the most powerful assist

I shared this story on last years teacher training, it’s a special memory. Rewind a few years and I was practising 3rd series under the tutelage of my teacher John Scott. He was in London for a week, but I had seen him recently so he knew where I was at with my practice.

John often puts us into small groups or pairs in the Mysore room; so you practice alongside someone who is doing a similar practice to you, that day. It’s beautiful, simply because you connect on such a deep level with another persons essence. You feel their breath, you listen and through that listening you offer support. They, in return offer the same, and the sweet shared reward is energy and enthusiasm, breath by breath.

We had a week together and typically I would have practised a mix of intermediate and advanced A, as well as a primary series during the week. But somehow, I ended up getting paired up each day into a third series grouping. Now it was great fun, and we were flying in those arm balances with shared tapas, but it was also hard work. John was navigating around the room, teaching, assisting and adjusting. He didn’t adjust me, but he kept coming back to my mat and I felt his presence. I realised he was listening. He would dart off, assist and then come back. All week he was listening to my breath. He was checking in with what really matters.

The week rolled on, and I looked forward to Primary on Friday, but on Thursday as I entered my closing sequence, he whispered to me ‘Mulabandhasana tomorrow’ which meant two things 1) no primary tomorrow, 2) advanced B…

That week he was teaching me equanimity. When we start our practice with our focus 12 we lay the foundation for an equanimous mind and breath. A simple breathing technique that teaches us to balance the inhale with the exhale and to keep a clear focused mind. This focus leads into our moving meditation where we dance to the melody of the breath, always returning to that equanimous sama vritti as we stay in posture.

John was softly reminding me where to bind my focus; not to entertain the mind with the fun I was having. And here is the thing, I have had many great weeks with my teacher, but I remember that week so well. I remember his presence, knowing that he was listening was possibly the most powerful assist of all.