Last week in class, a student asked me if I had been a Girl Scout growing up. She said she wondered this because of the precise instructions I use when I’m teaching yoga.
Her question made me chuckle — because unless you count eating an entire box of Thin Mints by myself in one sitting, I never even came close to becoming a Girl Scout!
But I was a G.A. The G.A.’s were our religious community’s version of the Girl Scouts. G.A. stands for “Girls in Action” — and a precisely accurate description of this busy girl (more about the ins & outs of G.A.’s another time).
The question concerning precision reminded me of my first Iyengar Yoga class – and my own teacher’s exacting instruction. I arrived at the classes ready to charge ahead and push through my limits.
But the classes stretched me in ways I had never considered. When I forged ahead in a frenzy from pose to pose, my teacher insisted that I stay at the pace she set for the class. I still hear her voice saying, “Leah, stay with us.”
I thought she was holding me back. But over time I learned that was not her intention at all. She was keeping me from getting ahead of myself.
Boy did this go against my grain!
Didn’t she know that I’m the one who put the whirling in the dervish? I had built a whole identity around earning gold stars by working fast and furious through school and beyond, wearing myself out, and moving on to the next thing.
With my teacher’s insistence and encouragement, I became open to trying a new way.
It eventually occured to me that my entire life I had met myself coming and going, but I had no idea how to stay with myself.
This realization had implications way beyond my yoga mat.
I knew how to set my sights on a goal. I’d start out with gusto — burning bright like a fiery comet. But I was always subject to the fizzle factor. I’d abandon myself at the first sign of trouble. Over-doing led to overwhelm led to over over-the-top anxiety levels, chronic stress-related illness and often some sort of burnout.
I had to learn how to pace myself so I could stay observant of my thoughts and actions. I had to learn how to listen to my body (still working on that one). I had to respect my limitations and uncover their hidden lessons.
The mention of the Girl Scouts piqued my curiousity, so I visited the Girl Scouts of America website.
Turns out that the Yoga Sutras are not that different in concept from the Girl Scouts’ values. Junior Girl Scouts even earn a special badge called “Practice With Purpose.” The award is earned by “setting a goal, increasing endurance, building strength, and practice, practice practice!”
The Girl Scout Promise is worth reading, and below are a few highlights from it.
I will “do my best to stay courageous and strong…and to take responsibility for what I say and do…to respect myself and others and to use my resources wisely.”
My time, attention and energy are among my most valued resources. Practicing yoga at a pace that allows for discipline, critical thinking and understanding is one of the many ways I stay with myself.
It isn’t always easy. In fact, it’s almost never easy – most things that contribute to our positive change aren’t.
The excitement of reaching for the stars might get me going. But it’s yoga’s exploration of inner space that keeps me moving toward true and lasting transformation.