A great spiritual teacher... Mark Twain?

One of my favorite quotes that have shifted and evolved throughout the eras of my life is this...
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything" - Twain

Sometimes in teacher training I refer to this, especially when the topic of 'how to remember your sequence' comes up. I advocate, especially in the beginning of one's yoga teaching, to write down your class sequences.

When I was just starting to teach, learning what I actually loved about yoga, still finding my legs teaching yoga, I couldn't remember my sequences for the life of me. And so it was helpful to write down my sequence. Several times in the beginning years, I would go back to my plugged-in phone and check what the next pose was, or if I was on time.

There was a shift, when I started to allow myself to be more engaged with my students prior to class. To understand their limitations, their strengths, and how they liked to practice. When I started to take requests, at times not at all matched what I had planned to teach, I would slowly be able to add sequences and poses to adapt our class to the current needs of the students.

T.K.V. Desikachar.

There were two quotes that shoved me in the direction of completely winging my classes. Both of them are from the movie Yoga Unveiled.
"More important the relationship, than the technique."

In the movie, he says this next quote with a sense of urgency. (If you have this movie, it starts at 1:56:27 on the video timer.)
"The focus in yoga whether it is asana, or pranayama, or attitude, or meditation, is to serve the society... it is not to promote a system or a style... if the style harms the person.. it is not good.. so all the teachers must be done to respect the person who is coming to receive something. It is not the opposite where the person is coming to contribute to the style... you know... it is very sad.. the style has become more important than the individual. We should NEVER forget what Patanjali has said... (said with a more bombastic voice ) 'TEACH ACCORDING TO THE STRENGTH, THE RESOURCES, AND WEAKNESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL' Tusiyah Vumishu VINIyogaha. You must apply this great teaching according to the ability, the plausibility, the need, the strength, and weakness of the person. So that the person becomes stronger, and the person will not suffer."

Any requests?

After some digesting of this idea of Viniyoga from my teachers at the Soul of Yoga Institute in Encinitas and their teachings and yoga leanings toward Viniyoga, I changed my process. I stopped writing down yoga sequences, and dedicated myself to teaching according to the students' life circumstances, individual lives, strengths, and weaknesses.

I dedicated more time to develop my sensitivity and engagement of my students' moods, facial expressions, life events, openness or closedness, and the more subtle ways the students are behaving, reacting, and engaging.

When I started to teach like this, teaching yoga went from being a nervous, sometimes exciting and fun presentation of poses that was very much rewarding, to now a spiritual practice that connected me to a flow state that fuels my passion for yoga, wellness, and a connection to the ever so subtle. It evokes something spiritual in the body, out of body (both mine and the students), a mind lucidity and plasticity, and a flow state that I'd describe as a blend that freestyle rappers and spiritual lecturers have, both felt through myself speaking in something like a of state of possession (facetious) and students expressing and exploring asana.

Feel will all my heart

When I think about getting to the truth of what the moment is presenting, the moment I decide what to teach, it is now the sum of all the information that I can gather from the sensitivity I have been sharpening, through my willingness to see with both eyes and feel will all my heart, the needs of the student.
How do I hashtag that?