Sacred Space, Sacred Experience
When I decided to open a yoga studio in Manchester ,CT in the summer of 2001, I set out to create an environment where people would feel comfortable and relaxed the moment they walked in. I wanted a place where students could release the concerns of their day-to-day lives and connect with Self and Spirit in a deep and satisfying way. I wanted the town I grew up in and the people who live in it to have a place where they could arrive and feel safe and change and grow. I wanted to help change my town. Help it to become more open and accepting. Help it to heal. I wanted to create a supportive place for health and spirit.
I found the studio that is now Samadhi Yoga Studio with large windows that allowed soft light to filter into the room on a very hot and humid summer day. The room had been abandoned and unloved for some time. The cheap gray carpet was stained and ripped. The ceiling tiles and walls were yellowed with cigarette smoke. There was dust in every corner. The room smelled musty. It looked sad. I sat in the middle of the room and looked around and can remember feeling a tingling in my belly and knew that this would be the place. I had looked at other places and none were right. This one might not be either but it felt right. I saw and felt yoga in this room.
During those summer months, my (now ex) business partner and myself took great pains in choosing paint colors and carpet and light fixtures. The sweat of my loved ones, teachers, students and friends all went into this room. (I will be forever thankful to Marisa Chirico, Tracey and Gymm Jackson-Morey and Jack Lynch for all that they did.) We thought about installing mirrors and decided not to. Instead, as a final thought, we purchased a small statue of Shiva Nataraj and placed him on a wooden altar near one of the windows, surrounded by candles and flowers. Marisa sculpted a statue of me sitting in lotus. I placed it in the back of the room where it would always face me reminding me of my potential whenever I doubt it.
In those early days of Samadhi, the space that is now my studio felt like it could have been a small program room at Kripalu. To me- it felt like home. And yet, the process of creating sacred space had just begun.
Yoga teachers often use the term “sacred space” to describe the mood and physical environment of the room in which a yoga class takes place. But sacred space has more to do with the way we as teachers relate to our students and the feelings of safety and acceptance we convey.
At the heart of sacred space are the ultimate aims of the practice of yoga. As Patanjali wrote, “The practice of Yoga includes physical and mental discipline (tapas), self study (svadyaya) and spiritual attunement (Ishvarapranidhana). “ (Note- Kim A.-I know the last one is your favorite.) Sacred space supports the practice of yogic techniques and disciplines: warm-ups, asana, pranayama, relaxation and meditation. And even more important is a safe environment for self-exploration and attunement to Spirit.
Consider the yoga classes you take. Most of these classes emphasize a practice that is primarily physical and willful. In this context, sacred space may feel quite different than it does in a class that focuses on longer holding with deeper awareness and attunement. If the lights are on and no music is playing, is the space any less sacred? Of course not. If the practice focuses on details and alignment, can students still have a sacred experience? I say yes.
Sacred space is much more than the physical environment. Consider the following variables and the choices we make around them.
The Students- Who are they? What are they familiar and comfortable with?
Intentions- What is the teacher’s intention’s for the class? What would the teacher like his or her students to receive from their class? What does the teacher wish to experience him or herself? Does the teacher have their own personal practice or is the teacher using their class time for that?
Safety- What will help this particular group of students feel comfortable? What information does the teacher need to convey to help them feel safe? How does the teacher introduce new or unfamiliar concepts in safe and non-threatening ways? What do the students need to know to protect themselves?
Setting the tone- Does the teacher create a space of quietness and safety for healing to take place? Are there pockets of quiet time for the student to hear their own breath and to sink into the experience? Does the teacher use permission language to let students know that everything you do in yoga is ultimately choice? Does the teacher ask you to not judge or compete with self and others?
Group Bonding-Students can dive into sacred experience more easily when they know who is with them on the journey. Are their opportunities for them to get to know each other? Tea after class, a waiting room before class, partner work, sharing or a simple greeting to each other? These things do matter.
Rituals –Rituals have been used for ages to create sacred experience or to transition from the ordinary to the extraordinary experience of connection to Self and Spirit. A ritual can be as simple as sitting for a moment in silence. A ritual can be traditional or self created by the teacher. It should be non-threatening and not associated with any religion unless the teacher is teaching in a religious setting. A ritual planned for a workshop or retreat would be very different than a ritual planned for a group of business people practicing yoga in the workplace.
Attention to Awareness- Details and alignment are important and necessary. Yet if the teacher only speaks of these more superficial aspects, the students might miss the deeper meaning of the practice. An “in tune” teacher starts with awareness of the body in response to those details, by using phrases such as “Extend your arms overhead and feel.” An “in tune” teacher might guide a forward fold such as Yoga Mudra by saying, “Take a moment to reflect on the areas of your life where you may need to develop humility or surrender to something greater than yourself.”
Integration and closure- Does the teacher allow enough time at the end of class for students to come out of relaxation slowly and sit for a few minutes of pranayama and/or meditation? The energy in the room at this time can be almost palpable. Students who have gone deep into their experience are open and receptive. As most of us know, this is a beautiful time for inspirational readings, affirmations, chanting and prayers. Are students encouraged to take their time transitioning out of the room and perhaps to maintain silence for a while after class?
The fact that students come to class signifies an intention to learn. As teachers, we facilitate that learning process not by delivering a lot of information, but by being fully present and accepting. My intention for creating Samadhi Yoga Studio was to create an environment where people feel relaxed and open, everything happening in the moment is absorbed fully, without analysis and without any conditions placed on the experience by the mind.
Learning something new is a leap into the unknown and that requires an amount of trust in the hearts and the minds of our students. My responsibility as a studio owner and teacher is to provide the safety and encouragement for the students of Samadhi Yoga Studio to make leaps beyond their usual comfort zone.
Namaste.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
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4 comments:
Anne,
I think it's important when helping those students 'make leaps beyond their comfort zone', to also help those that are close to them understand that they are going through MANY changes and to bear with them while they change.
Please accept my apologies for not being a compassionate person with my wifes changes. I hope it's not too late to become that compassionate person.
John
Hi,
Great blog on exercise. There are many different types and benefits and you've covered some of them and the equipment needed well. yoga moves is one that's often overlooked because it isn't as active or as popular.
Thanks,
Jim
Guides To Enlightenment
A number of commentators break these eight steps into two categories. Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, and Pratyahara comprise the first category. The second category, called Samyama is comprised of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. The division between the two categories exists because in latter three mentioned steps there is no cognizance whereas in the first five steps cognizance exists.
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