Thoughts are very powerful. Everything manifests from our thoughts. If we have negative thoughts most of the time, we are actually attracting negative energy around us and in our lives. Like wise if we have positive thoughts all the time, we are attracting positive energy into our lives.
In a yoga class, there are different people with different state of mind. Some are positive and some are negative. There is nothing wrong about being negative. It is a very normal thinking or feeling that everyone has. But if I start to think that I am not good at doing anything; that I am going to injure myself if I do this movement or exercise; or I am going to be sick if I don’t eat enough of particular food; or I am going to be weak if I don’t eat meat, and then for sure this will be what’s going to happen onto me, to my body.
In yoga classes, it is very important that whether the teacher itself is positive or negative. Yoga practice is about balancing, purifying, controlling and directing the energy fields. Willpower is the force that can influence and direct the energy in our body. When we concentrate at one point in our body, we are actually directing or gathering the energy towards that area. Yoga practice is not just some physical exercises that an instructor is standing in front of a group of people, instructing them to do some exercises. There is also some energy exchange is going on between the teacher and the students. It is not something to be seen with our fleshy eyes or to be talk about. It is nameless and formless. It happens naturally when the yoga teacher is sincere to share the knowledge of yoga with other people without the idea of “I am a teacher, and I am giving energy to the students”. In real, if we are truly not identified with our body, the mind and the ego; and are only being an instrument or channel for other people to receive the knowledge of the Truth, and then it is not us that are doing the teaching or giving the energy to the students. And then this energy will be pure energy and is coming from the universe, not from ourselves – our own energy fields which is mixture of positive and negative.
If we are still not completely non-identification with the body and the mind, and then when we teach a yoga class, we are actually transferring our own energy to the students whether we know about it or not knowing about it at all, even though when we have no intention to do so. That’s why some yoga teachers get very tired; exhausted and low energy level after giving classes. And they need to have their own personal practice to replenish the lost energy. But this will not happen a yoga teacher who is not identify with the body, the mind, the ego and the actions.
And so, if we are negative thinking all the time and are full of negative energy in us, the people who are coming to our classes will be influenced by our energy fields and receiving these negativities from us. We all are actually having some energy exchange with one another all the time without us realize about it. Every moment we are absorbing different types of energy coming from everyone else and everything in the world without us being aware of it.
Only the people who are not identify with the body and the mind are not being influenced, affected or disturbed by all these energy fields. Usually people who have very strong willpower will be less affected by any types of energy. While people with very weak willpower will be affected very much by any types of energy.
By knowing this, we will understand that why is that when two people live together for some time, they will look more alike with each other and they will be having the similar personality, gestures and mood as well. Positive people can uplift some other people who are negative and depressed. While negative people might pull down some other people if these people are low in energy and having weak willpower.
Group energy has a very strong influence power. When we walk into a room that is full of people who are very anxious and furious, immediately we will be feeling anxious and agitated as well. When we are being with a group of people who are very cheerful and happy, immediately we will be feeling good and happy as well. Like wise if we are being with a group of people who are very depressed and negative, we will be feeling depressed and become very negative as well.
The leader of any groups in any fields has got the huge influence power to affect all the other people in the group. People are paying attention to this leader and are admiring this leader. And thus the energy from the leader is directly absorbed into the people’s energy fields and the people will become like minded and agree with the leader. While when some other people who don’t pay any attention nor admiring the leader, they will be having different energy fields and less absorbing the energy from the leader and tend to disagree with the leader.
And thus, the energy fields of the yoga teacher is a very important factor that determines whether the yoga class is helping the students to become positive, happy, selfless and wise; or become the other way round. Because most of the people are easily being influenced, affected or disturbed by others’ energy fields especially from a leader or a teacher. Most of the school children who are in the same class under a same teacher will be having the similar type of mentality, morality and behaviors. Everyone is being moulded into certain types of personality and behavior without us knowing about it. We all think that we are having our very own personal type of mentality and style, but actually we are imitating some other people out there very frequently.
If people had been watching John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever, and the next few weeks, we would see lots of people on the street were walking the same way and had the similar expressions as John Travolta’s character in that movie.
When a person is being with a group of friends who like to gamble or smoke or drink, and very naturally this person will be doing the same activities as well, unless he or she has a very strong willpower or faith. Look around us, this is what happening in the world.
The yoga teacher has got the ability or power to influence the students to become positive or negative whether intentionally or unintentionally.
If the yoga teacher is having fears and negativities about getting injuries in doing the exercises or asana poses, and then most of the students will be having the same fears and negativities as well; and will be getting hurt or injuries easily from doing the exercises and asana poses, because they believe so.
If the yoga teacher is very positive and have no fears and worries at all towards all the exercises and asana poses, and then most of the students will be full of courage and confidence in trying to perform all the exercises and asana poses without any fears and worries of getting any injuries. And thus the class is injury free.
It is because when people easily get muscle soreness or injuries from doing any exercises or asana poses is due to the tensions in the muscles caused by mental tension of fears and worries while performing the exercises or asana poses. The mind is limiting the ability of the physical body to perform the exercise or asana poses. When we are having fears and worries, the mind get tensed up; as well as the physical body also get tensed up. When the muscles are tensed, muscle fibers tear or muscles pull or cramps could happen easily.
Especially when we perform the headstand, if a person is relaxed in performing the pose and not having any fears or worries about getting injured from falling down, his or her body and muscles will be relaxed even though if he or she does fall down from the headstand but it will not hurt anything at all. Like wise if the person is full of fears and worries that he or she might get hurt from falling down, and then all his or her body muscles will tensed up especially in the neck, the shoulders and the back area while performing the headstand. And if he or she does fall down from the headstand, all the muscles in the neck, the shoulder and the back area are so tensed that could caused muscle fibers tears, muscles pull or cramps when he or she falls and hit the ground with the hip instead of relaxing the muscles and roll down with the back rounded or landing on the ground with the feet and not the hip. When the muscles are relaxed, the muscles can be stretched to a further extend that it won’t cause any muscle fiber tears, muscles pull or cramps.
Look at the children who have no fears and worries. They can fall down as many times as they like intentionally or unintentionally while playing or exercising, and not getting any serious injuries except a few bruises or cuts. Unless the falling impact is so strong and the bones density is not healthy, and then there might be possibility of getting broken bones or fractures. And such people should be avoiding falls or impacts during any activities due to conscience awareness. We need to have an open mind to try to perform all the activities without the negative thinking of getting injuries but we need to know where is the limitation of our physical body and not injuring ourselves blindly. But certainly not to stop ourselves from trying any activities due to great fears and worries, and afraid of doing certain exercises or asana poses because we think that we will get injured if we try to do them.
Although having a little concern about protecting ourselves from meaningless injuries is something good and will keep ourselves from getting injuries meaninglessly. But not let the fears and worries conquer our mind and take control of our mind. This will stop us from doing lots of things that we could do. We always under estimate the ability of our body and the mind. That’s why yoga deals with the mind first before we move on in our yoga practice. If we are full of negative thoughts, the entire path will become negative as well.
This is the mind. Our mind limits us from doing a lots of things, not the ability of our physical body. The physical body is strong and flexible enough to perform many activities but the mind is limiting the body to do so due to great fears and worries – lack of faith, courage and confidence.
If ten years ago my body was suffering from certain injuries but that doesn’t determine that now I cannot perform the activities that I couldn’t do when I was having the injuries ten years ago.
Every moment the condition of our body and the mind is different. Be very open minded and free ourselves from negativities. Enjoy whatever we are doing without any fears and worries. Things will be much easier and enjoyable when the mind is relaxed and the body is tension free. All the exercises or asana poses that we thought they were difficult and dangerous will become easy and not dangerous anymore if we can let go the negative thinking of “the body might get some injuries from doing this or that” or “I think I can never do this or that” or “Most probably I will fall down from this position and hurt my neck or my back”.
It is the same in all our activities in life as well. Free ourselves from negative thinking. Be positive and open minded. We will see the entire world from a very different perspective and conception. Our life will be easier and happier.
