When the Teacher is Ready ...

‎There is a Buddhist Proverb that says:  "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." As every year passes, I always am amazed at how many "teachers" appear in my life at my children's yoga classes.

Even though I go out the door to my classes with my mat, my lesson plan and an expectation of what I will teach the children that day, I come home, humbled with the lasting impressions and lessons that the children teach me.

"Friday Yoga With Lisa" always proves to be fun and full of surprises such as this, and spontaneous (incidental) learning for everyone!

Lisa is a is a very talented, experienced nationally board-certified, PA state licensed Pediatric Occupational Therapist and the owner of  KidsPlayWork  in Cheltenham, PA. We have been working together since the fall of 2010 to provide therapeutic yoga classes for a group of 6 children, ages 4-8, with varying degrees of autism, cognitive, sensory and behavioal challenges. Our most recent Friday class was even more special than most.

In this session, we have been working on 2 main group goals of respecting boundaries & facilitating smoother transitions. Each child has 2 or 3 individual goals as well. We are using color association to teach the children about emotions and self control, (based on the book "Majhical Mee, The Rainbow Inside of Me" ) and specific yoga movements to acheive the desired state of emotion. (Red & "Peace Pose"  are for confidence & connectedness; Orange is for warmth, like a sunset and we do "Sunset Pose" [Forward Bend], and so on for each color.)

"Story Stick"

The group worked very well together last night. We began with our "Breathing Ball" exercises then used the "Story Stick" in the circle to greet everyone. We did our "Warm Ups" and "Sun Salutaions" before we took our "Majhical Mee" Rainbow Yoga adventure!

The most special moment came, after relaxation, when we got to sing "Happy  Birthday" to one of the students. Each child then held a special "Singing Bowl" and sent a happy  "Birthday Vibration" and a special birthday wish to her.


A "Singing Bowl" for birthday wishes!

 The room was transformed. The children were very solemn & intensely focussed on sending the most special wish they could think of to the birthday child: happiness, lots of toys, a flower pressing kit, new friends, birthday hugs, etc.

As each child took their turn they looked the birthday child in the eyes & concluded their wish with a *Namaste, then passed the bowl to the next child. The room was filled with love & they all were absolutely glowing!

After all the children sent their wish, we then gave the birthday child the bowl, and Lisa asked her if she had a wish for herself. She hesitated a moment, the whole room quiet, waiting. She slowly looked around the circle, making eye contact with each of us, smiling, as if thinking of what to say next.

Then as she was still looking around the circle, she said in a very sweet slightly quivering voice, her eyes very wide, "I wish that I could always have this love from all of you; my friends." 

I was so filled up with the profound simplicity of it; at that very moment, I was ready & student became my teacher. It was so clear & tangible to me that at our very deepest level it is what we all wish for:  to be loved.

Eac of us expresses our wish differently, and some not at all, yet it is the one common thing that bonds us; the one thing that makes us all the same on the inside, regardless of how we speak, act, or look on the outside.

Namaste!



*Namaste: (Na-ma-stay) An Indian [Hindu] greeting which means “I bow to you” having the underlying significance of negating, reducing and humbling one's ego in the presence of another.


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