Self Care for Teachers (and Homeschoolers)

In this post, I’m going to discuss one simple, yet profoundly important, practice of self care for teachers and homeschoolers. Teaching can be and is deeply rewarding. At the same time, it calls us to live a high ideal. As Indian saint Shrii Shrii Anandamurtii, founder of spiritual movement Ananda Marga and Neohumanist Education says, “Teachers are the gurus of society.” The only way to live up to such an ideal is to become a high performance person, and for that self care for teachers is a necessity.

Now, there are many self help protocols and books out there. Affirmations, trips to the spa, walks in nature, nourishing meals, journaling, retreats, etc. etc. are included in those. All of those things are certainly helpful. I’ll be the first to admit how far a good meal takes me. However, I don’t personally find those things enough. Therefore, I’m going to advocate something potentially far more mystical which I can only hint at here. Simply put, it is this: find a practical method to connect with the eternal and infinite within oneself, daily.

What do I mean, “the eternal and infinite?”

Human culture since its beginning has found myriad ways to point to that which is transcendent and eternal and has called it by many names that I need not mention here. Some just call it Self with a capital ‘S.’ To me, this eternal and infinite thing is not a religious thing, but something that can be found within. In fact, it is a very practical thing closer to oneself than one’s own hand.

This infinite being is self-created and self-sustaining. It is a self within one’s self, or as Rudolf Steiner calls it, the “Higher Being” within us all. In Aramaic, Jesus referred to Himself as Enana, which translated means, “I within I.” (I believe that’s why Rastafarians say “I and I” still to this day.) I can’t exactly describe what this thing is, but I believe I can point to it when I ask, have you ever known something you couldn’t have possibly known unless you had extrasensory perception? I’m sure you have. We all have, and the reason we can know things beyond our sense perception is because something exists within us that spans time and space. In other words, something eternal.

I’m not advocating a religion, nor even religion itself. Rather, I’m advocating that we, as teachers and human beings in general, find a way to commune with this eternal being inside of us every day. Another name for it is intuition.

So, why is this an essential part of self care for teachers?

Here’s the thing, we live in a world of duality. We experience ourselves as separate and distinct. Gender, race, culture, finances, language – all these and more are reasons to be in conflict with each other. We do actually need this duality in order to develop as individuals. Yet, if it’s all we know, we will never raise our earthly individuality to it’s eternal birthright. We will become the prisoner of external, sense-based, materialistic reality. Put another way, we will become slaves to that which is fleeting, and how can that be a recipe for lasting happiness, which is the true self care in life?

Naturally, self care for teachers must start here. Massages and nourishing meals are great, but all of that means nothing if we are not connected inwardly with our Source. When we are, we find a respite from all the conflict, strife, and challenge of the world of duality. The students or children that challenge us start to lose their edge. We find more clarity, ease, faith, guidance, peace. The world finds its orientation and we do, too. Then, our energy coalesces in a focused and highly effective way, and that is the best self care of all. We become our best selves.

I realize that for some readers, this post may sound abstract and far out. Feel free to contact me to chat on a personal level. May you find your freedom in life and teaching.