It is 11:36 AM on Friday November 5. About an hour ago I returned from a most refreshing Yoga class led by Linda. The first thing that I did after getting into my house was to put on my watch. Next I set the microwave to 39 seconds to heat the milk for my coffee latte. I then phoned friends to make dinner plans. We will meet at 5:45 tonight. It can't be 5:30 because that is too early for them, and I have to feed the dogs at 5:15 and then let them out. So 5:30 is a good......
I now make it a standard practice to remove my watch when I practice Yoga. Time is something that I am constantly aware of with just a few exceptions. Yoga class is one of those exceptions. Yoga is when I can be with myself, and time is something that I do not want to be aware of nor measure during my practice. Most of the time I look at my watch to see not what time it is, but rather to know one of two things: how long it will be until something that I am doing will end, or how much time do I have until the next thing that I have to do. One of the great things about Yoga is that I can be in the moment of the class without thinking about the million and one other things going on in my life. Doing this is not always easy, and it does take a lot of practice. In our age of multi-tasking, and constantly being aware of the time, I feel that the time spent away from the awareness of the time is most valuable.
It is now 11: 50
Yes, time is something we want to let go of as we practice yoga. Every second that passes should not feel as if you are moving forward, but rather, staying right there in the moment.
ReplyDeleteThat moment just grows larger as the time passes.
However as a yoga instructor and traveling yogini, I do have to be aware of time to some extent while working. Starting and ending my class on time is important. I have found that my "internal clock" takes over while working. I do let go of time, once I have arrived in class, and have found that my body seems to tell me when it is almost time for savasana. If I am not present in the moment I know my students will feel it. Sometimes the class seems to fly by so fast, and on those days when I mention it, everyone felt the same wooshing by of the moment. That is when I wonder... if a second is a second, and minute is a minute, why does time seem to sometimes go faster and sometimes slower?
I know that whenever I am teaching a class, I have to be aware of the start time and the finish time. During the class, I always try to cover the materials that I have planned for the class. It is necessary to be aware of the time when one is teaching within a specific block of time. With experience this becomes almost second nature. I find that as a "student" of Yoga, I do not have to worry about all of this with the exception of getting to class on time. I can have a much easier time getting into the moment because you (the instuctor) have to be aware of getting me there, keeping me there, and ending the experience on time.
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