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).
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 self-conscious 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 intrinsinc 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!!”
Don’t forget next time you are in class…
SUZANNE
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