270 A JOURNEY INTO YIN YOGA
the teacher opened it to read, “Dear teacher, I no longer need to eat food or
even drink water. [Never advised by the way!] I now live off of nothing but
sunlight and the moisture in the air. On top of this great achievement, when
I meditate I can astral travel through all my past lives at will!” The teacher
wasn’t having any of this and once again crumpled up the note and threw it
into the trash.
Although the student still hadn’t heard from his teacher in well over a year,
he had made a pledge and continued to remain disciplined. He carried on
with his practices and, as promised, sent a third note to the teacher. It read,
“Dear teacher, just this morning I was chanting the sacred sound when I felt a
rumbling sensation in my pelvic area. The rumbling became so strong that my
body began to shake violently like an earthquake. Before I knew it, a lightning
bolt of kundalini shot up my spine, lifting me off the ground so fast and so
furiously that my head busted through the roof of my hut. As I levitated in
midair for what must’ve been days, the secrets of the universe were revealed
to me. I am happy to report I am now immortal!” The teacher in a state of
disgust tore up the letter and stormed off absolutely furious. After the third
note, almost a year passed and the teacher hadn’t heard from the student.
The teacher sent a letter to the student reminding him of his promise and
obligation to keep sending progress reports. After a couple of weeks another
letter from the student had arrived. This time it read, “Forget you. You are
not my teacher and I don’t need you anymore!” A huge smile spread across
the teacher’s face. This time he saved the note, put a beautiful frame around
it, and hung it on the wall. The teacher had done his job. The student was
no longer dependent; he was empowered!Many blessings,Travis Eliot