Learning Environments

Sharon and Ari, thanks so much for you thoughtful comments on studentship, learning environments and what helps us do our best. Short answer is I am not sure. Long answer follows:

I wonder a lot about those themes myself. (Pretty much constantly, actually.) Being here there is certainly a lot of fuel for self-observation in these areas. First, I must say that it is great and challenging to see a completely different educational model at work and a completely different cultural model involved. Yoga, not just in India but at The Iyengar Yoga Institute, is a completely different ball game than it is in the average American yoga studio. I think the difference is partly cultural, partly because of the educational model, partly because of what the Indian student is expecting from the experience vs. what the American student is expecting.partly because of something I cannot name and would just call Context. It is hard to explain exactly but things are different in a lot of ways.

Now, having said that, please do not think for one moment I am at all discounting one or the other. There is a lot of American Yoga bashing here in India but you know and I know that we love our practice and that for many of us yoga is really the glue that holds our life together. So- to me that is not at question at all.

Okay, so one more thing that I want to be clear about is that any feelings I have about the way things are taught are more about the way this particular model challenges my particular psychology and learning style and preferences, not a commentary on the efficacy of their method or on the right and wrong of either model.

To continue- When I was in graduate school I studied education and we did this one segment on "brain-based learning." These researchers concluded that people learn best, that the brain is actually most able to integrate information and learn, in an atmosphere of "relaxed alertness."

Now, how different people are brought to this state varies, right? An overly "relaxed" person would need some fire and demand to come to the alert state. The very "alert" types will need help with the relaxation side of the formula. In general, I am more of the overly alert type and this atmosphere tends to exacerbate that tendency within me. It is hard for me to relax when I am on guard for a correction that will come with such force. But in a lot ways, that tendency is mostly neurosis and definitely worth overcoming.

And if I cannot overcome this tendency entirely then it is at least worth working with so that I can put a little distance between me and my habitual response to forceful corrections or criticism.Just because something is my tendency, does that mean it is a life sentence? After all, this is a practice of refining myself. And really, in terms of what happens in a yoga class, the stakes are not as high as my neurosis tells me they are. What is the worst that happens? I am embarrassed and feel stupid in front of a large group of people or my feelings get hurt. These are not horrible, insurmountable outcomes in the big picture.)

So, I am definitely finding that aspect difficult and yet worth working with. Definitely, I am growing more comfortable here and that helps- just getting a sense of protocols and so on. But also, it is so obvious to watch Geeta work with us that behind her force is the force of love and her very definite commitment to helping people grow and change and progress in their practices. And this has been such a delightful surprise. Over the years that I have been exposed to Iyengar Yoga I have heard stories about the harsh teaching style of the Iyengars and the forceful manner in which things are done here. What is so interesting is that very little has ever been said about this force of compassion she exudes. It is a tragedy that this is secondarily communicated (evidently even by me in this blog) or that it gets lost in the whirlwind of psychology and emotion that gets stirred up and talked about.

One thing that I am grateful for is that I have had so much help from John Friend and from my kula-mates in Anusara Yoga. I remarked to Anne that I do not think I would have made it this long practicing yoga without the encouragement he gave me and continues to give me. So much in this school is about what is going wrong and what is not happening and where the mistakes are. That is just their way. The insights are accurate and it is absolutely fascinating to explore the endless ways to refine a posture and to improve one's self in relationship to the posture. However, my practice became joyful when John showed me what was going right, what was working, how my efforts were sacred offerings and that the process itself was fun. So for me, I wouldn't have stayed on my mat without the fun part.

So here, class is not fun exactly but it is a super-duper charge of discipline and provides some excellent fuel to work hard and some fabulous inspiration about the many layers of the self we are working with in asana and so on. And the input is so helpful. I am happy to be learning here and even happy to be facing the learning challenges. Even times I have gone to workshops where I was criticized a lot, it made me better. It helped me clarify how I want to teach and how I want to practice and so on. So nothing is wasted.

Oh-also--One time I read something Mr. Iyengar wrote about teaching that is worth adding to the discussion on studentship. He said that as a yoga teacher you can teach people or you can teach the subject. In the beginning one must teach people. But once the student is mature and once the student-teacher relationship progresses, then the teacher is free to teach the subject. At this point the teacher is freed up to really transmit what he knows and the depth of the subject. So really, in this context, studentship involves making oneself ready to learn the subject however it is being taught and not demanding that the teacher teach for our idiosyncrasies, preferences and neurotic tendencies.

Certainly, a case can be made that a good teacher can reach a variety of students and that is also true but then that teacher is consumed with reaching the students when a good student is consumed with being fertile soil for the Teaching. Well, it is a big task, obviously. Thank goodness that according to the yoga traditions we have more than one lifetime to work on it.