Feeling depress about work-how can yoga help?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I’m a school teacher, only 2 years into my practice. The reality of being a teacher far exceeds what I expected. The stress is unthinkable. The parents, students, heads of department, principals, colleagues etc are really making me feel depress about this job. I find myself thinking of leaving this teaching service everyday. The whole environment is just so negative - everybody is complaining abt something everyday. However, I still love teaching children. How should I use Yoga to help me get out of this?

My aim is to be a yoga teacher one day ,but I’m really afraid that the reality of being a yoga teacher would disappoint me equally.

#2

First of all, let me tell you I find children teaching to be the most difficult job in the world. Being in charge of forming new people (which you do. People are a reflect of their school, of teachers and their teachers).

So, by the way, congratulations mate. You’ve chosen one of the most beautiful but stressing jobs in the whole world, and feel proud of such.
As well, it is disgraceful, as you have already discover: you do the best job ever and it’s because your kid are smart. Something goes wrong with them ,and its your fault, even if you only a the kid once in your life.

And there is where Yoga/Meditation might take its place. To help fulfill the emptiness criticism and complaining leaves.

I think teaching anything can be frustrating, teaching kids being the worst.

You have to look inside of you to find why did you choose teaching kids, and you will most certainly discover you won’t find the same satisfaction doing anything else…

Take care…

#3

JP Sartre said, “hell is other people”. He never bothered to notice that heaven is other people, too (at least three of them), but . . .
Yes, other people will always want to tell teachers how to teach. Teachers don’t last very long, and the ones who do are either invested in the children or invested in the retirement plan. Both options give teachers a barrier between themselves and the demands that are external to the classroom.
You probably won’t get to ignore your department chair, principal, parents, or students, but what you can do is shine a bright light on your profession. This will either give them hope (think plants in early spring) or chase them away (think vampires.)

Do what it is in your loving heart to do, and be unattached to the fruits of your effort.

And keep coming back here for support.

#4

Detachment my love :).

Our wellbeing does not have to depend on how we feel or on how any circumstance reflects back upon our mental/emotional being.

Be free from your hopes and desires to find well-being in something you do or can become.

This does not necessarily require extreme hardship, rather: Just take little moments throughout your days in which you just stop for a moment to notice how your mind tries to escape what’s present and how it hopes to reach fulfillment in something else. Notice how it projects some image into the future where it thinks it will find liberation or contentment. Notice how your thoughts try to lead you to wanting to escape your current situation. Just let these thoughts play their game without believing in the game.

While noticing this tendency of the mind to future-project your well-being, know that you are right here right now and that your well-being far exceeds your mental/emotional being. You are [I]That Aware Space[/I] in which your mental/emotional being is allowed to arise, endure and dissolve. Be free like this for some short moments throughout your days consistently. These small moments will give you such great relief and spaciousness that even stress seems to fade into thin air.

When you start to become more confident in your peaceful, presentness, you will notice more often and on more subtle levels when your mind tries to project your well-being onto ‘better circumstances some day.’ noticing this tendency you will then naturally rest as that peaceful seeing that you are, because you have gained confidence in that ‘state’ before. It has proven itself to bring you great relief and freedom in every moment, regardless of what thought/emotion/circumstance was at hand.

Gradually, more and more, you will realize how its much more beneficial to choose for not tying your sense of well-being to something different than the here and now.

Soon these moments will grow longer and eventually they will tie together into a completely peaceful experience that you can rely on even in the face of stress and chaos and even in times of depression. No longer do you feel the need to escape or change your situation and feelings. You are simply capable of recognizing freedom and peace in any given situation.

You and your well-being are not dependent on anything. That’s just what we make-belief ourselves. Once you see that we choose to subject our well-being to circumstances and feelings, you can release that choice into resting as you are. Because you will soon learn how no such thing as change or future will ever bring you well-being.

With Love,
B.