Trainings, Books, Workshops, Retreats: When Is it Enough?

I love learning. Learning new things -- whether it's about myself or a topic that I'm interested in or the world in general -- is seriously pleasureable for me (in fact, my passion for learning has been lovingly termed voracious). When I was in college, I'd often hear people call classmates who were pursuing higher education "forever students" who were "putting off their entry into the real world." Well, I'm in the "real world" but I still consider myself a forever student.

I've experienced a lot these past couple of years -- meditation retreats, yoga therapy trainings, yoga workshops, yoga conferences, yoga retreats (not to mention the dozens of books I've read on every topic from Kundalini to meditation to somatics and anatomy). You name it, I've likely heard of it, studied it, attended it. Recently I've been laying low, so to speak. I'm currently enrolled in a 500-hour training but am doing little else in terms of retreats, workshops, etc. (can't say that I've put the books down though -- I have a bit of a book addiction [this is where the voraciousness comes in]). Why, you ask? I think the most appropriate answer to that question is overwhelm.

Walk into any bookstore today and check out the Self-Help section or the Eastern Studies section and what do you see? Hundreds of books to help you deal with this, examine that, improve this, get rid of that. Perhaps we pick of one of these books because we're intrigued by the title. We scan the back cover and think, "Hmmmm...sounds interesting." Then there's the wanting to buy the book because we think it'll give us something (whether that's knowledge or the information to make a change or a pep talk or whatever value we've placed on the message conveyed by the particular book). Believe me, I've been there, done that.

Not too long ago, I simply stopped and reevaluated. I sat down and listed the trainings that I had taken. I wrote down the things/techniques I had learned and noted which ones I found to be helpful. Needless to say, I wrote a lot. As I looked through my extensive lists I asked myself whether or not I was applying what I learned. A meditation retreat is a wonderful thing, but the true value of meditation comes from practicing it regularly. Of course who has time to do that when you're hitched to the next thing (be it a workshop or a conference or a training)?

Yes, my friends, there comes a time when you have to ask yourself why you're seeking the information (and are you ever going to use it?). I happen to think that knowledge for the sake of knowledge is a wonderful thing. Still, all of this yoga, meditation, self-help stuff can get mighty pricey. So, the question of why becomes important. I have a friend who has an enormous list of certifications in the yoga/meditation/self-help arena. He's ever-so-proud of this list and he always seems to be taking another workshop/training. One day we were talking and I asked him whether or not he used any of the techniques that he had learned (I was especially curious about one in particular because he waxed poetic about the amazing effect it had on him during his 10-day stay at the retreat center). For a second he looked sheepish before he replied, "no." When I asked why not, he mumbled something about not having enough time.

Hmmmm...perhaps we need a workshop/book about how not to get overwhelmed by all of the wonderful yoga/meditation/self-help options out there? Please don't misunderstand -- I'm not condemning the fact that there's a wide variety of "stuff" out there. I think it's wonderful. In fact, it was through a lot of sampling and trial and error with all of this "stuff" that I found my "stuff" or what works for me. I'm just saying that the temptation to search for "the" thing can get a bit out of control. For there comes a time when you have to put up or shut up.

"You've been to Kripalu 25 times? Great."

"Do you ever put into practice anything that you learned while you were there? No? Gee, that's not so great."

When a friend and I recently finished a training we had a wonderful chat about what we were going to do next. More training, of course. Why? Because we didn't feel "ready." We didn't feel it was "enough." As a yoga therapist I feel obligated to get as much training as I can. I've spend a lot of time and money to do just that. After all, I want to help people, not harm them. Still, the question burns in the back of my mind -- "when will it be enough?"

From a yoga therapy standpoint, I know that I always continue to train/recertify. As a person who wants to live joyfully and improve herself, I wonder how many yoga/meditation workshops/retreats/classes/books will be enough. I know in my heart that to get out you have to "go in" and that the guru is in ME not in a workshop or a retreat or a class per se. Yet there's that hook when I look at yet another Kripalu or Omega or Integral Yoga catalog.

The good news is that I do put into practice what I've learned through my various trainings, workshops, et al. The bad news is that the amount that I've learned is so overwhelming that there aren't enough hours in the day to put it all into practice (although my clients do seem happy to reap some of the benefits of my voracious learning appetite). Now I find myself quietly taking stock, knowing that what I've learned doesn't mean anything unless I actually USE it.

Right now I'm just going with my gut and I'm cutting back in the inflow of info into my brain. I'm simply building a little dam to ensure that I'm not flooded. And I'm taking a long, hard look at whether I'm making the most of what I've done. After trial and error I found a meditation technique that really works for me. Am I doing it? Not as much as I could, that's for sure.

So, I pose the question to you, my dear readers -- how much is enough? How much is too much?

Namaste! 

Comments

[Diane]

Hi DJ --
Sounds to me like you have the right idea. You've discovered a few topics that catch your interest and you're going to study those more in-depth. How wonderful!

[DJ]

I am just finishing my 200+ hr. yoga teacher training, and I too love to learn. I already have several books (which I have not had time to read)about various styles of yoga. Half way through the training I was lucky; it became clear that I have particular interest in a few specific areas. For now, those are the areas I will spend my time and money to learn more about. I'm not interested in being a "jack-of-all-trades" so to speak; I would rather have a vast knowledge of a few things that can help make a difference in the lives of others.

[Diane]

Hi Ruben!
Couldn't have said it better myself! I am very grateful that we live in a society so open to learning but I definitely get a bit overloaded now and again. There's a difference between informed and inundated. I think you hit the nail on the head when you spoke of trusting yourself. I think developing that trust -- and listening to your inner voice about what's enough -- is veeeery important. Thanks for speaking it.

[Diane]

Hi Linda!
I'm right there with you on the in-depth study. It's fun to skim the surface for a while, but then the time comes for something deeper.

I too have seen folks put workshop attendance down on their bios. I'm inclined to agree -- 8-20 hours with a teacher does not a student make.

[ruben]

Thank you for exploring this idea. I agree, living in a society mired in information glut gives us the impression that we will never know enough to do whatever it is we THINK we want to do. I agree that there are amazing sources of information available to us. However, if we do not take time to process, learn and live some of that information, it will never become true knowledge.

When is it too much and when too little? This sounds like the essential question that Yoga helps us answer. Observing, noticing and acting mindfully we gradually we learn to trust ourselves so that we can distinguish what we know from what we don't and what it is necessary from what isn't.
Namaste,
Rubén

[linda]

I used to run around to all different types of workshops and trainings. for one thing, all that costs way too much money now. as I've matured as a student and a teacher, I find that I just want to study IN DEPTH with only a few teachers, instead of nibbling at the buffet.

I know a number of teachers who claim to have "studied" with certain yoga masters, but who I know have only done a workshop or two with them at a yoga conference. that is disingenuous to state that on a yoga bio for a website. I can claim 100 workshops in my yoga bio over the years, but I don't consider that studying in depth with someone.