Beyond the Comfort Zone of Soothing Spiritual Language
I was surprised, and then (I must confess) irritated.
Sunday morning community yoga in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, is always an international affair. There are people from all over the world, and some Thai people too - all enjoying yoga led by a group of rotating international volunteer yoga teachers. Today, it was led by our Thai teacher, Kru Jaew, who speaks English just fine. Normally she teaches in English. But this morning, everyone else in the class was Thai and I was the sole foreigner, who also speaks Thai. And so the class happened completely, and only, in Thai language. Not moderated, foreigner-friendly, watch the moves Thai, but fast, local and a
challenge to follow with eyes closed Thai.
As soon as we lay down for the first conscious relaxation, I felt irritated. I speak pretty good Thai (and Dutch and English and several other languages) so it was not about understanding, although there were some words I had never heard. Thai is a difficult language, and not a particularly flowing or aurally pretty one. It's a clutsy language, with lots of weird expressions, strange compound words and high-pitched nasal tones. There is no word for sock, for example. The word for sock is literally a compound word meaning "bag for the foot". LOL.
I lay there listening and resisting and then I started to question why I was so irritated.
I realized I am used to the soothing, westernized yoga language. I'm almost pre-programmed to relax the moment someone says "shivassana". Thai people don't use the Sanskrit terms much, and have weird cultural issues with some of the western yoga position names. "Down face dog" would be considered an insult in Thai, so it becomes "V shape" or "Like a Mountain". To my habituated western ears, the Thai-only version of yoga class sounded excited, jibbery, slightly angst-causing and definitely not relaxing.
As I struggled through the first half of the class - struggled with my own irritation and having to THINK and LISTEN CAREFULLY instead of slipping into my well-worn yoga groove, I suddenly came to FEEL the two older Thai ladies in the class who never complain or question when the Thai teacher teaches in English.
I came to feel how brave they are to present their inflexible yoga-newbie selves to we lycra-clad yoga veterans, and found a sense of admiration lurking beneath.
I came to see my bruised ego was feeling a little unspecial.
I started to relax.
As the second half of the class unfolded, I found myself appreciating the teacher's versatility. Admiring her. Not only can she fluently teach in both languages, she can moderate the class level to the differing flexibility and experience levels at the same time.
I came out of yoga class today appreciating that the challenge to move beyond comfort, habituation and ritual is when the real spiritual journey starts. When I don't expect the teacher to soothe and relax me with easily understood, comfortable sounds, but when I can find that soothing place in and of myself, regardless of which language it is spoken in. Sort of like a challenging asana but in the realms of the heart and mind.
I came out of yoga class today with a new understanding of culture and difference, and how resistance to difference closes the heart.
Have you ever been confronted in your sacred moments by the form or language being uncomfortable?
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STOPSo far I took Yoga classes in German and English and taught classes in German, both languages are fine for me, what I don´t like is when teachers are too ego-driven, too new-agey and never stop talking during class, because for me it is essential to have some moments of silence while being in an asana.
Indeed... the profound language of deep silence is often overwhelmed by chatter about connection & breath... irritating in any language (but maybe especially in Thai 😉)
Absolutely. There can be a million rising sensations in response to language, pace, inflection, tone, volume - just as we might react to other stimuli in life. The trick is to notice, and come to our inner place of peace, as you say. The true yoga is within.
I love language so much but its subtleties affect me deeply. Yes... observe, allow, release, centre. 🕉
I hear you. Whenever, I teach, I think about the import of every word - and the spaces in between. Much admiration for those shifting between languages!
I find myself irritated with the fluffy instagram speak of some western trained yoga teachers - shine your heart forward? Grr. Who invented that? Breathe, Riverflows, breathe!
LOL.... 🤣🤣🤣 we get a LOT of the flaky western.IG ones doing guest classes as they flit through Asia... 😜
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very Interesting post.. ! language is like a lens through with we perceive our world.. Our language dictates a lot about what and how we think, and how we interpret what happens to us in this world. If we dont even have a word for good or bad, then we cannot understand it.. and every language has own unique words, stemming from their very different way of seeing the world.
Good for you that you managed to put down your guard, and open up.. despite it being difficult with the Thai language.. Yoga ON!
as for your question "Have you ever been confronted in your sacred moments by the form or language being uncomfortable?" .
yes, a million times.. having lived in India, and been to many ashrams.. there have been many times and sacred moments.. one quite frustrating one was when this psychic / clarivoyant man gave me a reading. He was telling me all kinds of important deep spiritual stuff.. but his ENglish was terrible!.. so i had to almost guess at half of what he was saying.. in fact, that happend more than once.. also with a Thai Clarivoyant lady.. u probably heard of her! Jasmie she's called! I have a hour of recordings of her rattling on about GOd only knows what for half of it!
<3