In meditation I find it important to be your own teacher or guru. You have to trust yourself the mind and teach ourselves based on our own actual experiences. I think to be your own teacher means to know yourself and learn from what you experience.
...unlearn this idea, but it is hard. I think that "being your own teacher" means you are able to love yourself, to believe in yourself, and to be gentle and caring towards yourself. To see yourself as your own teacher indicates that you have respect for yourself and admiration, and believe that you have something wonderful to offer to yourself, and to others. This, to me, is a state of inner peace and inner beauty. One day, I hope to achieve this, and I'm glad I found Yoga to remind me of it :)
I'm just watching this video now, as I sit here doing some work past my bed time, and it happened to be relevant so I wanted to comment. The concept of "observing yourself without judgement" is something that I struggle often to do. It ties in with the idea of "loving yourself", which is also something i find difficult to do. I have been raised to be critical of myself and others to strive for perfection and to not be satisfied with the present. As I practice more Yoga with you, Tara, I try to..
This is a nice concept. One implication of being your own teacher could be that we have inherent knowledge and connection to something bigger than ourselves and outside ourselves and what we need to do is look inside and cultivate it. Lovely. =] I feel like what you're describing is Atman, but in modern words. The student is also the teacher is also the world is also the universe and all things in it so to look inside yourself is to realize the knowledge of all things. Mm. So good. ^_^ <3
There's no better time than now to be your own teacher. I've taught myself almost everything I know off of YouTube which is amazing and totally insane if you think about it. I also like it how when I'm learning online I can filer out what works and throw out what doesn't work. Like your more empowered when you learn or something..
Thank you so much for responding to my comments on your last meditation video. Way cool of you! You're really inspiring me to take better care of myself. X
a great idea. if part of me plays an instructing role over myself, i can stay aware of what i do in my yoga practice and life. and, in order to guide myself, i need to know myself through facing my real self. tara, this is the attitude i want to keep.
Hi Tara. What you say is so true. I have learned so much about myself through the process of going back to university after 12 years. That has been the biggest surprise of studying again.
"By learning You will teach by teaching You will learn." (Some smart-ass). A good point actually, when we change from school age to adulthood we handled differently, with an assumption that we have became more aware of our own mistakes and less needing to point it out, that is why any teacher later should be seen as a guide, because now that You are smarter and are on equal equal grounds You can challenge your guide where as a teacher we would assume that he is smarter than us and we shouldn't
I've been my own teacher when it comes to making videos. I got my digital camera for Christmas 2008, and spent the first and a half mastering still pictures. Then in February 2010 I finally decided to try my hand at video, and soon found myself learning all the ins and outs of Windows Movie Maker.
@benvolio15 (con't) More recently I got Sony Vegas for my birthday. But I'be only been able to successfully make one video so far; I have to approach it in kind of the same way as the synthesizer, which is to sit with it and play around a little bit at a time until I get it completely. So, most definitely there are still challenges ahead, but I know I'll be a better video maker for it in the end.
Great! When I reflect on hikes I've taken w/groups and a Docent we've walked alone, together and next to the Docent. A variety of experiences seems helpful and fun. Knowledge and wisdom together. Objective observation and experience of nature is a true source of both. Training is righteous and experience is our greatest teacher. I like how you described the tangle we get in when we're too involved and how some detachment serves us well. Great video! :)
and self-realization and opening up kundalini as well as being dangerous working with chakra's on your own it can actually have the opposite effect....
In this day and age it is not a choice of having a personal master/guru to teach you yoga techniques and philosophy - guru-disiplse relationship as most people have busy lives, we need to be our own teachers....but in saying that is also not that easy as in other time one would disappear into a ashram like Yogananda said, this is normally exlusive to guru-disciple relationship...and Kriya yoga and Kundalina yoga have a lot of complex techniques that require guidance to attaining samadhi...
If we do not take ultimate responsibility for our learning, knowledge, information and education, then someone else will. And very likely, they won't be doing it with our best interests and greatest self-expression at heart. And in the end, even the best intentioned guide cannot make us learn something we don't choose to learn. When learning is beneficially transformative, it is because we are transforming ourselves.
watch and learn - with awareness and discipline - we can only share forms and patterns of movement - the experience itself is the teaching - which follows the natural course of existence and reflects the purest essence of our being
There are alot of people who take their education for granted. Knowledge is a wonderful thing to have, it can help us become better people and can help us understand one another. We can never learn enough, no matter what the "subject" or life lesson may be. And you, Tara, are a great teacher for all of us, helping us realise things that we might otherwise never think of. Thank you for taking the time in your day to guide us along!
Being your own teacher is a very intersting concept. I read somewhere about a similar concept where you picture the universe as a classroom full of mirrors.. So everything you experience or see shows a reflection of yourself and that can teach you more about yourself.. It's very cool to think about it :)
So this wouldn't fall in the category of the saying "a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client" -- paraphrasing "a teacher who teaches himself has a fool for a student" :)
I think you need to see yourself in others to gain the wealth of the universe in all areas of life mental,financial,body,spirit,relational. Yoga just assists the processs. It's not the cure.
I started doing Yoga from home and noticed that I don't retain water weight anymore, I have more energy, and I'm less hungry. I never would've learned how to do it without others teaching me from online.
My body is my teacher, it taught me soo much through sickness, my perseverance for healing led me towards a new whole world, since doctors could not help me, i began to help myself, and listened to my body saying: no this food, fresh food, then yoga, breath well, listen to so many audios (deepak and some more) and thank to sickness... i discover real healing, teaching to guide my own emotions my mind sould and body. a tools are up there to be grabbed and be used and that is what i do. =)
In the last two years, since i've started university, all my studies and focus revolved around finance and banking - getting the grades, getting the ultimate internship. This summer, finally finishing the internship, I realized that although being so driven and focused gets you to the top, it leaves you empty and detached from people outside of this sphere. Now I am starting the new year and will try to learn many different random things & be holistic! Thank you for inspiration and support Tara
I think that the titles themselves put us in different mindsets. In my opinion, teachers instruct, lecture, and set rules; they leave less room for creativity and doing your own thing. Whereas guides sound like they're just...well there to guide: give you an idea of what you're supposed to do, but allow you to do whatever you're feeling. The title just makes them sound friendlier in general.
Love how you make us stop and think Tara. I like the idea of being my own teacher and being guided by others. Or is it that I am my own guide? I'll have to think about that one... Love having your videos as a guide for learning yoga/meditation/better eating and all that you do for us! Thanks Tara! :)
I'm currently teaching myself piano. =) It was somewhat inspired by the TED talk that Sir Ken Robinson gave on "do schools kill creativity?" and after taking lessons beforehand and doing a lot of meditation and soul searching on the subject, I decided I want to do it myself. I figured I know enough how to write music, I can write my own exercises and my own songs to practice. Now, the hard part is simplifying my life and letting go of certain things every day to make this training a reality..
this is very interisting as nothing turns me off in exercise more than those who push ur body in ways thay don't understand.a long time ago i had a yoga teacher put me in a sholder stand that ripped my diaphram mussel &now my liver comes through it.so i love that U give people permission 2 listen 2 their bodies(like U said i was being my own guide,& the teacher belittled me in2 doing something that i knew was wrong 4 me w/back/neck dics issues).U R a great guide tara i trust us & ur openess. :)
You are so funny and inspiring!
mbperspective 1 month ago
In meditation I find it important to be your own teacher or guru. You have to trust yourself the mind and teach ourselves based on our own actual experiences. I think to be your own teacher means to know yourself and learn from what you experience.
SuperCozmos 1 month ago
...unlearn this idea, but it is hard. I think that "being your own teacher" means you are able to love yourself, to believe in yourself, and to be gentle and caring towards yourself. To see yourself as your own teacher indicates that you have respect for yourself and admiration, and believe that you have something wonderful to offer to yourself, and to others. This, to me, is a state of inner peace and inner beauty. One day, I hope to achieve this, and I'm glad I found Yoga to remind me of it :)
Yuuuka1118 4 months ago
I'm just watching this video now, as I sit here doing some work past my bed time, and it happened to be relevant so I wanted to comment. The concept of "observing yourself without judgement" is something that I struggle often to do. It ties in with the idea of "loving yourself", which is also something i find difficult to do. I have been raised to be critical of myself and others to strive for perfection and to not be satisfied with the present. As I practice more Yoga with you, Tara, I try to..
Yuuuka1118 4 months ago
...I hope that made sense.
DizzyDior12 4 months ago
This is a nice concept. One implication of being your own teacher could be that we have inherent knowledge and connection to something bigger than ourselves and outside ourselves and what we need to do is look inside and cultivate it. Lovely. =] I feel like what you're describing is Atman, but in modern words. The student is also the teacher is also the world is also the universe and all things in it so to look inside yourself is to realize the knowledge of all things. Mm. So good. ^_^ <3
DizzyDior12 4 months ago
That's cool ^^
MrSNIPERx07 5 months ago
There's no better time than now to be your own teacher. I've taught myself almost everything I know off of YouTube which is amazing and totally insane if you think about it. I also like it how when I'm learning online I can filer out what works and throw out what doesn't work. Like your more empowered when you learn or something..
jdleschw 5 months ago
Tara,
Thank you so much for responding to my comments on your last meditation video. Way cool of you! You're really inspiring me to take better care of myself. X
Neequu78 5 months ago
a great idea. if part of me plays an instructing role over myself, i can stay aware of what i do in my yoga practice and life. and, in order to guide myself, i need to know myself through facing my real self. tara, this is the attitude i want to keep.
luvlivluv 6 months ago
Hi Tara. What you say is so true. I have learned so much about myself through the process of going back to university after 12 years. That has been the biggest surprise of studying again.
PrincessKJo 6 months ago
Awesome vibrations 1month practicing!!!
augustovictorsaladin 6 months ago
"By learning You will teach by teaching You will learn." (Some smart-ass). A good point actually, when we change from school age to adulthood we handled differently, with an assumption that we have became more aware of our own mistakes and less needing to point it out, that is why any teacher later should be seen as a guide, because now that You are smarter and are on equal equal grounds You can challenge your guide where as a teacher we would assume that he is smarter than us and we shouldn't
chajus1 6 months ago
I've been my own teacher when it comes to making videos. I got my digital camera for Christmas 2008, and spent the first and a half mastering still pictures. Then in February 2010 I finally decided to try my hand at video, and soon found myself learning all the ins and outs of Windows Movie Maker.
benvolio15 6 months ago
@benvolio15 (con't) More recently I got Sony Vegas for my birthday. But I'be only been able to successfully make one video so far; I have to approach it in kind of the same way as the synthesizer, which is to sit with it and play around a little bit at a time until I get it completely. So, most definitely there are still challenges ahead, but I know I'll be a better video maker for it in the end.
benvolio15 6 months ago
Great! When I reflect on hikes I've taken w/groups and a Docent we've walked alone, together and next to the Docent. A variety of experiences seems helpful and fun. Knowledge and wisdom together. Objective observation and experience of nature is a true source of both. Training is righteous and experience is our greatest teacher. I like how you described the tangle we get in when we're too involved and how some detachment serves us well. Great video! :)
debswildhoney 6 months ago
and self-realization and opening up kundalini as well as being dangerous working with chakra's on your own it can actually have the opposite effect....
Wzrd888 6 months ago
In this day and age it is not a choice of having a personal master/guru to teach you yoga techniques and philosophy - guru-disiplse relationship as most people have busy lives, we need to be our own teachers....but in saying that is also not that easy as in other time one would disappear into a ashram like Yogananda said, this is normally exlusive to guru-disciple relationship...and Kriya yoga and Kundalina yoga have a lot of complex techniques that require guidance to attaining samadhi...
Wzrd888 6 months ago
I just worry she obsesses with this kind of stuff...she posts alot and thts good but still :/
chowchow3999 6 months ago
God, Guru, and Self are one.
buulabop 6 months ago
If we do not take ultimate responsibility for our learning, knowledge, information and education, then someone else will. And very likely, they won't be doing it with our best interests and greatest self-expression at heart. And in the end, even the best intentioned guide cannot make us learn something we don't choose to learn. When learning is beneficially transformative, it is because we are transforming ourselves.
scruffthemagicdragon 6 months ago 7
the only reason why i can be my own teacher is because tara stiles is my guide
lucyPEARL777 6 months ago 11
@lucyPEARL777 awe. . so sweet :)
TaraStilesYoga 6 months ago
watch and learn - with awareness and discipline - we can only share forms and patterns of movement - the experience itself is the teaching - which follows the natural course of existence and reflects the purest essence of our being
watsuanmokksha 6 months ago
There are alot of people who take their education for granted. Knowledge is a wonderful thing to have, it can help us become better people and can help us understand one another. We can never learn enough, no matter what the "subject" or life lesson may be. And you, Tara, are a great teacher for all of us, helping us realise things that we might otherwise never think of. Thank you for taking the time in your day to guide us along!
LuckyNinja11 6 months ago
Being your own teacher is a very intersting concept. I read somewhere about a similar concept where you picture the universe as a classroom full of mirrors.. So everything you experience or see shows a reflection of yourself and that can teach you more about yourself.. It's very cool to think about it :)
JHipHopLee 6 months ago
@JHipHopLee love that!
TaraStilesYoga 6 months ago
So this wouldn't fall in the category of the saying "a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client" -- paraphrasing "a teacher who teaches himself has a fool for a student" :)
pele7208 6 months ago
@pele7208 sometimes you need to represent yourself though!
TaraStilesYoga 6 months ago
@TaraStilesYoga Oh I agree...I was just trying to be cute :)
pele7208 6 months ago
I think you need to see yourself in others to gain the wealth of the universe in all areas of life mental,financial,body,spirit,relational. Yoga just assists the processs. It's not the cure.
gerry2345 6 months ago
Is it okay to do yoga when your sore from a previous class?
thebrightside30 6 months ago
I started doing Yoga from home and noticed that I don't retain water weight anymore, I have more energy, and I'm less hungry. I never would've learned how to do it without others teaching me from online.
whisperingdragon33 6 months ago
My body is my teacher, it taught me soo much through sickness, my perseverance for healing led me towards a new whole world, since doctors could not help me, i began to help myself, and listened to my body saying: no this food, fresh food, then yoga, breath well, listen to so many audios (deepak and some more) and thank to sickness... i discover real healing, teaching to guide my own emotions my mind sould and body. a tools are up there to be grabbed and be used and that is what i do. =)
MissJoss 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
and by the way, you are one of those tools =)
MissJoss 6 months ago
In the last two years, since i've started university, all my studies and focus revolved around finance and banking - getting the grades, getting the ultimate internship. This summer, finally finishing the internship, I realized that although being so driven and focused gets you to the top, it leaves you empty and detached from people outside of this sphere. Now I am starting the new year and will try to learn many different random things & be holistic! Thank you for inspiration and support Tara
KARUNEY 6 months ago 2
you are so inspiring!!! ^_^
MyButterfly2106 6 months ago
Just love your energy
MrNiceHk 6 months ago
I think that the titles themselves put us in different mindsets. In my opinion, teachers instruct, lecture, and set rules; they leave less room for creativity and doing your own thing. Whereas guides sound like they're just...well there to guide: give you an idea of what you're supposed to do, but allow you to do whatever you're feeling. The title just makes them sound friendlier in general.
Silverstarlightt 6 months ago 2
Love how you make us stop and think Tara. I like the idea of being my own teacher and being guided by others. Or is it that I am my own guide? I'll have to think about that one... Love having your videos as a guide for learning yoga/meditation/better eating and all that you do for us! Thanks Tara! :)
melzerr1 6 months ago
I'm currently teaching myself piano. =) It was somewhat inspired by the TED talk that Sir Ken Robinson gave on "do schools kill creativity?" and after taking lessons beforehand and doing a lot of meditation and soul searching on the subject, I decided I want to do it myself. I figured I know enough how to write music, I can write my own exercises and my own songs to practice. Now, the hard part is simplifying my life and letting go of certain things every day to make this training a reality..
pathsounds 6 months ago
this is very interisting as nothing turns me off in exercise more than those who push ur body in ways thay don't understand.a long time ago i had a yoga teacher put me in a sholder stand that ripped my diaphram mussel &now my liver comes through it.so i love that U give people permission 2 listen 2 their bodies(like U said i was being my own guide,& the teacher belittled me in2 doing something that i knew was wrong 4 me w/back/neck dics issues).U R a great guide tara i trust us & ur openess. :)
greatfulgoddess 6 months ago 2
you are so right!!
lindabebe835 6 months ago
Tara your awesome and my role model. I watch every one of your videos and I just wanna say thanks :)
KarisLynne 6 months ago
I'm the first!!
TashaButt 6 months ago