By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500
How do you define “finding yourself” and what does this phrase mean? Would becoming a Yoga instructor help one find himself or herself? There are many people, who struggle with their direction and purpose in life, but how can intensive Yoga training help?
When we say: “I need time to find myself,” what are we really saying? We feel lost, our sense of direction is off, and we may wonder why we are here. During times like these, we are spiritually, emotionally, and mentally vulnerable to outside suggestions.
Our belief system can be fragile, or unstable, due to sudden circumstances of our childhood. To find our direction and purpose in life, we should be able to look within – but what if we find no answers? In such cases, further study from reliable outside sources is required.
The traditional answer to finding oneself might be military service, academic education, technical education, religious education, or finding yourself on the job. Yet, for some of us, finding oneself may be a life long journey. The problem being – there is no “one size fits all” solution to finding one’s life purpose.
The traditional Yogic approach has been to become an under study to a Guru. If we have found a true Guru, we would hear the truth (sravana) from his or her teachings. However, faith in another human being may be limited. The typical Yoga teacher training may be more about exercise (asana) than finding oneself.
At the same time, online Yoga teacher course options have grown. An Internet- based Yoga certification course offers flexibility and little or no dogma. This allows a teacher or student the ability to find answers from a variety of sources.
This also reveals that there is often more than one possible answer to a question. Finding answers to the puzzles of life can be a challenge. Training the mind to seek rational solutions, ultimately, makes each of us a “finder” instead of a seeker.
To become a finder, one must open his or her perception (samjnana). There is no guarantee that any of us can find our life purpose, unless we begin to find the answers from within. True awareness (samvid) comes from within.
The best Yoga teacher in the world can only live so long, and carry us only so far. At some point in life, we must find answers and solutions on our own. This quality we know as “innovation” makes us teachers in our own right.
© Copyright 2009 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
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