed that knowledge and experience were necessary qualities, but that they were not the most important and certainly were not synonyms with expertise or quantitative experience. It is most important to embody authenticity and a genuine compassion for students rather than having all the answers, accolades, or certification. To teach for the love of the practice; now that makes a good teacher.