In the ancient tradition of yoga, students would seek out a Guru (guide) to help them on their path. In the sacred relationship between the student and teacher, a Guru’s role was to shed light on the parts of the student’s life that they did not see for themselves. Guru means to shed light on darkness. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, the Guru reflects light back to their student. The invitation by the Guru was to become your own light and be your own light. As Buddha said, “Be a lamp unto yourself.”
My modern translations of being a guide incorporates the following tools and techniques:
- Student asks to be seen and has a desire to heal and find release and alignment.
- I listen to you and I offer my presence. I connect with you, and I get to know you. I feel (sense) the experience of you and your energy, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
- I gaze at you with clear insight, intuition, compassion and wisdom, and I see you with the intelligence of my training and my experience through my third eye. I view your physical form, to see your invisible (to the eye) energy. I see physical misalignments or imbalances and energy blockages or imbalances, so I can best assist you towards alignment and balance.
- As a team, we follow one another in the practice of yoga asanas, pranayama, meditation, and mantras. The feedback loop between the student and the teacher determines if what we are doing is helping or not helping.
- Feedback tools include one-on-one assistance, verbal cues, and prop-assistance to help you open up to the healing power of yoga. Your mind, body, heart, and spirit then naturally wants to release obstructions and move into alignment and expansion.
- Your transformation occurs. You feel your inner transformation. I joyfully witness your transformation. You experience a feeling of lightness and wholeness.
- You feel your beauty, your power, your success, your lightness, and your wholeness. I see your beauty, your power, your success, your lightness, and your wholeness.
- You feel expansive, abundant, and harmonious. I see your glory.
- We acknowledge the experience. You express your feelings about your experience. I listen to how our yogic connection works for you.
