teach.yoga

  • teach.yoga
  • Teach Yoga
    • Business of Yoga
  • Study Yoga
    • Practice With Us
  • Lifestyle
  • Marketplace
  • Reviews
  • Search

Nurturing Ego; Finding Acceptance

by Gabrielle Stratton / connect

You’re in a vinyasa class, but you’ve been feeling sluggish. You’re exhausted and all you want to do is to lie in savasana. You look around and everybody is moving and grooving through the flow. You tell yourself to keep pushing it, you’re not that weak. You remind yourself to let go of your ego, so you sit back into child’s pose, but you still have that nagging feeling that you should be in the ardha chandrasana that everybody else is breathing through.

We’ve all been there, we’ve all had that push and pull between what feels good and what is deemed correct in societal terms. In those moments we have a choice to understand these two perceptions. As a yoga instructor, this internal battle of the ego brings the separation between what serves our class best and what we ourselves would want in a class. The choice to understand ego and intention can ultimately make the difference between a good teacher and a great teacher.

So, what if we flipped our perspective and learned to nurture our ego – instead of simply shunning it – to help us surrender to the moment?

We give power to our ego in a negative way every time we try to push it aside. We can’t fully dissolve our ego, so wouldn’t it be nice to make friends with it? Hold ego’s hand, give it a tight hug when it is crying out for attention, and let it gently hug us back? Maybe it’s trying to steer us in a direction that could be great for both the class and the teacher.

Don’t let your ego go, nurture it, ask it WHY – and then move from that moment. Think about all the times in yoga class and life in general when your ego perks up and peeks out. In those moments, ask to understand it, and develop a nurturing relationship with it. Ultimately you might find yourself in a generous space of forgiveness… for yourself and others. And in that opening, great teachings will undoubtedly flow through.

When nurtured properly, our ego can propel us to dig deeper within ourselves, past our fear-filled expectations into a new, true acceptance.

Photographs taken by: Mary Gee Blog Image: pixabay: unsplash

MORE INSPIRATION
  • Our Lineage
  • Why we should stop branding our yoga classes
  • Embodiment on the Mat
Gabrielle Stratton

About the Author

Gabrielle is a New York based yoga teacher. She completed her 200 hr in her hometown of Las Vegas, NV. In the last ten years of her life she has led a very transient life taking opportunities to move around from California to Australia to New York. Gabrielle's affection for learning translates into travel. She believes there is no better way to learn and grow then through experiencing different cultures, ideas and places. Her constant through all her motion has always been her yoga. Growing and connecting with yoga since the age of 16, Gabrielle calls her mat her home.

http://www.gabriellestrattonyoga.com

RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS

Understanding Trauma in the Studio: Disrupted Sleep

Katrina Kopeck

How I’m Dealing with Sleep During Perimenopause

Amy Ippoliti

Sleep While You’re Alive: Cultivating Good Sleep Hygiene

Katrina Kopeck

What to Remember When your Teacher Isn’t Instructing You

Amy Ippoliti

Understanding Trauma in the Studio: Avoidance and Isolation

Katrina Kopeck

VIEW ALL CONTRIBUTORS

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • November 2020
  • April 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
← Previous POST: The Physiology of Release
Next POST: The Road to Deep Inner Listening →

RECENT POSTS

  • Understanding Trauma in the Studio: Disrupted Sleep
  • How I’m Dealing with Sleep During Perimenopause
  • Sleep While You’re Alive: Cultivating Good Sleep Hygiene
  • What to Remember When your Teacher Isn’t Instructing You
  • Understanding Trauma in the Studio: Avoidance and Isolation

About

We are a resource for yoga teachers and practitioners. At teach.yoga, we aim to be a grounded, well-informed resource with educated opinions while exploring the esoteric elements of yoga.

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Copyright 2022 TEACH.YOGA • PRESENTED BY VESSELIFY