Lovely local class.

Yesterday morning I finally got to take class with a local teacher whom I have met many times and who came to a few of my classes while I was teaching this past summer. She apprenticed under an Iyengar teacher in Melbourne and also under a woman in Castlemaine who has taught in the Iyengar tradition for many years. I don't often feel drawn to take class as I would usually prefer to do my own practice but yesterday a gap opened up, the time was right and I headed off to class. 

Apparently there are normally two very chatty women in the class but yesterday they were absent and the other peeps were very quiet. From the first few minutes the class energy was deep and calm. This teacher's style is very nurturing, slow and clear. I love to practice poses from the perspective of other traditions as there can be such vast differences in the way the pose is taught and the focus of the pose. I really appreciate the thorough anatomical knowledge that Iyengar teachers offer. I find myself having a handful of 'ah ha' moments with poses that may have been a little elusive for me. Her progression and dissecting parts of poses was also really helpful. By the time we moved into shavasana yesterday morning I was feeling incredibly smooth and open. I was so into my own experience that I don't think I even saw the faces of the other class participants, I honestly felt like the only student in the class. I think that it's a real skill to hold a group class and yet meet each individual within that. 

This is the bit where I admit that it wasn't all rosie in my mind-scape. The flip side when I attend other people's classes is the experience of negotiating my critical voice. Normally this is connected to feeling like I am lacking in certain areas as a teacher because I do not have the same knowledge or skill level as another person. There ends up being little moments where I could easily leap into a pool of self-doubt and feed the fear that I am not ready to be a teacher. 

This 'critical-voice' pattern is also a really good chance for me to be clear about the direction that I am heading in terms of professional development and skill development. It's actually pretty cool to have the opportunity to clarify what I want to offer as a teacher and what I may need to explore to improve the chances of me offering that. It's also really exciting to live in such a small yet diverse community with peeps out there offering their insights and learnings through the pathways and traditions that have resonated with them. I am grateful to, and open to learn from, each person that comes into my life.