Even if you speak the same language, it is easy to misunderstand and be misunderstood if you are not familiar with the cultural nuances or colloquialisms of each place.
I remember when I moved from Venezuela to Chile, it took me at least three weeks to learn Chilean Spanish before I fully understood what was being said to me. And it still took me several years to really get into their customs and culture so that I didn’t feel like a tourist.
Here in Taiwan… there is still a long way to go, still surviving on smiles, lots of mistakes, sign language and internet translators.
So many days I do what any yoga teacher would do: be human. I panic! And then… I put into practice that yoga is not only for the mat.
I exhale, inhale and exhale again as much as I can. Then I repeat the process, while noticing if the rest of my body is stiff and trying to soften my jaw.
But, above all, I try to practice non-violence, first by avoiding hurting myself with judgments or regrets and then with the rest of the world, because getting in trouble with the law would be a misjudgment.
I remind myself that: I am safe. I am doing the best I can, and that is yoga: the moment when you stop and choose presence over panic, even if you realize it won’t work right away; the instant you relax in the face of uncertainty and remember who you are.