Mayank:) He was amongst the first of my students, and without even me asking him for it, who used to pay me Rs 200 for a walk-in. Though he pays for the thrice weekly class for the entire month, even if he misses two/three weeks in a row, he will, whenever he does a walk-in, pay this Rs 200. Never has it been suggested, from his side, that this walk-in may rather be considered as a compensatory class. There are three reasons why this gesture of his touches me.
One, it takes care to protect the feelings of other students. If I gave him a compensatory class and denied my other students this same benefit, this will hurt each of them. So, though this may not seem apparent, immediately, the gesture is not about just paying the teacher as much as seeing that other students don't feel left out of the teacher's favor!
The second reason , why I like it, is that more than a reflection of me(that money-demanding, grasping yoga teacher, what?:), it is a reflection of him, as a person. I am sure, this has nothing to do with the fact he can afford it. I have a strong feeling that even if he is strapped for cash, he will extend the gesture because that is how people function and express themselves, their bigness in their little gestures. God is, indeed, in the small things.
I mean, he has never taken off without informing me. Will always sms me. This a lot of my students never do, the Indians mostly for some reason :( Why, I don't know...
I believe it is a courtesy to inform.. One reason, this courtesy extends to include other students, and not just the teacher is, that if u are not coming and if everybody is in, we could start the class early and finish early! One time, my Monday early morning class informed me (they all do, including Jatin who may forget only if his alarm clock fails him!) on Sunday itself. All six had taken off, individually, for some reason. And I had been informed by each on Sunday itself. So that Monday morning -- knowing the class was cancelled -- I went for an exhilirating run , something I sorely miss doing otherwise. I could do that because all six, in their individual capacity, had bothered to do that little gesture. It gave me a lot of joy... that sort of caring... It is a caring, na? Is it a wonder that that class remains one of my best practising groups?
Similarly, keeping the teacher informed, for the evening class, could mean a lot of things: if we start and finish early, it could mean the students could go back to their family sooner(some travel quite a distance to come for this class and in Mumbai commuting is always hell); or for the morning class, it could mean that extra cup of tea before commuting, if we start and finish early... So your sms is not just about informing the teacher, it is about caring for the rest of your batchmates too...
The gesture or the lack of it is not a reflection on me, but rather on you, and I am curious that u -- those of u who are slack in this department -- do not quite see it that way! The structure of who u are...
And sometimes, if I insist or request many times that u inform me, not because I care either way -- but because I foresee with concern that those who do not bother about these little gestures also have a slack yoga practice... So, seeing that connection I worry when I don't get that sms--or if students deliberately keep delaying paying (some will go on delaying till 20th of the month, strange, even rich kids!!) because, it also means more work for me, to prop u up in your poses!! I really see this happening -- delayed payment, bargaining for little favors, slackness in certain gestures --- seems to somehow affect a student's performance on the mat.. weird, it continues to amaze me that this happens. It is like one slack behavior births slackness elsewhere, in one's practice!! It is THE MAIN REASON why I insist on a semblance of discipline ...
Because yes, definitely, god is in the small things... and it is that same god, power or whatever to which all students are trying to connect, I hope, while practising on that mat!
So, yes, when Mayank pays me that Rs 200, I don't see the money. I foresee clearly that his practice is going to be strong... That is the third, and the most important reason, why that gesture touches me:)
One, it takes care to protect the feelings of other students. If I gave him a compensatory class and denied my other students this same benefit, this will hurt each of them. So, though this may not seem apparent, immediately, the gesture is not about just paying the teacher as much as seeing that other students don't feel left out of the teacher's favor!
The second reason , why I like it, is that more than a reflection of me(that money-demanding, grasping yoga teacher, what?:), it is a reflection of him, as a person. I am sure, this has nothing to do with the fact he can afford it. I have a strong feeling that even if he is strapped for cash, he will extend the gesture because that is how people function and express themselves, their bigness in their little gestures. God is, indeed, in the small things.
I mean, he has never taken off without informing me. Will always sms me. This a lot of my students never do, the Indians mostly for some reason :( Why, I don't know...
I believe it is a courtesy to inform.. One reason, this courtesy extends to include other students, and not just the teacher is, that if u are not coming and if everybody is in, we could start the class early and finish early! One time, my Monday early morning class informed me (they all do, including Jatin who may forget only if his alarm clock fails him!) on Sunday itself. All six had taken off, individually, for some reason. And I had been informed by each on Sunday itself. So that Monday morning -- knowing the class was cancelled -- I went for an exhilirating run , something I sorely miss doing otherwise. I could do that because all six, in their individual capacity, had bothered to do that little gesture. It gave me a lot of joy... that sort of caring... It is a caring, na? Is it a wonder that that class remains one of my best practising groups?
Similarly, keeping the teacher informed, for the evening class, could mean a lot of things: if we start and finish early, it could mean the students could go back to their family sooner(some travel quite a distance to come for this class and in Mumbai commuting is always hell); or for the morning class, it could mean that extra cup of tea before commuting, if we start and finish early... So your sms is not just about informing the teacher, it is about caring for the rest of your batchmates too...
The gesture or the lack of it is not a reflection on me, but rather on you, and I am curious that u -- those of u who are slack in this department -- do not quite see it that way! The structure of who u are...
And sometimes, if I insist or request many times that u inform me, not because I care either way -- but because I foresee with concern that those who do not bother about these little gestures also have a slack yoga practice... So, seeing that connection I worry when I don't get that sms--or if students deliberately keep delaying paying (some will go on delaying till 20th of the month, strange, even rich kids!!) because, it also means more work for me, to prop u up in your poses!! I really see this happening -- delayed payment, bargaining for little favors, slackness in certain gestures --- seems to somehow affect a student's performance on the mat.. weird, it continues to amaze me that this happens. It is like one slack behavior births slackness elsewhere, in one's practice!! It is THE MAIN REASON why I insist on a semblance of discipline ...
Because yes, definitely, god is in the small things... and it is that same god, power or whatever to which all students are trying to connect, I hope, while practising on that mat!
So, yes, when Mayank pays me that Rs 200, I don't see the money. I foresee clearly that his practice is going to be strong... That is the third, and the most important reason, why that gesture touches me:)
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