Yesterday I wrote on the idea of saturation within yoga. After I wrote, I began to consider this more and recalled how I have often felt annoyed towards those who simply went for a two-month TEFL certification to be ‘qualified’ to teach English as a foreign language – something that I spent two years studying extremely hard on to be able to call myself a professional in the TESOL world. Of course, I know that my qualification will likely outshine someone with only a few months training; still, it felt like such things cheapen the field.
The same sense was starting to stir regarding yoga. I am spending a year studying the way of life of yoga to gain a 300-hr certification. Some people can go (even I recently considered this) for a two-week stint to get a 200-hr certification and be “just as qualified” to then begin to teach yoga. In fact, one might say they are ‘more qualified’ because they have a certification sooner. However, someone who goes to an ashram and spends months or years there to immerse themselves into the way of life of a yogi may feel the same about me. 😐
This makes me consider, has the concept of elitism disappeared? I remember in my college days I really disliked my friends having elitist attitudes. We went to a ‘high-brow’ liberal university for Oregon and many students there were very intelligent. Still, I was not comfortable with encouraging an attitude of ‘us’ vs ‘them’. Division is not the answer – or so I thought.
However, there is something to be said about mastering a craft and being proud of this mastery. Actors who can recite Shakespeare’s many plays off the cuff are masters of their craft. Authors who compete with the classics of Tolstoy or Hemingway are masters of their craft. Artists who create original pieces that resonate amidst the greats are masters of their craft. What about all those others who also call themselves actors, writers and artists but do not reach these same levels of mastery? Is there anything wrong with having a plethora of people in these fields who are aspirants rather than gurus?
Honestly, no.
In fact, a guru is not a guru without aspirants. Thus, in my contemplations of saturation and too many people joining particular fields, I realized that the universe is very large and I would be/am arrogant to think that there is not room for everyone in every field. There is enough abundance and room for everyone to be successful at what they do – at any level. No one can take away from another’s success because we each have our own unique spin and qualities within the same fields. There are enough people in the world who will want to learn English from a variety of English teachers. There are enough people in the world who will want to learn yoga from the various styles and instructors. There are enough people in the world who will read what others write or appreciate art of a particular artist.
So, I return to my college way of thinking – division is not the answer. Friendly competition is healthy to motivate and keep us developing, but division is never the answer. We do not need to have ‘elite’ status, but rather aim to continue living life with integrity, pride, honesty, joy, compassion and the sharing of our individual talents with the world to make it a better place day by day. 😀
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Day 12: What texture are you grateful for?
Textures…when I think of textures I immediately think of the ones I do not like when it comes to food. However, that is not the purpose of this gratitude challenge. Therefore, the texture I think I am most grateful for is fleece or something similar to this. Fleece brings me warmth and makes me feel cozy. Even though I live in the hot desert, I am often cold inside and love to pop on my fleece lounge pants (much to my husband’s dismay). It puts a smile on my face to feel the soft fleece on my skin – so thank you very much for fleece! 😛
~T 😀
