Is it all true?

My doubts about yoga.

I am a yoga teacher. I also have a degree in psychology, so I feel I have a good understanding of not just the mind and people, but also how research works. What does this have to do with pink nail varnish - don't worry - I'll get there.

"He struggles to see the point or benefit of yoga (despite coming back time and time again)."

As I'm sure is the case with most yoga teachers, students leave the class happy and most feedback consists of 'thank you' or ' that was just what I needed' or something along those lines. I am filled with gratitude to hear these responses, of course. But then, you get the odd student who comes back with feedback that you secretly want - feedback that allows you to think and grow. 

Recently I taught a yin/yang vinyasa class with focus on the energy lines and how they work in different ways. I have read a lot about the energy lines (nadis) and have also put it into practice in my life, for example, if I'm sleepy, a little Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) breath always perks me up. This one particular student gave me some valuable feedback. He is someone I know well, a religious person with a very prestigious job in medical physics. An interesting combination of science and faith. He struggles to see the point or benefit of yoga (despite coming back time and time again). He believes that there is no research or facts on these energy lines, therefore they cannot be real or true. He also expressed his concern in using these techniques when they have not been proven. I asked him how he feels about believing in God, who has not necessarily been proven to exist, in which his response was that he doesn't claim any of that to be fact or try to use it with people claiming it will help.

I'm not a person to argue, however I did inform this student of the research now going into the energy lines, research about how we store emotions in the body. He said he very much doubts it. There are some conversations you know will not be able to go any further due to conflicting points of view. We left it there.

“I asked for a sign.”

My mind kept going back to this conversation. I started questioning and my science brain kicked in. Should I be teaching these techniques that have not been scientifically proven? Is it ethical, is it right? I was sat in the onsen (Japanese natural hot spring) going over these thoughts in my mind. Then I did something I never do. I asked for a sign. A sign that all of this study, reading, learning, practicing and teaching wasn't for nothing.

Then that's when it happened. Right there in the onsen. A neon bright pink light. I had no idea where it came from, I looked up and all around me. I was alone in the onsen and definitely wasn't wearing any pink for it to reflect (you have to be naked). I put my hand under and started to scoop the light- it followed my hand. I lifted it up and out of the water. I looked closely and realised my 'sign' was no other than a piece of neon pink nail polish. I laughed. 

“This nail polish was my reminder; don't take life so seriously.”

I could not have asked for a better sign. I'm not a serious person, when situations get tense my usual go to is humour. This nail polish was my reminder; don't take life so seriously. Everything I teach I know I teach safely. I use words like could, possibly or maybe. My regular phrase is 'if it doesn't feel good, don't do it.' Maybe some techniques are more of a placebo effect, but if someone spends 5 minutes balancing out their energy with Nadi Shodhana breath and leaves feeling calmer and happier and spreads that happiest on to the next person, then in my eyes my class has had its desired effect. Just like this pink nail polish wasn’t the magical light I thought it was, it gave me just what I was looking for. If it works, you don't need a fancy science paper to show you the hard facts. Sometimes the proof is in the pudding.