Last year I became a certified Reflexologist. I love doing the work. For most of last year I worked with a friend who went through chemo, surgery, and finally radiation for breast cancer. She said…“I could not have made it through my ordeal this year without you. Your mojo is what balanced out all the scary medical stuff. I knew I could get through, but relaxing as you did your thing was one of the only times my mind was clear enough to truly embody that message.”
I became a Reflexologist #1, because I was inspired by some awesome reflexology I received in India and #2, I wanted to learn something new and different.
But the bottom line is…
Nothing new under the sun… all it is is re wrapped and sold in a different language
I also do what I call “Shamanic Energy Work” (I use the word Shamanic because I’m Native) but there’s a ton of energy healing modalities out there. Reiki, Quantum Touch, Reconnective Healing. Same same but different as we say in India. Aint’ nothing new. Energy is energy.
It’s so true that there is nothing new under the sun. I’ve been teaching Yoga since 2002. Today I looked at the Omega and Kripalu offerings just to see what’s what. My first thought was, “I’ve been teaching these same things for 15 years.”
“Trauma sensitive yoga? I was teaching Yoga in a domestic violence shelter long before anyone even heard of Dave Emerson or “trauma sensitive yoga.” Other than learning about the physiological aspects of trauma in the body, the training was a rehash of what I had already learned in the Krishnamacharya Yoga tradition.
“Introduction to Yin Yoga”? I was one of the first Yin Yoga teachers in the Chicago area and taught classes and workshops at least 12 years ago. I brought Yin Yoga to the Yoga community in Arusha, Tanzania in 2010.
Sorry J. Brown, but I was teaching “slow yoga” before it became a thing. Breath-centered Yoga? Starting teaching that way in 2005 and ever since.
“Mindful Yoga”? I was in the first Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training at Spirit Rock in California 2007-2009. Combining the Buddhadharma and Yoga in my classes felt right to me before I took that training.
“Therapeutic Yoga”? I offered a workshop on Yoga in the Krishnamacharya Tradition for Yoga teachers after my first time at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in 2005. No one signed up. Not one teacher at the studio where I taught at the time was interested.
Ain’t nothin’ new, kids. The only thing is that those teaching at places like Kripalu and Omega can market themselves a hell of a lot better than I can.
As a long ago private student told me, it’s hard being a pioneer because pioneers get the arrows shot up their asses. Much easier to follow the leader.
Like anything else, I see a lot of people running after that new, best thing. It’s always been there, right in front of you.
Look for the Yoga Elder in your neighborhood. You might be surprised at what you find in the deep hole you dig once you stop digging the shallow ones.
Linda's Yoga Journey 