Teacher as Student, Student as Teacher

I just finished teaching my morning classes. My 8:30am Beginner Vinyasa class is one of my favorite classes. This is the class where I get my workout. My students have all been with me for a while in this class and there is a lot of room to play with them. I know, I know, it's not supposed to be my workout and I'm not saying that I don't align or gently correct, it's just that in this class I have the freedom to be a student as well, in a sense. The community that I live in does not have any other yoga instructors besides myself and that can get somewhat lonely at times. I long to be taught and to continue my own journey in yoga with the insight and benefit of a teacher leading me, inspiring me, and encouraging me to go within and discover my potential. But, for now, my only option is to read, dissect DVDs and scour the web for information. There will come a time in my life when I will be able to spend hours at workshops and participate in more teacher trainings, but for now, with the size of my family and my current obligations, 8:30 Vinyasa is my playground. I was reading through David Swenson's , Ashtanga Yoga, "The Practice Manual", over the weekend and came across his version of incorporating the eight limbs into your personal practice. Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutras, described the eight aspects of yoga as limbs of a tree. I'd like to share it with you now. Of all the different ways to interpret the many aspects of yoga, I think that I relate to his insights more closely at this time of my life than any other, but hey, I'm only forty. David writes, "Through regulation of practice, the eight limbs are nourished. Personal insights begin to manifest. We become aware of what we put into our bodies and how we interact with the world around us. From this type of introspection, the qualities of Yama and Niyama begin to develop. Asanas and Pranayama grow when focused awareness of the breath is applied while practicing each posture. As we keep the mind fixed on the sound and quality of our breath, the senses are encouraged to turn inward and the element of Pratyahara manifests. As we improve our abilities of controlling the senses from wandering during practice, the subtle quality of concentration deepens in the form of Dharana. In time, the practice moves further internally and refinement of concentration develops as our ability to remain present is enhanced. The practice then grows into a deep resounding meditative experience known as Dhyana. At this stage, we are creating greater potential to explore the finest realms of yoga known as Samadhi, in which we realize the pure essence of all that exists." I think that is so incredibly beautiful and so worthy of further study. I cannot explain why I feel such a close connection to the art of yoga, I just do. I imagine it is the same feeling that many people get from prayer or devotion. I simply identify with the spirituality that resides there, most likely because it asks me only to look within to find my divinity. Yoga is so much more than postures. Yoga is a way of living your life that opens your mind to who you truly are, a divine spiritual being, and then it challenges you to discover how to best offer those gifts, inherent only to you, in order to fully serve humanity.
I want so much to incorporate those teachings into my classes. I want my students to comprehend the work that they are doing internally as they shuffle in for class. But in my heart, I know that each of them is getting exactly what they need at each moment and on every level, regardless of my influence. In truth, they are my teachers. I seek not only for myself, but for them so that I might better communicate the true expression of what we are all doing there at 8:30 in the morning when it's 17 degrees outside.