Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Be the difference




Another thought provoking question from Jamie for Wishcasting Wednesday: Where do you wish to make a difference?

My first response - what we all wish I believe - was that I hope to make a difference in the lives of my family and my friends. Thinking a little more, I realized I want to make a difference in the lives of my students. As a non-bendy, tired and scattered, middle aged yoga instructor, what I believe I offer my students when we gather is a safe space in which they can learn to tap into and follow the guidance of their inner teacher. I am astonished by the general resistance to believing we each carry all of the wisdom, the tools and the answers that we may need in order to experience ourselves as Whole. This really shouldn't surprise me as I struggled with this notion for most of my adult life and continue to find pockets of disbelieve deeply embedded in my psyche.

What yoga has taught me is nothing less than a miracle. It has mentored me in a honest, trusting and loving relationship with myself. It has helped me to identify the flimsy monsters that lurk in my shadows and to believe I can step into, own and use my power. Like many who have been "reformed" I want to share these lessons with others. I want to make a difference by supporting others in recognizing and celebrating their power, their voice, their belief in miracles and magic, and the truth that at the core, we are all innately Good and Whole.

As I write this, I realize I can be more specific here - and hell, if I'm wishing, I'm going to wish big. I wish to make a difference in the lives of girls and women who seem more prone to abandoning their voice, ceding their power and depleting their inner resources. Lately I have felt a strong pull to teach more art camps for girls and today's Wishcasting has called that impulse into greater relief. I look at my Cowgirl who is a presence and a force greater than anything or anyone I could have imagined for myself when I was younger and I feel an urgency to protect and nurture her sense of self. I never want her to doubt her feelings, her impulses or to question the right for her voice to be heard. Why I ever felt that way, I could spend the rest of my lifetime trying to figure out. I was loved, encouraged, supported and Still I suffered intense bouts of self doubt, never mind the erasure of my body and my spirit.

Someone recently asked me "what would you do if you were not afraid" and my immediate reply was "teach more." It is a responsibility I do not take lightly. The power to influence is great but I hope to make a difference by sharing the gift of discovering and reclaiming one's power. It can happen on the yoga mat, it can happen on the other end of a paint brush. I love both and that is where I plan to stay.




(Update: one of the first Wishcasting Wednesdays I participated in, I wished to create a women's sacred circle. I am happy to report that a little over a week ago I held the first gathering and it was such an amazing experience! There are plans for regular gatherings at the turn of the seasons. I know all of your wishes helped me bring that dream into reality! And in searching for that original post, I discovered another of my wishes - to attend Squam - is also on its way to being fulfilled. I enrolled and got my first choice of classes. So, be careful what you wish for!)

14 comments:

  1. As Lis wishes for herself, I do also.

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  2. A friend has started giving yoga classes to Grade 5-6-7 girls in our rural village. I go in every new session to give a mini-workshop on journaling. Other women from the community go in to speak on self-image, inner beauty, creativity, etc. What I notice is the incredible growth in self-assurance in these girls from one season to another.

    It's a wonderful thing to witness.

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  3. "The power to influence is great but I hope to make a difference by sharing the gift of discovering and reclaiming one's power. It can happen on the yoga mat, it can happen on the other end of a paint brush. . ." it can happen on the telephone, it can happen in an email, it can happen on a hike in the mountains. Thank you, Lisa, for all that you've taught me and continue to teach me :)

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  4. As Lis wishes for herself, so I wish for her also.

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  5. As Lis wishes for herself, I wish for her also.

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  6. As Lis wishes for herself, I wish for her as well.

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  7. As Lis wishes for herself, I wish for her also. I too find that yoga helps me to learn and understand myself in so many ways. It has been an amazing journey for me for the past two years. I know your students must love taking classes with you.

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  8. Wow, I am sat here this morning with my first cup of tea of the day and smiling because there is another post from you; I look forward to them as they always inspire and make me think.I love that your wishes are coming true Lis :) If only I lived in the same country, I would love to be part of your women's circle.

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  9. as Lis wishes, so I wish for her also. That's a very big wish! A wonderful one, too!

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  10. As Lis wishes for herself, so do I wish for her also

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  11. As Lis wishes for herself, so I wish for her also. What a big wonderful wish, may it be so.

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  12. This is a lovely post, Lis, and one that I can identify with in so many ways - except for the yoga and art teaching! I wish I could be part of your women's circle!
    Janice.

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  13. Hi Lis,
    I am coming over from art asana and wanted to thank you for the beautiful comment you left on my blog! I am pretty new at this blogging thing and am so inspired by finding like-minded people out there, so thank you! As I was here, I read this blog post and was just blown away by the power of your words. I don't have children yet, but I love what you say about the force that your little cowgirl is and how you want to help her protect her sense of self...that is the way I want to raise my kids when I have them...I want them to come into their lives knowing that they are important and have a meaning and purpose that will make our world a better place...and like you, want them to have no self-doubt about that....Part of what I am doing now, with my studies and eventual teaching, is trying to live that way myself, so that when I do have kids, they will have an example to follow....now just to work on all that self-doubt stuff, so they do have a good example to follow!
    So thank you for this beautiful post....I look forward to coming back again!

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  14. Ooh, Lis, which Squam are you going to? I am going to be there in the Fall! yay! What you say yoga has taught you is so intriguing to me as I am a total yoga newbie.

    As Lis wishes for herself, so do I wish for her also!

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