IT’S ALL A B O U T T H E Q U E ST I O N S : H OW TO BA L A NC E WO R K A N D P R AC T I C E By Willamarie Moore
Where (And How) I Work I work full time at an art museum. I run the school and teacher programs out of the Education Department at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. We host 55,000 school group visitors annually, bringing the visual arts into the lives and minds of kids when
When people truly resonate with a work of art, they can be transformed, experience a higher state of consciousness—perhaps something akin to Isvara pranidhana?
they’re at their most impressionable. We do so with a crew of 120 docents—dedicated, passionate, smart, and engaged volunteers who lead our guided tours for school groups every weekday
In the practice of VTS, I see a manifestation of kriya yoga, as
morning during the school year. They are able to do so because of
defined by Patanjali in Sutra II.1: Tapah svadhyaya
the in-depth training and ongoing professional development
Isvarapranidhanani kriyayogah. “Burning zeal in practice, self-
sessions that my small staff and I provide. All of us work together
study and study of scriptures, and surrender to God are the acts
with a shared commitment to and love of engaging people with
of yoga” (B.K.S. Iyengar’s translation). In his commentary, Mr.
art. We do so largely by asking questions.
Iyengar reminds us that for Patanjali, “The practice of yoga is
Photo by Jake Clennell
the ‘yoga of action’”—in other words, we practice yoga as we
The foundation of our approach to teaching with art is a
live our lives engaged with this world, not by going off to a
method called the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) (Learn more
remote cave in the mountains. From his Inside the Yoga Sutras, I
at www.vtshome.org). A VTS discussion is structured around
find Reverend Jaganath Carrera’s definition of the three
three basic questions that a facilitator poses to a group about a
components—tapas, svadhyaya, and Isvara pranidhana—
carefully selected artwork:
particularly accessible and applicable to our lives today:
1. What’s going on in this picture? 2. What do you see that makes you say that? 3. What more can we find?
• Tapas: “the acceptance of challenges as a help for
When people respond to the first question, the facilitator
• Isvara pranidhana: “leading a life dedicated to God (self-
purification” • Svadhyaya: “refinement of the intellect through introspection and the acquisition of knowledge (study)”
paraphrases their observations in a neutral, accepting manner.
surrender)”
When appropriate, she asks the second question, probing for visual evidence to back up the observation. In between
As a VTS facilitator, to accurately paraphrase people’s
respondents, the facilitator asks the third question, as a
observations, I have to listen actively and restate the essence of
reminder that there’s always more that can be found within a
the comment in a way that validates. Through acceptance of all
great work of art. After all, our interpretations are largely based
observations equally, I strive to cultivate a supportive
on what we bring to the artwork—how we personally engage
environment in which people feel comfortable sharing.
with what we are seeing in front of us. There are no wrong
Simultaneously, I am pointing to the specific area of the
answers, but there are multiple “right” answers. Together, we
artwork they’re talking about and linking their comments to
build a shared body of knowledge.
others already mentioned in the discussion. Though the process may seem simple, it’s deceptively so.
There is a beautiful parallel between the VTS method and the Iyengar method: actively do or observe, question, go deeper,
To facilitate a VTS discussion well takes a lot of practice and an
then let go.
incredible amount of discipline—tapas. Every time, after I teach
Spring/Summer 2014 Yoga Samachar
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