Our yoga psychology teacher gave us homework: to write personal code of conduct for close relationships with students. There is of course the Yoga Alliance Code of Conduct, and, at the basic level, the boundaries are clear. But it quickly becomes non-trivial. What if teaching is a huge part of your life, and the main place where you meet like-minded people? What if you do run into someone special, whatever that may mean. What if, you know, you are human sometimes? How close is too close anyway? And why? No, not because it’s written somewhere, but for real – why? Continue reading “To Hold Space”
Category Unprompted
Original writing, unassigned, unprompted
Bow from the Heart
The first pose was Anahatasana in Janet’s class this morning, the heart chakra pose. The guru mantra led to that. I bow toward all the great teachers. Continue reading “Bow from the Heart”
A Soldier’s World
I went to church on Tuesday. Well, sort of. Continue reading “A Soldier’s World”
Practice Again Tomorrow
“How would I teach a student to not compare themselves to others in class?” Asked Mary in a yoga teacher training session. Continue reading “Practice Again Tomorrow”
Timber’s Version of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Timber Hawkeye says his morning meditation is the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. He shared his version of the prayer in the new book, Faithfully Religionless. Timber modified the original; you can find that elsewhere, e.g. in Mother Theresa’s Nobel Prize Speech. Now I start my morning practice with Timber’s version.
To my readers who roll their eyes or do other painful gymnastics at the words “Lord” or “O’Divine Master”: I know. Try this trick: replace those with “Universe”, “Heart”, “Mother Nature”, “Atman”, … – you get the idea, – and you are good to go. The “self” in the last line can be “ego”, “Ahamkara”; the “eternal life” can just as well be here and now. Continue reading “Timber’s Version of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi”
Love letters understated 