I love being a student. I love learning new things – new skills, ideas, perspectives. When I do something I’ve never done before, I feel awake and fully present, my attention squarely focused on the moment in which I find myself. It could be almost anything – hiking a new trail, exploring a new city, learning a new language. Our experiences shape who we are day by day and moment by moment; we are always evolving, integrating what we learn and experience into our body of knowledge and adjusting how we interact with ourselves and others accordingly. If we approach each new person/place/idea/experience with an open mind and heart, we can invite their lessons deep within to help us grow, to broaden our horizons and expand our view of the world around us.
I recently attended a conference and had the good fortune to study with some exceptional teachers. I chose sessions that I sensed would offer new ideas and perspectives on familiar topics, as well as some that were largely unknown to me, and I was not disappointed. I learned about a lineage of yoga called Purna Yoga that was created by Aadil Palkhivala, who jokes that he began practicing with B.K.S. Iyengar while in the womb (his parents were having fertility issues and went to Iyengar for help; after four months of practice with him, Aadil was conceived, and both his parents and Aadil continued to practice with him for many years to come). I studied hip health and explored a Purna practice created to support long-term hip mobility and stability. I learned about Thai yoga massage and self-massage, seeing meridian theory from a different perspective and gaining a deeper understanding of the power of hands-on body work. I rolled around in the world of therapy balls, learning more about the role they can play in analysing and improving strength, flexibility and range of motion in our myofascial structures. And I had the opportunity to study with an anatomy expert I have followed for many years (Leslie Kaminoff), diving into lively discussion and practice on bones, muscles and structural diversity, as well as breath-centered yoga and the bandhas. What an extraordinary few days!
After taking in all this new information, I let it settle. I assimilate and integrate what I have learned into my experience, where it can inform my practice and my teaching, where it can help me grow and develop. New seeds have been planted. Some will sprout and flourish, guiding me in new directions on my path, whereas others might not take root or blossom only briefly, as their lessons do not resonate as deeply or with the same relevance to where I am heading on my journey. That’s the beauty of learning – we open our minds and hearts to what an experience can teach us and we have the opportunity to listen and look within, to notice what touches us deeply, what lights us up, what changes our perspective or challenges our preconceptions. We can disregard the lessons, let them roll off us with no effect, or we can welcome them in and see what happens to the way we view ourselves and the world.
In spring we are surrounded by new growth, with budding trees and flowers beginning to bloom. What a perfect metaphor for our own opportunity to grow! My recent studies have sown a healthy handful of seeds, with more to come I’m sure, and I look forward to tending them and seeing what fruit they might bear. As the natural world wakes up around you, what seeds do you wish to plant? What unexpected wonders might they bring your way?