There have been five paramount rules taught to me by Dr. Rajasekharan:

First, is never to compare myself and compete against another yoga instructor.  To do so goes against the essence of yoga. The purpose of yoga is to elevate spiritual consciousness by cleansing and controlling prana. This allows for a deeper connection to our own Divine Nature that is a direct line, a direct connection to Source.

Second, is to never ever engage in negative debate about different yoga styles and how another chooses to practice yoga in their life.  If conflict presents itself, always be solution focused.

Third, is be humble.  Don’t go around advertising that I’m a yoga instructor. Don’t be a show off. Yoga is not a circus. If someone tells me they are a yoga instructor, don’t use that as an opening to mention that I too am a yoga instructor. Yes, I start taking appropriate steps to be successful towards one day starting my own yoga for stress management studio.  But along the way, I let humility be my guide. This blog may seem like I’m advertising myself as a yoga instructor – but I’m not a yoga instructor yet. I’m still a trainee who is using this form of media to journal and organizing what has been taught to me, a way to share my path from trainee to teacher that will one day be a tool, a resource for my private yoga studio.

Fourth, is yoga should never be painful and a yoga teacher should never have to lay a hand on to help, assist another into the posture.  Why?  Because yoga is soft and gentle. Yoga is about listening to your body. Yoga is a step-by-step, gradual process where one moves slowly into a position.  Yoga is not about the end result. It is about the work. This is following the principle of Karma yoga – the mental yoga of action.  Being in the action rather than striving for the end. As well, the yoga teacher should never have chronic or acute body strains or injuries from teaching yoga. If this happens, then the yoga teacher is not teaching yoga correctly and not modeling to students the proper way of yoga.

Fifth, is be the model.  As a yoga teacher, I must have a higher elevated consciousness than those who are taking my yoga class. I should be the example, the result of what it is I am teaching – yet still modeling that personal growth and spiritual development is always a daily practice.

I’m still on rule number one! My struggle at this time is wanting to compare myself and compete with others.

I know this is deep rooted fear.

According to Eckhart Tolle, in his book “The Power of Now” ego’s identification with the pain body, and the origin of fear creates a defensiveness within myself.  The author asks, in reference to this defensiveness within, “What are you defending?”

Good question.  What am I defending?

I am defending my way. My need to be right. My need to be better than. My need to win. My need to be the most special. My need to be the most wanted (not by the law! LoL). My need to be the best.

This is my first obstacle that I bring to the table.

I know the solution. The solution is the practice I’m being taught by Dr. Rajasekharan.  This practice raises my consciousness by connecting me to my inner Divine qualities. Divine qualities such as love, joy, grace, benevolence and compassion, that vanquish the ego. These practices are a hotline to the Divine, so my teacher says!

But my teacher also tells me that doing the actual practices are the change, not reading and thinking about it.

I’ve so much work to do as I start this path….

S, <3