At this point I am maintaing my Anusara Inspired status but I can’t say for certain that it will remain that way in the future. For now I wanted to be very clear in my decisions about my next steps forward on this journey. Through all of the insanity of the last few weeks something has become very clear to me. I NEED a yoga teacher!
I acknowledge the true guru is within in, I really do get that but I also admit that I could use some guidance on this path. What I recognized is that I can only go so far on my own before a trained set of eyes can take me to the next level. I am not satisfied to stay where I am! Sure, I can do most of the poses in Syllabus 2 and many from 3 but my body seeks to expand its limits.
Most postures I actually taught myself!
Even though I was mainly self-taught in yoga, it didn’t come without some injuries, some more serious and really freakin scary. First time I thought I was ready for a drop back, boom, hit my face on the floor. I know now that it was because I was lifting my arms up too fast and I was losing the connection to my legs. Skilled teachers, like John Friend and many others have very clear, instructions for doing these more challenging poses. I’ve been so blessed to have studied with the Anusara community.
I will still try poses that seem out of my reach on my own, I think there’s value in logging time on the mat just doing what I can but I can’t wait for my next workshop to learn more or take my body to that place of radical expansion that just feels so damn good!
Om Namah Shivaya Gurave ~ “The true teacher is within and without”
Hey Min, I totally understand what you are saying… in order to stay inspired I must always look to my spiritual teachers for guidance; otherwise I would not be able to write or tweet or do anything inspiring for others! I would just wind up depressed!
Keep the faith! The Universe can deliver exactly what you need immediately when you keep your thoughts positive and your heart open. I’m sure your teacher is on their way to you as we speak.
Last week I ran into a fellow student I hadn’t seen in a long time, and told him I was finishing up Anusara Immersion II. He said, “Oh, are they still doing those?” As a matter of fact, some people are. Indeed, any teacher I have studied with personally is still with Anusara. Not uncritically, mind you. If I go out two degrees of separation, of course, I begin to run into teachers who have resigned.
Among many other things, I want to stick with the method that taught me to look within, not to those which had me beholden to the teacher.