Yes, it has been six months since I last wrote. I've grown to be okay with this. The last nine months saw me dealing with a few emotional life events as well as diving into a yoga teacher training program. Now I am finished and certified, but am not currently at home in the Twin Cities. I've returned to Japan to perform on a circus again.
At first I thought, "Great work, Greg: you put this money and time in to undergo teacher training and then you go off to Japan for a year – maybe more – where you won't likely be doing any teaching or subbing of any sort. Smooth." Yes, but there is a big but:
The last time I was in Japan on the circus, I was here for a year. I brought my yoga mat with me, some yoga DVDs, and I'd receive a package with my magazines every couple of months. I never really done a whole lot of self-guided practice and while here, my practice ebbed and flowed. I didn't think I was being very consistent with my practice and I was harshly critical of myself. Once I started shutting the critic up and reading and reflecting on what I'd learned over the years, I realized that I was practicing a little each day, but it wasn't all physical.
I was practicing the reflective and thoughtful aspects of yoga as well. As I did the mental yoga, I was also getting even better at listening to my body when doing the physical yoga. It became clear to me that in this different environment, I was experiencing the deepening of my practice.
And now I'm back. The same sort of reflection and deepening can happen again, but the teaching adds a new dimension to it. The idea of teaching anyone yoga right now is still a daunting one, but I have a huge opportunity for growth: an associate would like me to teach her yoga. She has admitted to having some opinions and personality traits that would make her a challenging student, but to her credit, in asking me to teach her she is rethinking prior experiences and notions. The willingness to do that is a pretty valuable thing for anyone to have.
So here I am again, not in my element, but not necessarily out of it, either. I just need to put in the time.
At first I thought, "Great work, Greg: you put this money and time in to undergo teacher training and then you go off to Japan for a year – maybe more – where you won't likely be doing any teaching or subbing of any sort. Smooth." Yes, but there is a big but:
The last time I was in Japan on the circus, I was here for a year. I brought my yoga mat with me, some yoga DVDs, and I'd receive a package with my magazines every couple of months. I never really done a whole lot of self-guided practice and while here, my practice ebbed and flowed. I didn't think I was being very consistent with my practice and I was harshly critical of myself. Once I started shutting the critic up and reading and reflecting on what I'd learned over the years, I realized that I was practicing a little each day, but it wasn't all physical.
I was practicing the reflective and thoughtful aspects of yoga as well. As I did the mental yoga, I was also getting even better at listening to my body when doing the physical yoga. It became clear to me that in this different environment, I was experiencing the deepening of my practice.
And now I'm back. The same sort of reflection and deepening can happen again, but the teaching adds a new dimension to it. The idea of teaching anyone yoga right now is still a daunting one, but I have a huge opportunity for growth: an associate would like me to teach her yoga. She has admitted to having some opinions and personality traits that would make her a challenging student, but to her credit, in asking me to teach her she is rethinking prior experiences and notions. The willingness to do that is a pretty valuable thing for anyone to have.
So here I am again, not in my element, but not necessarily out of it, either. I just need to put in the time.
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