singingpraises

I am very thankful for all of these responses on this post particularly from Newbie’s first post. I have been practicing for 9 months and for the first time recently had a teacher whom I feel really truly is mean-spirited and a bully. I have taken his class 5 times now, and each class I have walked away having witnessed him say something inappropriate that makes my hair stand on end, or I have injured myself. I do recognize my part to play and that the class is my journey and to be leader of my own body in the practice, but had my only experience been him as a teacher – I wouldn’t have known that. Last night was the last straw for me, and honestly I just feel like his negative energy is still with me. I think because our bodies and minds are so open in this practice that something like this we as students are very sensitive to. I understand that teachers are human beings, too, however – I think every teacher need come to the podium with compassion in their hearts and encouragement to the student to take themselves to whatever level comes next for them (AKA – kill themselves, the self they used to be). Needless to say, having been a victim of abuse in my life I will never willingly subject myself to his teaching again. Call me sensitive, fine, but even as I consider going to teacher training myself, I wonder about some teachers who mindlessly and boringly deliver the dialogue. They are in such stark contrast to the ones who you know have the yoga alive in their hearts and see the bodies and energy before them that the bad ones ugg, really just stand out like a splinter. I can forgive a mistake in the delivery of the dialogue but not in the delivery of the joy of the practice and particularly not the negative chiding and manipulation of students who come with open hearts and hands for help in reaching their goals.

Well, anyway, this experience has sat on my heart all night and this morning and I am thankful for this thread and having the opportunity to get it off my chest and move on knowing that I have been lucky to have other wonderful teachers who get it.