giving instructions in yoga class

[Guest guest]

I do shiatsu so I think of the body map as something similar to the Chinese

meridian system. When I do yoga, I also think of the energy flow along the

meridian lines with special access to that energy in certain points. I

would never teach in such complexity, but the meridians often make so much

sense as I experience a kundalini kriya. For me, they just pop out and I

can feel the energy flowing down them.

 

My question is "is it wrong to teach with this type of non-kundalini

information? It's not authoritative since it is just my experience. Also,

we aren't supposed to add anything to the kriya. I don't intentionally ever

change the kriya. But I do mention the meridians when they are obvious to

me. This means that for example, the point on my foot that I grab might be

more specific that what is shown in the text. Or I may emphasize the

stretch along a specific meridian when I know that I am having trouble with

energy flow there. What happens is I become more specific than the textbook

would suggest.

 

I think that the beauty of the pure teaching is their simplicity and the

possiblity that different people would use the kriya in different ways.

Being as specific as I am is not intended to limit, but I can see where it

might have that effect. For me personally, it is a focusing "map" and a

tool for analysis. When I am teaching just a few people, which is normal

for me, then seeing the merian energy flow in them is also very useful (from

my perspective) in instructing them. I don't think I could do it as

effectively with a large class.