LEARNING YOGA ... A COMPARISON ...

A COMPARISON THAT MAKES A POINT!

I found this very interesting post on a blog. I thought it was a great comparison between learning Yoga and a second language! So here it is in it’s entirety from Jane (I ignore her last name).

YOGA and LEARNING ENGLISH

Has it ever occurred to you that there is a relationship

 between yoga and learning English?

"Most people are very self-conscious when they learn a new language. When they are speaking, they are uncomfortable about how they sound, about whether they are making grammatical mistakes, and whether the other(s) can understand them, and more.

Some also worry about sounding stupid. Mispronouncing or having a strong accent. Worrying about how you sound almost seems to be an intrinsic part of learning another language - because you want the other person to understand you. 

In a yoga class, the teacher says, "Don't look at the person next to you."  In a yoga class, the teacher tells the class to "have your own practice".  The teacher says to her students, "Don't think about how you look, or whether you look beautiful or as good as the person that you've seen in the yoga magazines."

I think there is something here for anybody learning English or learning any other language. When you are trying to speak, do you focus on the negative and worry so much about how you sound or whether you are making mistakes, that you can't get the words out?
Learning a language and making grammatical mistakes go hand in hand.  It takes a while to learn the new system, and the old (your native language) wants to impose itself on the new. 

It takes a long time to learn the new system, and to develop a separation between your first language and your next language. And if you are learning English (or any other new language), feel good about your undertaking this very worthwhile and rewarding experience."

And I might add, as your ESL teacher,

“ Be proud that you have decided to learn … PERIOD!!”

SUZANNE 

P.S. Again a quote from Dave Sconda:

«Be courageous with language learning-

don't let any fear/bad feeling get in your way

you're learning, mistakes are good, keep moving forward!»