Friday, July 31, 2009

Thought For Today - 7/31/09















For several years I taught Introduction to Computer System for incoming students at Northlake College in Irving, TX. As teacher, I found that most of the students were driven by letter grades.

As a Yoga teacher, I'm delighted that students are motivated. However, many have different incentives. One student seeks to achieve the perfect asana. Another is looking for pain relief, and a third is addicted to the post-Savasana (relaxation pose) high.

As a Yoga teacher, I seek to find what motivates the students. I have asked myself if I'm helping them cultivate self-mastery, or do they seek to please me as their teacher?

One thing I have done is shared with them that there is no such thing as a "perfect pose." I tell students to get the most out of their pose even if it means not achieving what some call a textbook pose.

My goal is to also help cultivate in the student self-reliance to help them master their own goals and become self-sufficient in their Yoga practices, rather than just becoming a "good" Yoga student.

All of the classes I teach are different because the students are different, the energy is different, their practice are different. So, I recognize the stage a student is in and teach according to the needs of that stage. We all grow in stages. We need different challenges and lessons as a child, as a teenager, and finally as an adult.

God is the same way with us as students of His class room. We grow from faith to faith and God teaches us according to the needs of that faith or stage we are in. In our Christian walk there is no perfect Christian. We are just "forgiven."

Much love,
Joseph

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