The only element of yoga that teachers can miss

“Yoga lady here!” Darryl* calls for his colleagues in the mental health unit of the DC prison, while the final sliding door of the sliding metals is called.

A man of his mid-1950s with a spine bent from several bullet wounds in two, Darryl jumps practically from cell to cell, arouses the other prisoners and encourages them to join us for the class in the improvised studio-a other unused basketball court without nets. The gray space is windowless and aggressive overhead, but free of all distractions. If you close your eyes and take a deep, deeply vulnerable breath, the guard ignores with a taser on his hip floating at the door, you can imagine that this is a cement reserve for silent contemplation, perhaps even healing.

Some prisoners still sleep quickly at 10 am, although their bunk beds offer little more comfort than a cardboard box. But Darryl is not deterred. Thanks to his noisy enthusiasm, others start to cranes to see what all the fuss is about. In the meantime, a few of my “normal” students rush to roll out their mats, styrofoam cups filled with cold, old, instant coffee in hand.

During the two years that I have given two-minute yoga classes in the DC prison twice a week in the DC prison, I see some students almost every time I visit, and others only once. Darryl was one of the few I had the privilege of leading week after week. In the beginning he was hardly able to sit comfortably on the floor and he was shaking abundantly when he switched from one balance to the other. One day, after more than a year, Darryl’s feet hung three or so glorious seconds in the air in the crow pose (BakasanaHis knees neatly stacked on the back of his forearms.

The psychospiritual, mental and physical transformation that I saw together in him during our short time will remain etched in my heart forever. But that is not why I chose to teach ‘inside’. After my 200-hour trauma teacher training I never trusted yoga as a source of income, but rather as a form of spiritual payment, or their What translates into selfless service, into action.

The matter for (more) selfless service

“Seva reminds us that yoga does not end up on the mat … it’s a living practice” ROODOUTION PRISON PROJECT. “When we employ, we cultivate humility and remember that the true goal of yoga is a connection, not only with ourselves, but also for the community around us.”

From my side I rarely set foot in a yoga studio to instruct. Instead, I choose to deliberately share the practice in unconventional environments. The modern, western yoga practice is not exchanged more often as a merchandise and is not often available for the most vulnerable among us. This has since been largely the norm The late 19th centuryWhen the seekers are blinded for the first time in the United States.

But since then more than a century has passed, and more than two decades since then Yoga -alliance Started to standardize yoga training worldwide. It is difficult to imagine that, still today, of the 200, 300 or 500 cumulative yoga teachers training (YTT) hours, none may be assigned to the required integration of the fundamental principle of karma -yoga. The need is great, the possibilities for mutual help in abundance, and that is there sufficient evidence That yoga reduces psychological stress. At a time when the “Business of Yoga” is ready to surpass hundreds of billions of dollars, and tuition fees for most yoga -learning training is in the thousands of dollars, can we afford to invest for part of that time during YTT programs that explore the role of Seva that itself?

“Service greers us in compassion, responsibility and presence,” says Acosta, “help us not only lead what we have studied, but what we have embodied in real relationships.” If in love, so in yoga. How can we ask others to surrender Aikyam (Unit) If we have never practiced the core virtues of ‘yoke’ close to home in our own communities?

By serving others also enables us to set aside our own fears, worry and everything else in our lives. Seva shifts the focus of “what do I need?” “What can I offer?”

Only because compulsory community service is not part of the standard curriculum does not mean that you cannot embody the practice of SEVA before, during and after your YTT.

How to practice Seva as a Yoga teacher

The man who literally wrote the book On the subject of mutual help, Peter Kropotkin learns: “Mutual help is the most certain means of giving each other and for all the greatest safety, the best guarantee of existence and progress, physical, intellectual and moral.” Getting started with Seva is not as difficult as you might think. If you feel forced to bring free yoga to the people, but do not yet know how, here are a few simple ways to get started.

1. Keep it simple

“Start small and close to home,” advises Acosta. “Offer meditation in a local community center, sign up at a hiding place or guide someone who needs guidance. Service does not have to be big; it is the consistent act of appearing with heart that weaves yoga in the fabric of daily life.”

2. Lean on your cohort

After you have completed a YTT program, you are automatically part of a close-knit group, where you probably share similar experiences and values, if not geographical location. Consider working together with students from your cohort to pursue volunteer opportunities together, or to create a community of Sangha for a population that you have passionate about supporting.

Note: You may need extra training to support certain populations.

3. Practice Seva at home

Another undervalued service area is within our own families. (Watch This son teaches his parents how to meditate for inspiration!)

4. Look outside your circle

A question I used to ask when I led dei workshops in the trauma-inspired 200-hour YTT program of my studio was: “Who misses in the room?” The purpose of this research is to observe, consider and try to empathize with those who are not right in front of us, and then to ask how we can learn what their needs are, and that in ways that honor their dignity, freedom of choice and goals.

* Names have been changed for privacy protection.