The Difference Between Guilt and Shame
Last night before class I visited with my yoga teacher, Denise, and the teacher who taught the class before ours.

Denise was telling a story about a difficult yoga student who was having an anger problem at class. (Sounds funny but this isn't the first time I've heard a story about a hostile student bumping heads with a yoga teacher.)

Then Theresa told about being a new student and having to do something in class that she didn't like or holding a pose too long and how it made her mad at the instructor. "Why is she making us do this? Bitch."

So then I told about being a new yoga student and not being able to do the poses or keep up with the class and how that made me feel mad at myself, because if I'd started yoga a long time ago, I could do this stuff already.

"And that," Denise said, "is the difference between guilt and shame." Then she left to help a new student get signed in.

Theresa and I looked at each and said, "But which is which?"