Many people asked me why I generally don't give direct answers when I teach, why are there no formulated fixes to Yoga Therapy, why do we have to keep doing "inquiries" which have no goals other than to observe... Maybe some of the answers lie here ~
This is an excerpt of an article called Conscious and Unconscious Dialogue from "Sensing, Feeling, and Action" by the ever-inspiring Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. “One of the principle characteristics of my teaching is that I tend to teach both to the unconscious and to the conscious in the student. For example, when I present an exploration in class, as soon as I feel the “mind of the room” resonate the consciousness or mind state central to that exploration, I’ll move on the another exploration. The moving-on might be premature for people in the class who did not recognize consciously that they were in that mind state or exactly what that mind state was. They knew something happened, but they had no ides what it was. My intention in teaching this way is so that what people have learned unconsciously will come out later in the circumstances of their own lives. I sow the seed so that they can continue to learn at home. It might not come to them for a year or two, when all of a sudden they have some realization of their own. That way there is an excitement about discovering something themselves, rather than is being just another piece of information that has been given to them. I try to slip in under the consciousness, while still giving people enough of the conscious experience so they can recreate it in some way or be able to keep that doorway open until the information comes through by itself, through a personal experience.” |
Daphne Chua
Registered Yoga Therapist, Somatic Movement Educator, Bodyworker, Yoga Teacher Trainer
December 2021
Categories |