MEDITATION
TAPPING YOURCONSCIOUSNESS
When I refer to a sacred
space, most readers may
assume that I am talking
about the physical
characteristics of a place.
For instance, if it is a yoga
studio in which people
attend classes, most yoga
instructors will make
efforts to create an
atmosphere that is refined,
or in Sanskrit, sattwik, in
nature. This may involve
the décor, the carpets, the
soft lighting, the pastel
colors of the walls, the
spacey music, and so on. It
might involve having a
puja table or altar at the
front, images of a spiritual
teacher, or anything which
might contribute to an
ethereal type of ambience.
42 www.yogicherald.com March 2019
I
am not actually referring to these
things. No doubt, they are
important to create a certain
atmosphere. When the students
walk in, they will settle down much
more quickly. If they are in an agitated
state, the calm vibrations of the room
will help them shift gears, and this will
also assist them to focus better
throughout the session. A calm and
refined ambience is therefore desirable,
but it is not absolutely critical. Let me
explain what I mean.
There is one thing that is more
important than the actual atmosphere
of the yoga space; that is the
consciousness of the teacher. I have
taught hatha yoga at a spa, where the
room was next to a racquetball court. I
am currently teaching at my work, using
what is actually an activity room for
seniors that is adjacent to a busy
hallway. Neither of these places had or
has the kind of refined ambience we
normally associate with yoga studios. In
fact, they have a "buzzed", or active,
atmosphere, which is not necessarily
conducive to promoting a transcendent
or meditative state.
There is another thing that I would like
to mention. Yoga is not my vocation. It
is rather my avocation. I have never
taught yoga as a career. I did not have
the financial means to rely on the
income from my yoga instruction alone.
Often, I would teach a yoga class a few
minutes after walking out of my office.
Most yoga teachers I know have time to
prepare for their class if they want to.
They certainly don't have to shift gears
like I do, going from a worldly, or what I
call "relative", circumstance, to a more
spiritual activity.
I would also like to say that I have been
meditating for over 30 years. I have
stayed at an ashram in India several
times and studied with a Guru.
Meditation is part of the fabric of my life.