Go Deeper

In my yoga classes, the teacher often uses vivid and sometimes amusing imagery to help us (the students) visualize the ideal posture. They might say, “Eventually, your head will touch your toes,” or, “Suck in your stomach, compressing the abdominal wall, so your rib cage shows in the mirror.” Another favorite is, “Go back, lean back, fall back. Like you’re going to fall down backwards.” Many of you who do yoga, may know them well.

These instructions are not a joke. They are given at the very moment when you are at the edge of what feels possible—struggling, perhaps doubting your ability, or even questioning whether you want to continue. They describe the ideal—not as something to be achieved immediately, but as a direction to aim for and a vision to hold in your mind as you work through the postures.

Similarly, in spiritual teachings, the teacher’s job is to point you in the right direction. To help you visualize the next step on your path, to see what that might look like, and to reassure you that your process—however painful—is part of the path of growth and awareness. One should not feel discouraged or compare their current state with the ideal being presented. The ideal is a guidepost, helping you visualize your highest potential—whether it’s emptiness, bliss, pain relief, happy relationships, total peace, or spiritual evolution.

The ideal presented by the teacher is not an endpoint; it’s a direction to strive for.

And so, continuing with the yoga analogy, just like in yoga, where you can always go deeper into the “same pose,” you can also go deeper into the same topic you’ve heard again and again. You—the viewer—the listener—change. One day, you will hear the same thing again but learn it at a deeper level. Do not push away or disregard something you already “think you know.” Try to learn it from another angle, or simply remain passive while others learn it for the first time to exercise your humility, which for you, may be the underlying teaching.