Us and Them...

Okay, the challenge of this post is actually going to be writing about this without DOING the exact thing that I 'm criticising...but here goes!

I've been encountering a little bit of troublesome "us and them"-ness in the yoga world of late, either from my own experience, or stories relayed to me by fellow yogis, in one or all of the following forms:

- We are Enlightened. They are Not:  This can be as harmless as a teacher telling a group of students that they are much more ____ than any of the other students they teach, or it can be a kind of, "some people practice THIS way (which is wrong), and thank god we practice THIS way (which is right).

- For those of you who attend class REGULARLY.  This one is pretty pernicious and I think is often unintended...teachers develop bonds with the students who come to class over and over again, totally normal, and because of that they are going to reference those students' practices or have those students demo or what-have-you, no big deal.... But, occasionally, a teacher will start to develop a little clique with their regularly attending or "favorite" students and it can start to feel like teach is more interested in "showing off for the cool kids" than engaging the entire class.

- Can you believe that people ________?! This is sort of related to the first one, but this is a bit more pointed and snarky--instead of highlighting why WE are so great, this one is all about why THEY are so not great. There are people in the world who have NO sense of their bodies! Ha ha ha, chuckle chuckle. Can you BELIEVE that?! Thank GOD we're not like THAT!

(Any of my teachers who read this blog, and you know who you are, this is NOT about you! Just fyi.)

This thing...this us and them-making...I think it's a little dangerous. I think it's completely human, totally understandable, and god knows I am guilty of it in my head at times...probably even on this blog...but I feel particularly concerned about it when I witness it in a class. Because what it encourages is the idea, in some form or another, that YOU are not like ME.

And if YOU are not like ME, then when you act in a way I don't like, I can say that you're flawed, and it doesn't reflect on me.

And if YOU are not like ME, then when I do something awesome, I don't really have to share it with you, because it's MINE--hands off.

And unfotunately, if YOU are not like ME, then we are bound together only by reciprocation, and as soon as you stop being or doing what I want...see ya! Don't need ya!

And I get to stay exactly, comfortably as I am.

I'm sure it's difficult, as a teacher, to know how to inspire students to reach for more and better, how to reward the most devoted of students for their devotion and how to just generally reassure everyone (and yourself) that we are on the right track with all of this, but I know for myself I am always most inspired, most moved and most reassured by those teachers who are inclusive and consider themselves accountable to the whole, not as only the intrepid leader, but as a fellow struggler-in-asana.