Hands-on service

At the end of the yoga class I took tonight, the teacher read a quote by George Bernard Shaw. “I am of the opinion,” he said, “that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.”

I resonate so strongly with that perspective, but I have heard the quote before and I didn’t always see it this way. At a logical level I’ve always understood the value of humility and public service; I was in the youth group at church and did my share of volunteering. One spring break in junior high, I even did community service every day instead of hanging out by the pool. I don’t remember enjoying the work, but I knew it was important. And though I continued to volunteer in college and after–as a mentor and a tutor, mostly–it often felt more like a duty than a joy.

Now, however, I derive true pleasure from service. Maybe it’s just that soup kitchens and homework help aren’t my things. Or maybe it’s that I’ve matured, found a stronger spiritual center. Whatever the reason, teaching yoga actively fulfills the notions I’ve been nurturing: Giving is better than receiving, loving is better than needing, faith is better than fear.

I’m confident in my knowledge and eager to share it; I’m no better than anyone around me, we’re all the same, and we all need the same thing: Love, mostly, but also acceptance and encouragement. And in yoga, sometimes a simple hands-on adjustment can convey all of that.

When I adjust people in practice, I do not wish to change them, only to guide or suggest. A gentle tap on a knee to nudge it back over the ankle; firm pressure on a heel to help ground a posture; the press of a shoulder to facilitate release of tension. Small gestures, given with confidence, care, and respect; offering assistance but not critique.

I have fresh firsthand experience how wonderful this type of guidance can feel, because in the class I took before the one I helped teach, a fellow teacher trainee was assisting, and she used my body to practice making adjustments and help me deepen my postures. She did a great job and surprised me with a knee/calf/ankle/foot massage near the end of final savasana that my aching joints sorely appreciated. So when she decided to stay for the following class, the one at which I was assisting, I was eager to return the favor while getting in some adjustment practice of my own.

I was a little nervous about touching people’s sweaty bodies, but as it turned out, I was so absorbed in my work that the sweat scarcely registered. It’s only salt water, after all. And the wet is from honest exertion, and I respect that. More significantly, I know how incredibly good it feels when a fellow instructor overlooks my own perspiration and guides me into a deeper stretch.

So I touched people tonight–only when I really thought I could help them, and I’m sure I made mistakes. But I was truly trying, and the effort was fulfilling. I felt like I was being of genuine service, like my energy was useful. It really was a privilege to be in the room, offering what I had to give. And that felt fantastic. As Shaw put it, “this is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one.”