Who is Your Teacher?

    

     There is a Zen koan that says, “If you meet the Buddha on the path, kill the Buddha.” What the hell does that mean? It means as you are walking around in your life, question authority. If someone tells you they have all the answers, they don’t. The answers are all inside; you just have to uncover the truth within you. That’s what I mean in class when I say, “You’re good enough. You were perfect when you walked in here.”

     Every one of us has to one degree or another, a bit of self-loathing. Our American culture exacerbates this feeling. No matter how big the house is, how fast and shiny the car is, how perfect the kids are, how many handbags we own, we always want more because we think getting more, achieving more will fill the hole inside. Everyone has her own version of the need to fill up; maybe your trip is addiction to food, or shopping, or getting degrees behind your name. The specifics don’t matter. We all have ways to mask our pain, loneliness, and feelings that we just aren’t good enough.

     This kind of thinking leads to poverty issues. We may live in a mansion, with plenty of food to eat and clothes to keep us warm, but we end up walking around like we have no resources. It’s like a beggar struggling for the basic necessities when he has a three carat diamond in his pocket.

     The antidote for this sickness of need and greed is gratitude. Be grateful to everyone and everything. The worst obstacles and circumstances in our lives are essentially a gift given to us to allow us to WAKE UP!

     Today, I’d like to acknowledge my gratitude to my very best teachers, who have shown me the true nature of reality.

Pictured above at the top of this post is the Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche, my dharma teacher. Rinpoche is a Tibetan exile who teaches in the States; I met him about eight years ago in Bloomington and was privileged to take a few teachings from him. Of course, I am immensely grateful for the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as well. Without his love and wisdom, so accessible to all of us, I’d be totally screwed.

     I’d also like to mention Barbara Mayer and Gloria Karr, my first writing teachers who filled me with passion for literature and expression. Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones is a Zen practitioner who prescribes writing as a means for awakening consciousness. I was able to take a short workshop with her the last time I was in New York, and her insight was amazing.

     I can’t forget my Anthropology professor, Dr. Richard Ward who treated me like a scholar and taught me to think like a scientist, and my idol Dr. Jane Goodall, whose selfless philanthropy has guided me to see the interrelatedness (shunyata in Buddhism) of all beings and our planet.

     Also, a special shout-out to my very favorite yoga teachers, Nikki Myers and Marsha Pappas of Cityoga in Indianapolis. If you want to have the experience of a lifetime, sign up for their yoga teacher training - even if you have no desire to lead classes. I’m also grateful to Hala Khouri, Sean Corn, Gary Kraftsow and Richard Hittleman (whom I have never met, but he gave me my introduction to Hatha yoga in 1986 through the only book I could find in our little community library).

     Every single person who has ever taken even one of my yoga classes is also my precious teacher. I bow to all of you, and ask you to take a moment to reflect upon the teachers in your lives.

Terrible Tree Pose: Don't Harsh Your Knees!

The woman pictured here is in one of the most recognizable yoga postures, Vrkasana or “Tree Pose.” While she has the right idea showing up for yoga in the first place, and she is still enhancing her balance and confidence, her foot placement is all off. 

    Tree pose is great for building balance, coordination, muscle strength, and bone density, but resting the raised foot on the stable leg’s knee is a very bad habit. Over a long period of time, doing tree this way will strain both of your knees, pretty much negating the benefits of the posture.

    Proper alignment calls for the lifted foot to be anywhere above or below the knee, and some practitioners prefer to actually cross the lifted foot across the stable leg. Although it would appear most of Vrkasana’s action is happening when the leg is lifted, the actual power of the pose is found in the stable hip. Tuck the tailbone and feel the lower abdominals engage. 

    As for the shoes, well, I’m not a fan. There are certain environments and times when wearing shoes for yoga is appropriate, but as a rule, I think it’s best to practice barefoot. Socks cause slipping, and possibly injury. Bare feet have the opportunity to pronate and flex naturally, stretching ligaments and tendons and allowing the foundation of the body to support and correct itself. Never hesitate to put one finger, a whole hand or your entire body against a wall if you want or need to. Yoga isn't about doing circus tricks or performance art.

Balasana Benefits: Relax deeply in Child's Pose

The single most popular pose in a yoga class is, in my experience, Child’s Pose (Balasana). A favorite of pregnant women and surgical nurses alike, Child’s Pose is the ultimate resting posture because it’s passive and soothing, yet very effective in bringing the body into an immediate state of relaxation.

    Here’s why: all sorts of daily activities wreak havoc on our musculature. Repetitive motions, such as driving, heavy machine work on a factory line or long periods of standing can wear out the body quickly. Coming down to the floor takes the weight off your sacrum, knees, and ankles. Reaching forward frees the shoulders, keeping the chest and upper back supple enough to support open airways and full breathing.

    The tops of the feet have a chance to rest and lengthen, counteracting standing and bearing weight all day. The quadriceps are stretched as the spine elongates. 

    As the spine elongates, we get a very gentle traction-like effect, as we would in Downward Dog. Child’s Pose achieves similar full-body inclusion in an easier way. Experiment with different levels for your forehead: try yoga blocks, stacked blankets or the bare floor. Wedge props in wherever you need extra support so you can hold this posture as long as possible.

    Child’s Pose can be adapted for someone sitting in a chair. For example, my grandma can’t get down on the floor right now. To give her this posture, I would... please click here to read the rest of this post. Namaste!