This may just be the most cliche saying of all Yoga teachers, and I could guarantee, all Yoga instructors have said these very words at some point and time. (including myself) It used to really annoy me when I would hear this in a Yoga class. "What does this mean?"..."Stop saying something just because it's the Yoga thing to say," I would think. It never really felt like the Yoga teacher was speaking from his/her direct experience, but was simply regurgitating the words of other teachers.

But, nonetheless, there is wisdom in this expression. And, I've come to find this out first-hand for myself. As I've practiced growing into some of the more advanced poses, there have been many times my body has given me feedback to not go so deep. Over the past year, I've been practicing Rajakapotasana (from Upward-Facing Dog pose.) This is a really deep backbend but, then again, it's all relative. Where Rajakapotasana (King-Pigeon Pose) might be deep for me, Upward Facing Dog may be an advanced pose for someone else. So, wherever we are in our journey, we must heed the guidance of our body. We must know where to go and where not to go. Through Yoga practice we become more and more embodied. If we trace back to our early years, almost all of us had some experience that disconnected us from our bodies. Any kind of abuse whatsoever disembodies an individual. Through practice and time, we grow into a healthier relationship with ourselves, and in Hatha Yoga practice, our body is our teacher and our guide...

I definitely was a little frustrated this morning when I found out a fellow teacher of mine suggested for a student to not do a certain pose, due to a strain in her lower back. I let her know she needs to take care of her body and if she needs to back away, I encourage that all the way. In Yoga practice, Child's Pose is as significant of a posture as the most advanced posture in Yoga. In other words, there is no differentiation between poses, i.e. one pose is not better than another.

I do think teachers at time can enable students. Granted, we sometimes need to be reminded that it's ok to back away. When I had overstretched my hamstring, as a result of practicing several new poses this past summer, my girlfriend had to remind me to not push it and to lay off stretching so deep in that leg. Some part of me did not want to accept the challenge or what felt like a limitation in my ability. And, yet, with rest (almost a month of not stretching deep in that hamstring), I've been able to heal and experience a transformation in my body. I feel teachers need to encourage students to feel their way into places, rather than having them be fearful of certain poses telling them not to do them because of x, y, z. This is even true with pre-natal Yoga. There are so many different opinions about what poses a woman should or shouldn't do during pregnancy. I've never told a pregnant woman she shouldn't do something. I've known countless pregnant women who've been able to practice the full array of poses all the way until the day before they gave birth. So whether it's a pregnant person or someone with an injury, we are praciticng to discover and listen to the wise voice of our body and the only way to fully know this voice is to let ourselves feel it out. We learn to know it by feeling the feedback it's giving us and where it's guiding us to be.

Perhpas this is all surfacing because just yesterday, I had a minor discomfort in my lower back arise. I can only guess it's from going a little too far in a backbend. This time, no one had to tell me to back away and let my body rest in this place. My inner voice reminded me there is some lesson for me to learn in trying to go too far, and the time of rest for me to heal this place, is a great teacher and an opportunity to trust the voice of my body as my ultimate guide.

The true teacher is within and may we grow to know this teacher in body, mind and Spirit.Read more