“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." - Shunryu Suzuki, Zen monk
“初学者的思维充满可能性，而专家的思维极为局限。”-- 禅宗僧侣，铃木俊隆
Many years ago, as a yoga student, I envisioned how wonderful it would be to teach yoga. As a beginner, my mind was always open: I had begun a love affair with the practice of yoga, and I absorbed it like sunlight to a flower. My teachers always seemed so centered and strong. They offered powerful insights in class, helping me gain greater insight into the challenges I faced in life.
许多年前，作为一名瑜伽学生，我曾经设想教授瑜伽会是件多么美妙的事。作为一个初学者，我的思维总保持开放：我喜欢上了瑜伽训练，并且如饥似渴的学习如久旱逢甘霖。我的老师们看上去总是那么全神贯注、意志坚定。在课堂上，他们传授我们的见解深刻而极富影响，帮助我更富见地对待生活中遭遇的挑战。
Then one day I heard this statement:
之后的某天，我听说了这句话：
“If you want to know about something, read about it. If you want to understand something, do it. If you want to master something, teach it.”
“如欲知晓某事，读之。如欲领会某事，为之。如欲精通某事，教之。”
I was hooked instantly, and I knew I would be a teacher. I wanted to master the practice of yoga, so I needed to teach it.
我立时被这句话吸引，并且知道自己也会成为一个老师。我希望能精通瑜伽练习，所以就需要去教授它。
Though I’ve been a teacher for more than a decade, as I write this I am in the middle of an intensive four-week yoga teacher-training program. After all these years and countless hours teaching, I am back to where I started: sitting in a class with a beginner’s mind.
尽管我已经当了十多年的老师，在写这篇文章的时候我正经历一个为期四周的瑜伽教师强化培训项目。在经年累月，日复一日的教学后，我又回到了自己的起点：带着初学者的心态坐在课堂。
For me, the decision to participate in an intensive training program has seemed fairly straightforward, as it allows me to study a style of yoga I have not yet mastered. Yet, as I’ve mentioned the training to friends in passing, a few of them have expressed a bit of surprise: “But I thought you were already certified?” Another friend said, “Given both the time and financial commitment, why put yourself through another training program?”
于我而言，参加强化培训项目的决定并不难理解，因为它让我学习了一个我还未能掌握的瑜伽类型。然而，当我跟朋友们顺带提到培训的事情时，其中几个表现出一丝惊讶之意：“我以为你已经具备资格认证了呢？”另一个朋友说，“考虑到时间和经济投入，为什么还要再参加一个培训项目呢？”
Good question.
这个问题问得好。
In my experience, any good teacher is simply an accelerated student, constantly learning, staying open, and sharing the fruits of their explorations with others. Enthusiasm is contagious, and when we are in the presence of a really inspirational teacher, we feel their excitement and their joy of discovery.
以我的经验，好老师其实只是个进步速度快的学生罢了，坚持不断学习，思维保持开放，并和他人分享自己钻研探索的成果。热情是富有感染力的，当我们有一位极具感召力的老师时，就能体会到他在发现中得到的激情与喜悦。
Good teachers inspire us to be with our beginner’s mind and stay open to new ideas. Even if it makes us uncomfortable, this mindset provides a perspective of willingness—the willingness to listen to new ideas, no matter how overwhelming they seem to be at first. Though it often feels very humbling to be in the classical beginner’s mind place of “not knowing, ” it can also bring such rewards.
好老师会启发我们保持初学者的心态并乐于接受新观点。尽管这可能会让我们觉得不适应，但这样的精神状态能带给我们一种意愿——倾听新观点，无论它们起初看上去是多么难以接受。虽然传统意义上初学者“一无所知”的心态会让人缩手缩脚，反之却也能有所收益。
When we are feeling stuck, a new idea can powerfully transform our lives. This is where yoga can help. Yoga has the ability to support us on both the physical and mental levels. As noted American yogi Joel Kramer states:
当我们身处窘境时，一个崭新的观点能够让我们的生活焕然一新。这就是瑜伽可以发挥作用，有所裨益之处。它可以从身体和心理两个层面双管齐下，给我们以有力支持。正如美国知名的瑜伽修行者Joel Kramer所说：
“Yoga transforms you by opening up the physical and mental binds that block your potential, limiting your life. Transformation is a process that brings newness and interest … the transformation that yoga brings makes you more yourself, and opens you up to loving with greater depth … as a sculptor brings out the beauty of form in the stone by slowly and carefully chipping away the rest.”
“瑜伽可以通过解开禁锢你潜能，约束你生活的身心枷锁来改变你自身。改变是一个带来新意与兴趣的过程......瑜伽所带来的改变能让你更忠于自我，能给你以更深刻真挚的感情与热情......就如同雕塑家精心细致地将石块的多余部分一点点削去，从而将其形式中的美诠释出来一样。”
Yoga offers a process where you can systematically move through the binds that block your potential, and intentionally transform your life one breath at a time. When you are feeling frustrated or stuck, physical exercise often can be a vital step toward feeling better—but remember that your mind plays a key role in this process as well.
瑜伽可以让你经历这样一个过程，从中你可以系统地移除限制你潜力的束缚，并且有意识地快速改变自己的生活。当你感到沮丧或身处困境时，身体锻炼往往是恢复元气，重拾信心的重要步骤——但别忘了心理状态在这个过程中也发挥着不可或缺的作用。
The internal reflection (awareness) encouraged in yoga allows us to explore our mental edge—those places in our heart and mind where we’ve shut down out of fear or fatigue, where we’ve decided we can no longer grow, expand, or change. Though it takes effort, we are reminded that we are always able to choose a new path, a different way of looking at our challenges.
由瑜伽所唤起的内在反映(意识)让我们在精神领域的边缘游弋——这个居于我们内心和精神之中的处所因为我们自身的恐惧与疲倦而紧锁，并且被认定不能有所成长、扩展或者改变。尽管要付诸努力，瑜伽让我们意识到自己永远都可以选择一条新的道路，以一个新的视角来看待挑战。
As you move through each day, imagine your breath being a powerful sculptor’s tool. Like the sculptor working with a chisel, with each mindful breath, you begin to see which aspects of your psyche need to be chipped away to reveal the already existent beauty that is within you. Even in situations and conditions that you’ve had for decades, use your beginner’s mind perspective to stay open to new possibilities.
当你度过每个日子时，想象你的每次呼吸就如同雕塑家手中神奇的工具。就同雕塑家手持凿子工作那样，通过每次经心的呼吸，你会发现自己心灵中的哪个部分需要摒弃，从而能将你内心中早已存在的美展露出来。即便是在几十年一成不变的境况与状态中，也要发挥你的初学者思维，向新的可能性敞开胸怀。
Remember: In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities, and within these possibilities we are reminded that we are free. May you open your mind to the many wonderful possibilities that exist for you in each moment, and systematically create the life of your highest dreams.
切记：初学者思维中存在着诸多可能，正是在这些可能性中我们发觉自己是自由的。希望你能放开头脑，打开胸襟，去接纳那些美好而奇妙，时刻等待你去发现的可能性，然后有条不紊地创造你最理想最渴望的生活。
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