Mantra “I receive with gratitude, I give with grace.”

Lesson Plan – Be a Conduit, Not a Container
Opening Reflection
“Welcome everyone. Tonight, don’t aim to impress anyone—not me, not the person on the next mat. Be here for yourself. My greatest joy as a teacher isn’t whether you can balance in a perfect pose; it’s seeing you show up, fully present, feeling into your breath, and honoring your truth in the moment.

As you move tonight, listen to what your soul is trying to say through the postures. Each stretch, each breath, is a conversation with your deeper self. Let go of anything that doesn’t belong. Let your movement be both an offering and a clearing.”

Topic 1 – Don’t Just Take In… Give Back
Metaphor: The Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee
In Israel, there are two major bodies of water both fed by the Jordan River. The Sea of Galilee is full of life, fresh water, fish, and beauty. The Dead Sea, though much larger, is lifeless and toxic—so salty nothing can survive in it. The difference? The Sea of Galilee receives and gives back. The Dead Sea only takes. With no outlet, it becomes stagnant.

Reflection:
Our inner life works the same way. When we only take in—wisdom, love, attention—but never give back, we grow stagnant. But when we receive and then share—our breath, our compassion, our presence—we stay vibrant and alive.

Relationships have to breath Give and receive. I you only receive, how did that work out for you. If you only give, how did that work out?

Don’t just hold onto the light you find here. Let it move through you.

Quotes:

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” – Jesus

“Love is the bridge between you and everything.” – Rumi

“Inside any deep asking is the answering.” – Rumi

“We carry inside us the wonders we seek outside us.” – Rumi

“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” – Rumi

Topic 2 – Practice as an Act of Devotion
Metaphor: A Singing Bowl
A singing bowl only resonates when struck. It doesn’t hold the vibration—it releases it in waves. If it tried to hold all the energy inside, it would distort or even crack. Its beauty lies in its ability to receive, express, and let go.

Reflection:
You’re the same. Life will strike you—sometimes gently, sometimes hard. And when it does, your job isn’t to bottle up the energy or carry it forever. Your job is to feel it, express it, and release it. This is what your practice allows you to do.

Each pose is a note. Each breath is a tone. Don’t worry about the perfection of your movement. Let it be sincere. Let it move through you and become a song the world needs to hear—even if only you ever hear it.

Quotes:

“I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.” – Rumi

“Be an empty page, untouched by words.” – Rumi

“Let the waters settle and you will see the moon and the stars mirrored in your own being.” – Rumi

“The soul has been given its own ears to hear things the mind does not understand.” – Rumi

“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.” – Rumi

Topic 3 – The Gift of Being All In
Metaphor: The Farmer at Sunrise
A farmer doesn’t show up to the field to control the weather. They show up because something inside them says, “Now is the time to plant.” Even before there’s a harvest, they rise early, walk the land, and place seeds with care.

Reflection:
Your presence on the mat is like that farmer. You don’t know exactly what will grow from today’s effort—peace, healing, insight—but you show up anyway. Presence is the practice of faith and attention. It’s the quiet generosity of offering your time and focus to something that may bloom later.

Even when it’s hard to concentrate or when your mind is busy, just being here matters. You’re tending something important. Every breath is a seed. Every posture is a prayer.

Quotes:

“Inside any deep asking is the answering.” – Rumi

“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” – Rumi

“We carry inside us the wonders we seek outside us.” – Rumi

“Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think and twice as beautiful as you’d ever imagined.” – Rumi

“Now as you enter your meditation, enter it empty, naked and welcoming.” – David Scott

Topic 4 – You Can’t Pour from an Empty Cup
Metaphor: The Teacher’s Cups
A student once sat with their teacher, who filled a single cup with water. “This cup,” the teacher said, “represents your joy, your energy, your light.” Then the teacher placed four empty cups beside it and asked the student to pour an equal amount into each one.

The student did as asked—and ended up with nothing left in their own cup.

Reflection:
Many of us live like this without realizing it. We give to our family, our friends, our job, our community. We pour out support, love, time, energy. And we forget to refill.

Tonight, your mat is the well. This is your time to replenish what you’ve been giving away. You can’t pour from an empty cup—and the truth is, no one is asking you to. Let this practice nourish you. Let it be the gentle reminder that refilling yourself is not selfish. It is sacred.

Quotes:

“Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open?” – Rumi

“If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?” – Rumi

“The wound is the place where the light enters you.” – Rumi

“Doing as others told me, I was blind. Coming when others called me, I was lost.” – Rumi

“Open your hands if you want to be held.” – Rumi

Topic 5 – Becoming a Channel of Light
Metaphor: The Lantern
A lantern is not the source of light—it channels it. It becomes useful only when lit from within.

Reflection:
You don’t have to be the source of all answers or healing. You only have to be open to the light that wants to move through you. Trust your practice. Trust yourself. Be the conduit, not the container.

Quotes:

“I was dead, then alive… then tender like the evening star.” – Rumi

“I died to the mineral state and became a plant…” – Rumi

“I learned that every mortal will taste death. But only some will taste life.” – Rumi

“Truly, to Him is our return.” – Rumi

“Simple stay as you are. Isn’t it a relief.” – Mooji

Closing Reflection
“As you lie in savasana, imagine yourself as the Sea of Galilee. You’ve received wisdom, breath, movement, healing. Now let it ripple outward. Let it touch someone else through the way you live, the way you love, and the way you show up.”

Suggested Mantras
“I receive, I release, I flow.”

“Empty and open, I become the light.”

“Not mine to hold, mine to pass on.”

“I give what I have. I am enough.”

“Conduit of peace. Channel of grace.”