I attended Holly Tellendar’s “Smarty Pants Yoga” last night and was rocked to my core with her message about learning. Holly started with, “What if we told every student, “No need to rush, you have all the time in the world.” and “You didn’t do anything wrong.” My body heard these words and had a “SHUT THE FRONT DOOR” reaction. I felt a mixture of being known, relief and curiosity.
No Need to Rush
Summer, our one season that won’t kill us living out of doors, there always seems to be a rush to get the fun in or outside projects before the season changes. No need to rush felt soothing and spacious to appreciate the moment. I was surprised by the gripping that was softened by allowing myself whatever time I need to complete the task I am on.
What would my day feel like without rushing?
Where do I hold rushing in my body?
What shifts with relaxed or rushing?
New Mantra: No Need to Rush
All the Time in the World
I can give myself all the time in the world?! What a gift. There is a spaciousness with an internal message to stay focused on What Is. When I believe that there is all the time in the world to live this moment, I can drink it in slowly and appreciate the qualities it offers. My heart opened a little more when I remembered this truth.
Opposite of this is a running list in the background of my thoughts. I know it is true that we cannot multi-task. Human brains can toggle quickly. Toggling is tiring. Giving myself permission to take all the time in the world puts down the background noise. It was as if I unplugged my earphones, shut off the radio, powered down the computer and then turned around to find this mountain scene. I can learn something and then learn it again. I learned that multi-tasking makes me miss the beauty of the moment.
You didn’t do Anything Wrong
Holly began with the story, if a student is doing a math problem and comes up with a different answer, they are not wrong. They just got a different answer and that is valuable information about how the student solved the problem. When Holly said this, I remembered all the red marks on my math papers. How curious to think about what school would have been like with the permission and grace given to learn why my answer varied from the answer book.
How often do I mentally pull out the red pen in my mind to check something as a mistake?
What does that red pen do to my energy or creativity?
How could curiosity soften my learning?
What thoughts open my creativity?
What habits jump to the red check mark?
Just reflecting on this, I am smiling and have a relaxed feeling. More is possible. The unknown stops being the boogie man and more like a library of books waiting to be read.
Thank you, Holly Tellendar for deepening my learning with your #smartypantsyoga !
Namaste,
Laura
To learn more about Smarty Pants Yoga, visit avantacademic.com/ or fb.com/smartypantsyoga