My Jivamukti Teacher Certificate is sitting on the passenger seat of my car, as one of my errands today is scanning it in at Staples (I don't have a scanner) so I can easily email a PDF when necessary. Looking at it is bringing back specific memories of what I gained during my training. Mainly, the powerful impact of my teachers.
I wrote on Facebook this morning a reflection from graduation night: "In her moving remarks during our Jivamukti India TT graduation, Lady Ruth said, 'You all are good. You are not wasting your lives. You are engaged.' It was a powerful affirmation, especially from her. It was also, and continues to be, a charge. Be good. Don't waste this life. Engage."
Lady Ruth herself is such a powerful example of engaged living. She is immersed in her studies and exudes what she teaches. She constantly reminded us to practice asana, the physical portion of yoga, with care. She would say, "put your foot down nicely," which created a lightness in our movement. That lightness powerfully woke up subtle energetic engagement, like bandha. It was a cue that reminded us to prioritize our breath and how that can govern and soften our movement. I'll happily stomp around like an elephant but if I do, I might not be engaging my practice with sufficient care. She taught me the care.
She extended this teaching off the mat. We had racks to place our shoes before entering the yoga shala. Inevitably, flip flops were strewn all over. The monks would often urge us to use.the.racks. Lady Ruth told a story of her Sanskrit teacher visiting New York. She went to find him during a break from a workshop he was delivering. He was carefully, nicely, placing all the strewn about shoes in orderly pairs. As she shared the story we all sort of glanced down. Place our bodies nicely. Place our shoes nicely. Act with awareness.
This morning I thought too of Yogeswari. Yogeswari is an incredible teacher who often facilitates Jivamukti Teacher Trainings as Jules Febre and Lady Ruth did in this instance. Yogeswari came on as a mentor along with Keith Kempis, Emma Henry, and Tomo Okabe. Yogeswari is a formidable teacher but there's no ego with her. She teaches in any and every capacity. I love that she came to teach us as a mentor.
I was so excited to learn from her. Even though she wasn't my mentor, I would sometimes sit in on her classes to learn. One of the main things I took from her was her example as well. She worked so.hard. Her mentor group met a lot and we had very little time during training. That asked a lot of her students but it asked even more of her, as she's the one teaching and facilitating. I constantly saw her with a stack of student manuals. Sometimes I would see her students going over the notes Yogeswari had left them in the manuals-- she gave detailed feedback. Yogeswari stayed in a cottage near mine. I saw her light on often as she reviewed, prepared, and gave of herself.
And I saw the result of her big offering: her students were incredibly disciplined as well. Yogeswari was rigorous in her offering and asked a lot of her students but they gave what they had willingly. She asked only what she herself delivered. It taught me that as a teacher I should be disciplined and rigorous in my own practice and studies. If I am, I can fairly ask the same of my students. If I do, myself and my students are better for it.
I could say so much about each teacher in our program. Jules Febre moved me consistently. He's younger than I am but a wise, old soul. It seems like no easy thing to be the nephew of Sharon Gannon and David Life, and yet it's also extremely good karma to have been born into a family of yogis. Despite the attention and I'm sure the pressure, he moves with joy. He studies, knows his craft, and shares generously. I'm really grateful for him.
Tomo Okabe was one of our mentors from Japan and Korea. Tomo also gave ceaselessly of himself. There were a few students from Japan or elsewhere in Asia who struggled a bit with English. Sometimes I would go to the yoga shala to practice or study outside of class. Pretty much every time I found Tomo tutoring a student in their native language. Tomo is pretty much brilliant and inevitably spoke whatever the student did. One of Tomo's student sustained an injury where he couldn't write during the final exam. Tomo was his pen.
I also saw Tomo exemplify how to be a student. Lady Ruth was Tomo's mentor when he prepared to take his board exam to attain the level of Advanced Certified Jivamukti Teacher. Tomo was always there to adjust her headset with such care and kindess. Tomo was always there to help with technical issues, like turning on mics or setting up lecture slides. He was simply diligent and attentive. He sat up straight. He paid attention. He taught us to do the same.
Keith Kempis was our mentor from Sidney, Australia. Due to Keith's teaching in Thailand, there were four students from Thailand who will know expand the satsang there. Keith was always available to joke with us, keep our moods light, and encourage. He sang beautifully, assisted us with grace, and let us fall into the flow of the community. Keith made us all feel like we belonged before we realized that of course we did.
And our lovely, Emma Henry. Emma is an Advanced Certified Jivamukti teacher from London, England. Emma gave me incredibly good, specific, helpful feedback. She said, "I'm going to be direct with you to help you grow," and it did. I'm so happy that, as David instructed, she taught to our highest self. She didn't water down her feedback to cater to ego. She understood the highest in us and spoke to that. Teach as your best self. Use specific and considered language. Find the breath, keep it rhythmic, and hold the space. Emma knew we could teach and taught us to do just that.
One day Lady Ruth told us the story of a student meeting their guru. A student should bring two coconuts to the guru. The guru smashes the coconuts together in a symbol of smashing open the student's mind to truly perceive enlightenment. I drank a coconut a day. I lay them at the lotus feet of my teachers.
No comments:
Post a Comment