It happens. It’s inevitable that a class will be scheduled and no one shows up, I know that. Between the beach, snorkeling, and just the general laziness that can set in with the sun, waves, and the heat — I get it.
This evening’s class, no one showed up. I was prepared to just do a solitary practice. I noticed Tom-Tom, one of the Khmer staff was mimicking my asanas from outside the rain cover. I waved Tom-Tom inside the yoga hall, he looked surprised and excited. The Khmer staff have taken to sitting on the rocks outside the yoga hall and watching the yoga classes. They sometimes sit for just a few minutes, and sometimes they stay for nearly the whole hour. They observe, curious about the classes. I doubt they’ve ever seen yoga done before. It’s not a common practice here in Cambodia as it is in other places in Asia. So it makes sense that they are curious.
Tom-Tom doesn’t speak any English, can’t even say hello or thank you, I mean zero English. So when I called him into the yoga hall, I placed his mat very close to mine, just about a meter away from me, and parallel to my mat. Tom-Tom seemed elated to have a mat to himself and to be so close. He laughed and gave me two thumbs up.
I began with the ashtanga standing sequence, slowly moving from one asana to another. He watched me like a hawk, and mirrored me perfectly. I was amazed at the level of his attention, at his ability to notice even when my foot changed from straight to a 45 degree angle. I made whooshing noises, to illustrate when I was moving my hands or arms in a different direction, and I would point towards my feet and glance down when I was moving the placement of my feet or toes. He never missed a beat.
I was stunned at how easily Tom-Tom picked up on the nuisances of each asana, whether it was the placement of the hips, hands, toes. I didn’t speak a word, but instead communicated with my body. We burst into fits of laughter, especially doing chatranga – using the strength of our arms to lower ourselves to the ground – he thought was hilarious. It was one of the most fun yoga classes I’ve ever taught.
Sometimes, I get wrapped up in my head about how I’m verbalizing my instructions during a class. I worry that my explanations about the specifics of alignment aren’t thorough enough. But Tom-Tom reminded me that yoga isn’t about the words, it’s about the body. You don’t need to speak the same language, to share what yoga has to offer: connection.
Tom-Tom is part of the Wild Yoga Tribe. To read more about Tom-Tom click HERE.
Want to learn more about Tom Tom?
Tom Tom is a young Khmer teenager from the south of Cambodia. He was the dishwasher at the island resort I worked at, Huba Huba. Most days, if Tom Tom had some time to spare, he would sit and watch my yoga classes, or watch me during my independent practice. Tom Tom didn’t have breaks that allowed him to loll around every day, but when he had the chance, he liked to sit and watch yoga.
Tom Tom didn’t speak any English. I had taught him a few phrases and greetings, but he really didn’t speak English. One day, I laid down an extra mat and invited Tom Tom to join me. He was startled at first, and then excited. He wasn’t nervous. I was. I had never taught an English class to anyone who didn’t speak English before. I had had plenty of students who spoke English roughly, maybe at an elementary level. But I’d never had a student who was near the zero mark in English. But I’d watched Tom Tom watch me for months and I could tell that he wanted to join but didn’t want to disturb or didn’t know if it was possible… but we made it possible.
Teaching Tom Tom was incredibly rewarding. I made sounds to indicate the movements, wooshes and zings and whirling sounds. Tom Tom again watched in rapt attention. He followed me nearly perfectly, the angles of his feet matched mine, the level of his shoulders mirrored mine. I was stunned at his ability to reflect the movements and shapes I created with my own body.
This made it even clearer to me that yoga transcends language. Yoga is about the connection of the body, heart, and mind. Language is not needed for such a connection to occur.
