The emtpy cup of Yoga
On the last day of my first Yoga Teacher Training in NYC one of my favorite teachers shared how her motivation to become a Yoga Teacher was that she wanted to be the empty cup for her students. If I’m honest, I had no idea what she meant by that. But hearing her speak from the heart stayed with me. On that last day in 2013 she all gave us a little white and blue cup from Pearl River Mart on Broadway. I carried that cup with me all the way back to Europe as a reminder of this feeling I had, knowing in my body something to be true, even when I couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of it yet.
A decade later and I find myself sitting in the sun breathing in the sunny spring air and breathing out gratitude for this blissful moment. Looking at the steaming hot cup in front of me puts a smile on my face. Because I realize this empty cup has actually been what I spent those following 10 years working on, looking for and bringing to the forefront of my life.
This empty cup is a container of safety. A place, within yourself, where judgment, shame and fear do not exist. Do you know how to sink into this space within yourself? If the answer is no, this is your inner work. Cultivate your own empty cup. Mold it together with love, self-compassion and non-judgment. If you don’t know how ( I didn’t), seek someone who does and who is willing to hold up theirs for you until you have the tools to dig up your own within. I understand now why I loved this teacher so much. All along, like she told us, she had been holding up her empty cup for me. By doing that, she gave me the time and space to safely dabble my feet in unchartered and sometimes scary & confronting waters.
In Yoga Therapy there are endless physical and relaxation practices, breathing techniques or lifestyle changes we can implement. But only when those practices are being contained by this empty cup will it give you the freedom to pour healing and transformation into your life.
And remember that it is through the cracks the light can shine, so do not fear the struggles or heartbreaks. They will guide you as to where you need healing most.
