You don’t squeeze yourself into a shirt 3 sizes smaller than you, so why would you strive to distort your physical body to the point beyond normal discomfort into a certain shape?
Yoga for me has never been about the shapes or the destination. It is about awareness of every part of your body beyond what is visible to your eyes. It is about dedicating and practicing your breath towards a meditative space, even a split second; not to arrive there but to use it as a facilitator of your practice.
As a teacher, I strive to provide an environment where practitioners can find that meditative space. Regardless of the class, I consciously and continuously aim to encourage everyone in the room to practice while sidelining their ego to the best of their ability. As a teacher and another human being who is far from reaching any level of enlightenment, I am sharing the practicing space with you to peel layers of ego, judgment, and any other unproductive state of mind that appears upon me.
I use the shapes for you to use your mental body to visualize the directions in which your physical body can move towards. The goal is not to arrive there, but to exercise your breath and composure while moving in and out of those so-called shapes. The goal is to be constantly aware of your weight distribution on each foot and even toes, your body-mind connection down to the innermost layers of cartilage, the depths and evenness of your breath, the mental battles of thoughts, and your engagement with them. The strength and flexibility of your body are the by-products of your practice whereas the perseverance and resilience overall are the accumulated growth that are the true purpose of yoga.
I don’t go into a lot of spiritual and philosophical preaching during my class for the main reason that I am a human who is the product of the world around me just as much as you are. Most students come to my classes to move their bodies and practice mindfulness, and that is what I intend to reflect in my teaching. Authenticity is a much-thrown-around word among yoga teachers, so I will never see myself having enough credibility to tell you how to live without ego, judgment upon yourself, or any other unproductive thoughts and emotions as I would never be rid of those in my day-to-day life. Hence, I focus on teaching and guiding your physical bodies with the certainty that the true purposes of yoga can be achieved through consistency.