Spiritual responsibility IRL and in yoga refers to taking ownership of your spiritual journey. In this, we are recognizing that we are responsible for our own growth and development. It involves understanding that our spiritual practice is not just about the physical postures or breathwork. The responsibility also lies in how we live our lives off the mat. It means that we are accountable for our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Additionally, it assumes that we take steps to align them with our highest values and intentions. It also involves being mindful of the impact our actions have on others and the world around us.
IRL
A few weeks ago, the topic of ‘spiritual responsibility’ came across my consciousness. After hearing a student complaint that a colleague that a class she had recently attended was “completely whitewashed and not spiritual at all”. My first reaction, letting my humanness wild was, unbridled annoyance. After all, I’m only human. Here’s the thing: Teaching right now can be a tough space to earn a living. Depending on where you live, teachers have to modify the best they can for whomever shows up. As such, I realized that this situation was an opportunity for everyone to learn and grow.
Spirituality In Yoga
Primarily, spiritual responsibility in yoga is about recognizing that we have the power to shape our own lives. We are responsible for the impact we have on others and the world around us. Embodying this involves taking ownership of our actions. In doing so, we are cultivating mindfulness and self-awareness. This process is an example of living in alignment with our highest values and intentions. THAT is spiritual responsibility IRL.
I have students who thrive on energy talk. Some crave non-dualistic integration practices, and others strictly come in for a nice, quiet space to stretch. That’s just the way it is. Unless you live in an area blessed with full capacity niche classes, you’re going to find yourself on the mat next to students from all different spiritual orientations.
In yoga
Spiritual responsibility is often connected to the concept of self-realization. Thus, it refers to the process of discovering our true nature and realizing our full potential. By taking responsibility for our spiritual journey, we develop greater awareness and understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. Some students are very spiritually inclined. They come to the mat ready to embrace that part of their being. Other students come to the mat to take a breath, make time for themselves, and to get a little exercise.
Spiritual responsibility
This can be a very important aspect of yoga practice, if you are spiritually oriented. It involves taking ownership of our spiritual journey, honoring our unique practices and perspectives, and recognizing that each person’s truth is valid. As the famous yoga teacher B.K.S. Iyengar once said, “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” This means that we must take responsibility for our own healing and growth, even when things don’t go as planned.
A yoga teacher’s role
Teachers create a class space as a container. Within that container, students honor their own unique spiritual practices, or not. The quality of that spiritual experience lies within each participant’s own inner sense of spiritual responsibility. *
A Teacher’s Responsibility
In summary, your spiritual responsibility IRL is your own. *However, this does not mean that we should not hold our teachers and spiritual leaders accountable. As the renowned yoga teacher and author, Donna Farhi, once said, “The teacher should inspire, not coerce; guide, not dictate; offer options, not rigid prescriptions.” Teachers have a responsibility to create a safe and inclusive environment for all students, regardless of their background or beliefs.
If you ever leave a class feeling like there wasn’t enough spiritual focus to fit your fancy, circle back and express what you’re specifically looking for. Your teachers can usually understand where you’re coming from and point you in the right direction. However, group classes may not be the predominate place for you to find an in-depth spiritual practice like you’re seeking. This is because of the blended nature of community classes. Perhaps, consider a private session or specialized class/workshop to better assist you.
IRL
I get it you guys.
As a teacher and I student, there are times when I yearned for something more.
I’m always commenting in some way about how my yoga and your yoga, and someone else’s yoga are different.
The variances in both proactice and application are as vast as are our differences as individual human beings.
That said, I felt like this was a great opportunity to encourage a deeper understanding about spiritual responsibility.
Think about this: news anchors don’t always voice unequoivaval truths.
A single preacher doesn’t make or break faith.
Not one yoga teacher captures the preferred essence of everyone’s spiritual preferences.
Every human has a truth, an essence, an opinion, a stance, and a thousand other things at play going into every moment.
However, spiritual responsibility gets displaced when we get angry that someone else isn’t doing it ‘just they way we want”.
In fact, these instances are examples of ego run riot.
When you’re meeting with any type of facilitator in a group setting, not every moment of everyday is a one-size-fits-all type of demonstration.
At the end of the day, we all must take ownership of who we are, what we do, and every situation that we encounter.
If anything, the situations that rub as ‘wrong’ ARE really great opportunities for some synchronistic reflection and growth.
Final Thoughts
An excerpt from Natural Resonance:
“To be let down, or to let others down, is to excavate the natural discrepancies of how our unspoken expectations land in the word.
Without a little rub, there is no shine.”
That said, try this activity: the next time that you meet yourself for the mat in any setting and something irritates you; the teacher, the flow for the day, the music, background noise, other student’s, no matter what it is; can you take whatever is, and let it be as it is without strife. Keep the fact that spiritual responsibility IRL, is yours to own. Instead, can you anchor down onto your own mat and allow the practice itself to become your own spiritual responsibility?