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THE POWER OF LANGUAGE IN PRACTICE
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด!
Either you have heard teachers saying this or thought that practicing will get you to whatever you are trying to achieve.
๐๐ฐ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ข ๐ด๐ฑ๐ญ๐ช๐ต? ๐๐ฐ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ???
Students ask these all the time.
And I always answer: โ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฏ๐ฒ, ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐.โ ๐ฌ
These days I have been reflecting on the language we use as teachers.
Why?
Simply because language matters since it is the channel we use to communicate with our students.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐, ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐๐.
โOne day your elbows will touch your feet.โ -Paschimottansana (Standing forward fold)
โOne day your legs in your dancerโs pose will look like a split.โ -A script in the classic Bikram sequence
I have said these things in my class.
And the more I evaluate these languages, the more I have realized their impact.
Thatโs why I have been consciously practicing to REMOVE them when I teach.
While we may want to do yoga to improve flexibility, mobility, strength, and/or whatever that isโฆ
โฆ๐บ๐ฐ๐จ๐ข ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ โ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆโ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ฆ.
. . .
I used to think the more and longer we practice, the more we can โachieveโ.
What I eventually learned is:
๐The longer I practice, the more I find things that I cannot do. ๐The deeper I get into the study of yoga, the more I realize that thereโs so much I donโt know.
So: โจ Instead of setting a goal to do splits, set your practice aim on improving hamstring flexibility.
โจ Instead of thinking about whether you can reach your heels in Wheel, think of improving spine mobility.
And as teachers, we must be very clear about our message when we teach.
Language matters.
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