The concept of a journey, or a progression, seems to me to be based in the ego. It comforts us to think that we are heading towards a goal and that we are getting better at what we are doing. But is this is missing the point? If you are on a journey it is inevitably away from the goal of Yoga. A journey implies action and action is karma. Yoga is the state of no karma.

Use the concept of a “journey” or a “river flowing to the sea” if it helps motivate you to put your mat down, but know in your heart of hearts that there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You are abiding in the pot of gold at every moment. You just need to realise it. 

The beautiful thing I have learned from him applies to my own practice and to my teaching. So many of my students have great difficulty with Marichasana D, but the difficulty exists in their heads. It is their attitude to the posture that is creating the problem, not the posture itself. I have found time and again with my students and in my own practice that if you let go of your expectations for a posture and focus on breathing softly and steadily, there is no difficulty. Sure you may not get the bind, but you will get closer by relaxing than by fighting, and your practice will be much more enjoyable. Just breathe. It’s true and it works. Just breathe.

Today, I wonder why this is. Partly it is my own nature. Partly it is the nature of the Ashtanga Vinyasa practice. Here is a great quote from one of the most experienced practitioners of Ashtanga in the world; Richard Freeman.

When someone says they teach Patanjali yoga, the eight limbs of yoga,
they are implying that not only do they teach asana and pranayama but
also samadhi and all of the stages of meditation and then the release, or
the self-realization through samadhi. My experience of Guruji is that this
is what his interest is. Practically his only interest in life is to fulfill the
whole yoga system. His emphasis is, of course, on intense asana practice
at first, but through that asana practice with the vinyasa methodology he
is also teaching the fundamentals of pranayama and meditation. And
much later on in his system, these particular parts are separated out and
refined. But in a sense he is teaching the eight limbs initially through
asana practice, and when one picks up the thread inside, we find that the
other limbs are very easy to practice. And so he is saying the first four
limbs of yoga—yama, niyama, asana, and pranayama—are very difficult,
but if you are grounded in them, the internal limbs are easy and occur
spontaneously, naturally.

I have always had a sense that Yoga is a practical science. What we practice on the mat is only one part of it, but it is through the strong physical practice that we discover the desire, patience and courage to unfold all the 8 limbs.

We live in a time when we are subject to a constant barrage of stimulation and distraction. Our diet, the water we drink, the air we breathe, are all full of toxins. A strong practice that generates inner fire and sweat is essential in this day and age to break down these barriers and create an environment where stillness can flourish.

The most common mistake is to get ahead of oneself. Guruji always said “Slowly, one by one you take…” So many of us are in a hurry and are looking to shortcut the process. Along the way, they are also forgetting the stages of life they must acknowledge and pass through. Before we even consider withdrawing, we must fulfill our obligations to ourselves and to those around us. It is while we are passing through these stages that the groundwork that Asana combined with Vinyasa gives us, should be practiced assiduously.

Once you have found the teacher and method that resonates, then you must dedicate yourself to that practice. There are no shortcuts in Yoga, so you need to learn patience. Yoga is surrender, so you need to surrender to the teacher, the method and the process. Your desire to teach should come from your passion for your own yoga practice, not because you think that being a yoga teacher sounds nice. When my Guru, Sri K Pattabhi Jois was asked what is the most important attribute a Yoga Teacher should have, he said “A strong daily Practice.” It is essential, if you intend to lead others through a process, that you have experienced it yourself. This requires years of practice, not just a few weeks at a Yoga Teacher Training course. A Yoga practice will gently, but steadily dismantle the ego. The tradition provides a safe framework for this. A teacher must be strong to provide support and guidance within that framework.

The tradition of Yoga says that your teacher will tell you when you are ready to teach. This is why it is important to choose the right teacher! Beneath all that we think we are and all that we think we need, is the breath. On the other side of the breath is the divine. To pass through the breath into the divine you must be one-pointed like the arrow. Firing a shotgun and hoping one pellet gets through won’t work. The method of throwing the net wide hinders the process. The less clutter in your mind the less you have to shed. Take one path, respect the method and respect your teacher. Choose a teacher who understands and respects the tradition that is Yoga. Let your teacher guide you towards the choice to teach.

Travel to India to study. India is the home of yoga, and to truly understand it you should travel to its source. Most Yoga Lineages will have a home somewhere in India where you can go and study. Make the commitment! A trip to India to study Yoga is a life changing experience that can only enhance your teaching.

If your passion to teach has survived this, and your teacher has said you are ready to teach, then it is best to find a supportive environment, like an existing school, in which to take the first step. If you cannot apprentice yourself to your teacher, or teach in the same school, then ask for their advice. They will have been through the same process and will be able to help you avoid some of the mistakes that they made. See if you can offer your time to help at a school in exchange for the chance to observe or help in classes. This is when the real learning begins. Every student that comes to you is a chance to learn. You will never know all there is to know about Yoga or teaching Yoga. That is the beauty of it! Respect your students and treat them with the compassion and love that your teacher gave to you, and you cannot go too far wrong. Have no expectations and be humble with respect to what you have to offer. Teach from the heart, not the head. Most important of all, enjoy.

My thanks to Kara-Leah and to Nick Potter for asking the question and getting me thinking about it. The thoughts are my own but would not exist where it not for my Guru, the late Sri K Pattabhi Jois. I humbly offer them in his memory.

First, Master Asana…

My Guru, Sri K Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India said to me on numerous occasions “First, master asana, then take Pranayama. When you have mastered Pranayama, then take meditation”. What I find amazing (and I think he did too) is that we Westerners seem to think that mastering asana will only take a couple of years, 5 tops and then we will be ready to move on. Samadhi here we come! I began my yoga practice in 1992 and have been practicing asana regularly 4-6 times a week since 1993 and the more I do the more I know I have to learn. Every practice I do uncovers some new subtlety or nuance to some asana. I believe that to master asana takes more than one life time of effort. This may be daunting for some, but I find it liberating. It means there is no pressure. I can take my time and enjoy the process.

I recently read an advertisement for a meditation workshop that had the by-line “do you find that the good feeling you get from asana is short-lived? Want to take your practice to the next level?” There seems to me a lack of understanding there that comes from a lack of guidance. Perhaps the reason that the feeling is short lived is that you need to put more work into your asana practice. How can we know that we have mastered asana and are ready to move on? Our teacher, who has themselves worked through this process with their teacher, will be able to tell us. This is not a decision we can make for ourselves!

Why the need to work so much on asana? After all, as Bryant says:

..from the the 900- odd references to yoga in the Mahabharata, there are only two mentions of asana, posture…… Patanjali himself dedicates only three brief sutras from his text to this aspect of the practice¹.

My feeling is that at the time of Patanjali and the Mahabharata mastery of asana by yoga practitioners was assumed. In modern times that assumption can not be made. We need to start from the absolute beginning. Pattbhi Jois always said that without adequate asana practice a person’s nervous system and the system of Nadis would not be able to cope or get any benefit from Pranayama or meditation. Sure, you can sit there and breathe through the nose blocking one nostril and then the other, but you may be fooling yourself if you think this is the Pranayama of Ashtanga Yoga. This is not to say that there is not benefit from these practices, and indeed, many people do derive great benefit from doing various forms of breathing exercise and meditation practice. But without the strength of body and strength of purpose that regular asana practice gives, you will have a very tall mountain to climb. “Practice, practice, practice” as Guruji always said. And don’t forget to revel in the journey. Enjoy.