...Maybe??...

"I feel like I died."

A healthy, strong, red-head teen boy said this to me and his classmates after coming up out of Savasana (corpse pose) Friday at Simonsen.

I asked him to clarify what he meant, and he said this:

"I don't feel dead, I feel really alive, but it's like I had to die."

This young man unintentionally, and without ANY training, understood with absolute clarity the purpose of Savasana (corpse pose). To die a little death, to practice stillness, in order to feel life. To feel alive.

"We know too much, and feel too little." Bertrand Russell

I am consistently amazed by the teens I work with. They are universally open and ready to receive new experiences without the *adult* filter that seems to manifest during these transitional years.
Incidentally this isn't the first time I've been floored by the natural understanding of yoga by teens....last year, a tall African-American teen stopped me after class...he asked me about non-dualistic theory. But not in those *adult* terms.
This is what he asked:
"Ms. Megan, you said that we are all unique...that we are all works of art..that we will never be repeated again...but what about the fact that we are all the same? That there is no difference between any body, or anything? What about the idea that we all exist here together and that there is no separation?"

This beautiful young man had inadvertently hit upon a theory called non-dualism. It's originally a Buddhist concept, but folks like Ken Wilbur have taken it to new levels in Integral Theories. It's the notion that the concept of *you* and *I* are the misguidance of the ego. As Ram Dass says, "The *I* that you speak of when you say *I*, only you can see."

I was so floored by this young man. All I could muster was a lame "Please Google non-dualistic theory when you get home..."
If he did, I'll never know...the next time I saw him was during a break between blocks. He was being yelled at because he was listening to his I-Pod. Apparently a no-no at Simonsen....I gave him a knowing nod and walked on. He then surrendered his I-Pod, and went onto class.

I also teach the teens at JCAC, the alternative High School. These teens are absolutely beautiful. Either they've hit a wall or society has given up on them, but yet they are still trying, still kicking, still trudging forward. And STILL open to new ideas...like Yoga...
And just like their fellow students at Simonsen and JC, they get yoga. They recognize the power of this practice, they recognize the power they hold. They recognize the power of their mind, body, and spirit.

I don't pretend to understand the depth of this practice. And I'm not going to pretend that I fully get what is happening in the hearts and minds of teens that are introduced to it.
All I know is this:
1. Teens love yoga.
2. They get it.
3. I love it when they get it.
4. They love it when they get it.

The teens at Simonsen have recently been applauding after *Namaste*. Is this a sign that, maybe?...just maybe...we can change our future? Maybe we are reaching young adults, and teaching them to *die a little death* in order to know bliss? Perhaps even paving a path to peace, knowing we are all indeed inextricably linked together.

Let's not ration our compassion...let's give and give and give until we take our last breath! I firmly believe that if we keep giving and giving, then, and only then, will the giant grinding wheels of change begin to move! THEN we, or perhaps our children, or grand-children, will see the path to living in love...living without anger and violence and terror. Living in a world where love permeates everything, and compassion for all is our focus!

Teaching yoga to teens is one path to this goal. The one path I am on....and I'm so optimistic.

Shanti...
Megan Sappington