Wireless

Teaching mysore style classes online was something that I didn't really think I was going to do. I've always thought that to teach this practice, you had to be physically present to transmit the message. But then came COVID, and our physical contacts became limited, we kind of had to adapt and find new ways to connect, to transmit. The dawn of zoom classes came in. I was very skeptical of this in the beginning. I thought though, why not try, I wanted to share the practice and in a way it made me have a purpose to practice everyday, even more purpose. I know the practice is for me, and in sharing practicing with others, it somehow makes it easier. The presence of others helped a lot and I learned a lot from them. Somehow I feel like I learn more from them than they learn from me. I am the student. I knew, I wouldn't have a lot of students. It's a quite sensitive spot to put yourself in front of the camera. But not only you, your house, your family, your cats even... also come into the camera. It became more personal in a way, because the students also had to share their personal lives.

It's hard to set a place and a time for practice. And maybe, it is even harder to get the ones you love mixed into the practice. We weren't in a room away from the world, we were practicing in our own worlds, in our own spaces, the place we share with our nearest and dearest, our homes. Cats jumping in the mat became normal, household sounds and the everyday hustle and bustle became part of the practice. But somehow it also gave a bit of rest, we don't need to be running here and there, we learned to pause in our practice to take care of more important things and come back in a better time. We learned to be more tolerant, in understanding the situation of others. 

I learned how to use my voice more, since I couldn't help put the student in the poses through physical contact, I slowly started to learn the power of the voice, to give short, clear instructions, I hope at least. I learned even more that the practice is and should be part of our lives, not a separate from the rest of what we do. After all it's a 24 hour practice, the asana part may start the journey, but what really counts is being a good person outside of the mat. 

I continue this journey with you guys. I am really grateful that this wireless connection is available for us in these times of distance. And yes, it's getting even more busy now, the world seems to be coming back to the normal pace and we always are trying to keep up. I stay at your service, to give you company, to give you the extra boosts, to greet you good morning, to say hi to the lovely kids, to be amused by your pets who also want some attention, and mostly to have so much respect to you, being there for yourself and continuing this practice - no matter how hard it seems to get.

So thank you, for teaching me.

Stay happy, stay safe! Keep practicing.

Love always,
J