Hello.
I hope you can help. I have been enjoying yoga for a few years and I am considering becoming a teacher, as I believe I would enjoy passing yoga onto others. However a friend of mine had told me that I would have to stop all competition in my life. Many years ago I competed at a high level in sailing and today I enjoy going on the sea and having fun doing a few races. I love being on the water!
However if I was told I would have to stop racing, then I would struggle withe decision of becoming a teacher.
I always thought that life was a balance and we should enjoy the things in life.
I would really appreciate any comments on this and thank you for your time.
Pete
There is no reason that you should have to quit sailing in order to become a teacher of others. Your friend may be thinking along the lines of the necessity of giving up attachment in order to help you progress along the spiritual path as a yoga practitioner or teacher, but in truth this does not mean that we should renounce the things that we love. It means that we should not let ourselves be dependent upon those things. We should recognize that they are impermanent, changing aspects of life, and if we should choose to still love them - love them in spite of that knowledge. If you were to reduce the amount of competition in your life, there is the possibility that it would lend itself to a more peaceful state of mind (which could be beneficial for your practice), but it would not mean that you have given up your attachment to it.
None of this makes for an easy process. Understanding is cyclical and ever-deepening, and comes with years of practice. Even the greatest masters still cling to life. So if you would like to teach others, begin that journey and see where it takes you. You do not have to give up your love for the ocean to be a teacher of others.
Thank you very much for the words and guidance. I really appreciate what you have said. I will endeavour to start the new journey in my life, and will where it takes me. I read somewhere " People follow different paths, straight or crooked, according to their temperament, depending on which they consider best, or most appropriate - and all reach You, just as rivers enter the ocean.
As you say I take a new path and with time I may lose all interest to race around the oceans!
Thank you very much
Have a lovely day
Pete
I know I am late getting in on this post, but I wanted to say that I agree with suryadaya that your friend may’ve been thinking along the lines of non-attachment. While I try to practice non-attachment, that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in healthy competition.
I do teach my students there should be no competition in our yoga postures, because this gets ego involved, isn’t conducive to a meditative state and may lead to injury. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t want our practice to lead us to a stronger, more flexible body, but this will happen naturally as our practice grows. Long ago, I tried to let go of the notion of wanting to do a certain pose. When I thought about it, why did it matter if I could do pose X? Ego. That’s the only reason. Wanting to be strong or flexible enough to do pose X is fine, because that is a desire for my body to be its healthiest, but that’s different from the desire to do the pose just for the sake of ego (to say I can do the pose).
Best of luck on your path!