Inspirations: Archives

Any major decision demands life-changes.  Some we expect, others crawl out of the woodwork, and some fly in on angel wings. In my long considered decision to commit to a 500 hour Yoga certification, all manner of flying beasts have been let loose.  Despite demanding more energy than expected, (Va sans dire.) it’s far broader in experience, and exploration of instruction than imagined,which provokes this pondering. What makes a good teacher?  What’s the difference between a master-teacher and simply a good instructor? Are the requirements of being a splendid instructor much different than being a splendid human being? How does one grow toward mastery…of any sort? It raises questions of the inner teacher, the guru of the heart, and any relationship to that persona.  Eight months into a fifteen month training demands a re-commitment, a deeper questioning of the process, and a more acute level of awareness. If you become a teacher, it is important to return to the beginning and ask, ‘how were you were raised?’  ‘What were the expectations?’  If I’d been born in India, I’d be under a guru, but most Westerners decline to blindly follow guru-dictates, especially those raised in the wild west where the angst of choice is the bread du jour. Following that vein, I consider choice-fullness one of the most powerful tools a great teacher offers.  With insightful instruction students are given tools to learn to make best choices in any given circumstance, be it in a classroom, or on the street.  A master teacher does not always tell them what to do, or precisely how to do it, but instructs the how and why of exploration.  They open a door to questioning, to having a student listen to their own needs, and the idiosyncratic whys of their own body. Master teachers create… Read more »