| The mind will strive to create in the body exactly what | | | | must tell the truth in a way that serves the student by |
| it believes to be true. As self-help author Earl | | | | always reminding them of their power to cause |
| Nightingale puts it, "You become what you think about." | | | | positive change. We must balance ahimsa with satya: |
| At age ten, my daughter came back from school one | | | | non-harming with truthfulness. |
| day and said, "My teacher told me again that I am not | | | | The language of transformation is the language of |
| good at math. If she keeps telling me that, how will I | | | | compassion. What transforms our students is not a |
| ever become good at math?" My daughter apparently | | | | barrage of fiery words intended to burn down their |
| feels the power of the mind more clearly than her | | | | egos, but the flame of love, warmth, and care. If we |
| teacher does. In Milton's immortal words, "The mind is | | | | have a student who is stubborn and self-important, we |
| its own place, and in itself / Can make a heaven of | | | | can't help her by beating on her ego, for the ego, in |
| hell, a hell of heaven." | | | | defense, builds a hard shell around itself and becomes |
| Years ago, a student of mine was plagued with | | | | inaccessible. The way to transform the ego is with |
| chronic pain in her spine that would not go away no | | | | compassion and warmth, so the ego removes its |
| matter what I did. She even studied with Iyengar for | | | | outer coat and allows itself to be available for change. |
| ten years and could not get any relief. After 25 years | | | | We probably all know teachers who diminish their |
| of pain, she finally decided to go to a doctor. After a | | | | students because it makes them feel more masterful |
| slew of tests, the doctor told her she had lung cancer, | | | | and aggrandizes their egos. These teachers can be |
| and that it had metastasized to her bones and spread | | | | our models of how not to teach. As teachers, we can |
| throughout her spine. She had been given two months | | | | ask ourselves, "Do I want to appear to be great, or do |
| to live. I tried very hard to convince my student not to | | | | I want to help my students grow? Do I want to be the |
| submit to the doctor's death sentence. After all, she | | | | star, or do I want to create stars? Do I want to |
| had had the same pain for more than two decades. | | | | impose my pose on the student, or do I want to help |
| Unfortunately, it was too late. She had lost hope by | | | | my students go inside and discover their own |
| surrendering all her power to the doctor. Two months | | | | postures? Am I serving my student or my ego?" We |
| to the day of her diagnosis, she was dead. This | | | | can't serve both. |
| example highlights the way that, as teachers, we must | | | | The art of guiding others is about knowing how to help |
| use our profound influence wisely and choose every | | | | them harness the power of their own minds and |
| word carefully. Careless words may destroy a life, | | | | enabling them to overcome their resistance to |
| whereas thoughtful words create the power to | | | | transformation. In time, they will become attuned to |
| blossom. | | | | inner guidance rather than being scattered and misled |
| This approach is not about hiding the truth. We must | | | | by external references and comparisons. We can help |
| tell our students the truth that we see. However, we | | | | our students use the power of their minds to destroy |
| should avoid an inflexible attitude that says, "This is the | | | | or build, stagnate or transform, bury or rise, imprison or |
| truth and I must tell it no matter what the cost!" We | | | | set free. Evolution is only possible with freedom. |