This trip to Myosre has been a big eye opener to me. For years I have been desperately seeking recognition, wanting an authorization paper, a certificate, a stamp that says "you have put in the time", something that would fill in a desperate void and make me feel like a true yogi.
But I got to think a little deeper about it. What does it mean to be authorized? Authorized to what? To continue on a lineage? To be a beacon of light and and a guide to others who are interested in the path? And how do we do that if we don't first become the beacon?
Wanting some validation, or some external certificate, is a way of filling an emptiness or insecurity that perhaps we didn't realize we had. The true yogi is overflowing with a happiness generated by every limb of the yoga sutras working in conjunction.
Nobody can give me a certificate for this. Nobody might even know it but me. And once that certificate is hanging on the wall, will the emptiness that desperately requires it truly be filled?
I was shocked to see some advanced students screaming at the coconut guy, one of the coconut guys, the details do not matter, it may not have even been a coconut guy, the point is there was rudness, yelling. I was shocked to see advanced students gossiping, or advanced students resenting the levels reached by others.
The point I am trying to make is that I am surprised to see many people calling themselves yogis of a certain level who cannot, will not, be kind, be honest, be happy. Of course this includes me too, I am not perfect, and I make mistakes.
I think the path of the yogi is hard, and the aspiring yogi is a rarity rather than the norm. Which means that the true yogi, who follows the precepts of the yoga sutras (rather than simply having a certificate or putting in the "200 hours"or "8,000 hours") is even more rare.
By "not hurting" I mean just what the Buddha said, BEFORE DURING AND AFTER doing anything make sure you are not hurting anyone, in feelings, in thoughts, physically of course. Not hurting in any way. How is that for a challenge? Can we even do that for ONE DAY?
What is the point of being certified if we then yell at the papaya vendor because he made a mistake over 2 rupees. What is the point of being a Senior Iyengar teacher if we spread gossip.
We are given a need for credentials and validation by the economic, political, and social norms we grew up with. Our "original emptiness" was encouraged by much of the despair around us and we think a certificate (of any sort) might help us climb out of the hole that our unhappiness has placed us in. But true yoga comes from a place so deep inside, no certificate can touch it. And a starting point is not advanced asanas but simply being kind to others.
In the end, when we are mean to others we are mean to ourselves. No point in all the asana showing off if we cannot cultivate purity, no point at all.
I enjoyed India, learning asanas from the best teachers in the world, being thrown into a culture and society I will never truly understand but love the mysteries of, learning, listening to the early morning chanting that rises above the rooftops to wake everyone to look towards their respective gods and pray.
I also enjoyed sharing quality time with yogis who are true seekers, deep into the path, questioning every move and movitvation, going deeper into yoga, diving down into the ocean of spirit.
I love yoga and all the adventures it brings me to. But the path to yoga is not in India, or in a certificate, or in an advanced pose. It is only inside myself.
But I got to think a little deeper about it. What does it mean to be authorized? Authorized to what? To continue on a lineage? To be a beacon of light and and a guide to others who are interested in the path? And how do we do that if we don't first become the beacon?
Wanting some validation, or some external certificate, is a way of filling an emptiness or insecurity that perhaps we didn't realize we had. The true yogi is overflowing with a happiness generated by every limb of the yoga sutras working in conjunction.
Nobody can give me a certificate for this. Nobody might even know it but me. And once that certificate is hanging on the wall, will the emptiness that desperately requires it truly be filled?
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| Will that fill the internal hole? |
The point I am trying to make is that I am surprised to see many people calling themselves yogis of a certain level who cannot, will not, be kind, be honest, be happy. Of course this includes me too, I am not perfect, and I make mistakes.
I think the path of the yogi is hard, and the aspiring yogi is a rarity rather than the norm. Which means that the true yogi, who follows the precepts of the yoga sutras (rather than simply having a certificate or putting in the "200 hours"or "8,000 hours") is even more rare.
By "not hurting" I mean just what the Buddha said, BEFORE DURING AND AFTER doing anything make sure you are not hurting anyone, in feelings, in thoughts, physically of course. Not hurting in any way. How is that for a challenge? Can we even do that for ONE DAY?
 |
| The number one test for an aspiring yogi |
We are given a need for credentials and validation by the economic, political, and social norms we grew up with. Our "original emptiness" was encouraged by much of the despair around us and we think a certificate (of any sort) might help us climb out of the hole that our unhappiness has placed us in. But true yoga comes from a place so deep inside, no certificate can touch it. And a starting point is not advanced asanas but simply being kind to others.
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| We are trained into thinking these have a lot more value than they do |
I enjoyed India, learning asanas from the best teachers in the world, being thrown into a culture and society I will never truly understand but love the mysteries of, learning, listening to the early morning chanting that rises above the rooftops to wake everyone to look towards their respective gods and pray.
I also enjoyed sharing quality time with yogis who are true seekers, deep into the path, questioning every move and movitvation, going deeper into yoga, diving down into the ocean of spirit.
I love yoga and all the adventures it brings me to. But the path to yoga is not in India, or in a certificate, or in an advanced pose. It is only inside myself.
Great post!!! It's something I too struggle with. Needing to be validated. Needing to fit in with the "real" yogis. It is quite a shock when you have the realization that the people who are considered "real" yogis do not live by the principles of the yama and niyamas. I may not be seen as a real yogi on the outside because I can't do advanced asanas but I'm striving to be a real yogi on the inside (where the magic happens anyway)
ReplyDeleteMirella, I relate, I struggle with it too, i think it is a profound transformation to realize that it can only come from within, this validation we are seeking, and that in the end there is no validation at all, just the peace and centeredness of knowing that one is rooted in truth, in non-violence, in not-stealing, anything, not energy, not money, not spotlight, using only what is ours.
DeleteIt is so basic, yet a hard one to come around... I suppose our culture influences us deeply too, it is a process! and yes, as you say, it is within that the magic really happens, when we start following the basic yamas and niyamas, that IS the secret!
lovely post and so true. I feel I hope I have learned more about myself through the practice of yoga than the asanas themselves
ReplyDeleteYes Joanna, think that is the point, we learn through all of them the asanas also, but without the yamas/niyamas... no point really.... I agree with you!
DeleteThank you Lila :-)
ReplyDeleteClaudia
ReplyDeleteI am very happy that you have learnt this wonderful lesson in your trip to Mysore . One of the reasons why I slowed down a lot in my yoga ( i.e external yoga ambitions ) was precisely due to this disconnect I saw in many senior yoga teachers ( it does not matter which yoga style they belonged ) .I saw many people not living even to the basic tenets of Yoga while some of them have even authored books ,conducting TTC Programs world wide ,studied under famous teachers etc .I am not judging any one of them .I am just pointing out the huge disconnect between what they claim to be and what they are in day to day life . That is one of the reasons why I put a new title to my blog :http://eyogateacher.blogspot.in/ as
"Bringing Yoga to Life - The everyday practice of Enlightened Living " . This is the title of Senior Yoga teacher Donna Frahi's book and this book deals with all the issues that you have raised in your blog post .I suggest every yoga practitioner goes through that book .
So for me Yoga is both on the mat and off the mat and I have found very few people living both in a balanced way but more than trying to find it in other people ,I want to set an example of living both in my day to day life and I know that is itself a big yoga for me and that there is no Cerification for it and every nite before going to sleep I need to evaluate myself as to how far I lived by Yogic principles on and off the mat .
Krishna, thanks, and also thanks for the link to the site, will keep in on the blogroll. I agree with the need to clarify and review our actions daily, good point. Appreciate your comment
DeleteHere's what I struggle with--situations like those advanced yogis, or even John Friend, who has done yoga for years. It seems like the yoga doesn't work at all--that the system is just like any human system--terribly terribly flawed. You do seem true and real and like you are working with integrity to try to be your best and to be honest when you are not. But that may be you--something you have become unrelated to yoga. It may be who you are. Maybe it's not the yoga, not the yoga at all. That is my worry. And if you are who you write, you are a true yogi--it has nothing to do w/ the poses. So why should we put ourselves into all of these shapes? Or perhaps, it's the surrender that does it--to something greater, and that can come by giving yourself over to the poses, or to prayer, or to a higher source. Perhaps it's surrender to what is good and true more than anything.
ReplyDeleteTara
Tara, you make a huge and very important point, it is true that there might NOT really be a method at all, I am thinking and reading your comment over, I believe I may be writing a whole ohter post on this. I find that yoga gives some guidelines, but then again, in the end even those may not be necessary... it may come from somewhere else... you leave me thinking
DeleteGreat post, Claudia! I'm really happy you have had such a fruitful trip to Mysore. :-)
DeleteTara, I think you bring up some really great points here. So much so, that I have taken the liberty of using your comments as a launching point for a new post on my blog. Thank you for bringing up these issues.
Relevant
ReplyDeletea previous post coming from yogadawg
http://www.yogadawg.com/images/76208-300%20copy.jpg
I admire your honesty :)
Thank you Philippine yogi, and good one... :-)
DeleteThank you! I have been studying at a Ashtanga-influenced studio for 3 years and became a RYT last year. I think ashtanga can bring out the competitive nature in people if they allow it to happen. When I teach, or practice, I try to encourage joy and fun. I think if you're smiling (externally or just smiling in your mind) you're less likely to get wrapped up in your "performance" and if you are glancing at someone else (and admit it, we all do that!) instead of feeling competitive you'll feel inspired - or maybe even discover a secret that will help to unlock the asana for you! I love it when my students laugh in class because it's a sign that their practice brings them joy - and we all need more of that in our world. Shanti!
ReplyDeleteLaura I agree with that, but I think here I am going further than asana, more into what happens outside of the class, more like, can we be good to the supermarket chashier... regarldess of weather or not we laugh or take the class lightly... I appreciate you encouraging joy thought, I see it is a very good sign! :-)
Deletetrue.
ReplyDeleteLove you Claudia, bless you for speaking what I've have had in my mind for a while now. I always assume(my bad) because someone has a beautiful practice or because they live on an ashram that they have risen above the ego reactions. In my experience it's been quite the opposite. Sharath put it straight, a Yogi/Yogini does not need a certificate or authorisation to be that, they just follow the path which is a hell of a lot more than asana, some teachers I know eat animals and do drugs, no judgement here, but are those the beacons of light I want shining on me? As a solitary practitioner, I have a lot of time and space to explore inside myself, so I do not feel that I need any paper to tell me I'm spiritual or an accomplished yogini, however as a teacher, it's kind of expected to have some certificate of completion to get a job. I believe the whole "Teacher Training" money-making machine needs to slow waaaaay the hell down, people just need to go inside and practice, whatever that means to them. Guruji's words are more powerful and as profound as ever...."practice and all is coming" so very simple. Be well Claudia and thank you for your posts.
ReplyDeleteHi JayaKrishna, yes we all need to slow down and look within, I agree with that, and check on our intentions, motivations and get real honest...
DeleteGood post! I also find it troubling that yoga doesn't seem to "work" for so many advanced practitioners. A few years ago, I had no idea this was the case. But it's clearly true. The more you get to know the yoga world, the more you see it. Definitely an issue to grapple with.
ReplyDeleteHi Carol, good to read from you, and yes, definitelly one to grapple with as you say, new word for me "grapple", love it :-)
Deletekindness is tremendously important. in fact, that's the one thing i think is missing in the self help arena - how to be truly kind - the dalai lama writes about it sometimes.
ReplyDeleteon another note, the ashtangi yogis i'm aware all go through incredible challenges and then overcome them. i wonder if the yoga itself invites challenges to overcome. i don't practice ashtanga currently, but am impressed by the feeling of strength from the practice from the few times i've done it.
It might be the case. People are people and therefore there are all different kinds, I suppose we all have different constitutions, dnas, karmas, I definitelly think it is good to be on the path, but perhaps the mosti mportant thing is to become very clear that without being kind and true there is no yoga.
DeleteWell said, Claudia. ♥
ReplyDeleteThank you Kathryn
Delete"...But true yoga comes from a place so deep inside, no certificate can touch it. And a starting point is not advanced asanas but simply being kind to others."
ReplyDeleteWell-said Claudia, this is such a beautiful post, just like the other pieces you've written from your trip to Mysore. Loving all of them.
Thank you D :-)
DeleteStrange thing about teaching yoga, just when you get to the point where you start to get a glimmer of what it might all be about or that it might actually be about something you'd like to look at more deeply you become a yoga teacher which is basically a small business and all that entails. Surely the last thing you want to be concerned with, the promotion, making sure you have enough students to eat, enough for your little studio to survive, tax , rent, overheads, money money money. I get that somebody might wants to share what they've learned but at the stage most seem to start thinking about becoming teachers they haven't really learned that much, some asana say, a tadge of pranayama if they were lucky a couple of pocketfuls of sketchily understood yoga philosophy. I get that somebody might want to have a life of yoga and see teaching as the way to do that, making yoga their livelihood but i'm not convinced that's the best way to go about it.
ReplyDeletePractice ,just practice.
I want to be a yogi too. I want to practice more, explore my practice stay in asana's for longer, ten, twenty, fifty breaths, inhabit asana, spend longer and longer exploring pranayama, delving deeper into the breath, devote more time to my meditation, to chanting, studying the texts, the old scriptures and take time to think them through and then thing them through again....and again. I want a job that supports my yoga practice, right livelihood, the odd private student might be nice to share some of the teaching, help them with their asana say but I'm not convinced being dependent on yoga for a living is a good thing. I cringe every time i see a FB notification of a workshop or of somebody's school/business, seems almost a conflict of interests as if becoming a yoga teacher takes you further away from yoga rather than bringing you closer.
Quit your job, stack shelves, quit the shala, you've learned enough there to be able to practice alone now, work in a health food store all you need is a little food and a roof over your head, yogi's needs aren't many, rather than another workshop or trip to mysore just practice more all year round
I was reading Tree of Life by Iyengar, and, think what you might of his analogy, he was comparing yoga to the four caste system of India, how in the beginning you are a laborer, learning those asanas and sweating, and learning about yoga, then you are a merchant because you have to start teaching to support your practice, then eventualy you even quarrel with otehrs or compete for your place as a teacher, which would be the warrior caste and finally you reach enlightenement or the brhamin.... I know, it is a suspicious metaphor, yet the one he makes...
DeleteMade me wonder, cause He himself started teaching yoga, as a sick man who had not precisely spent THAT long with Krishnamacharya....
In the end I suppose it is all about how each of us are put together, our indivudual tendencies, some of us want to teach right away, some of us want to go deeper, some dont want anyhing at all.
But what you say is true, not much is needed for a simple life, although it is good to have a comfortable life so that the practice of yoga can get the right amount of energy and dedication.
This also leaves me wondering G, so many comments here are posing very interesting questions! Yours is one of them for sure.
Grimmly you speak the truth man.....too right mate, love it. Thank you for being so direct.
ReplyDeleteYou got me thinking Claudia and i checked Iyengar started teaching in 1937, that old B&W movie was from '38, he seems a bit, dare I say Ashtanga'ish in that movie so just before he began to find his own way. I was just looking at that movie he does a half lotus kapo while bound (holding onto the toe of the half lotus foot) hadn't noticed that before.
ReplyDeleteYour right of course re individual tendencies, must be so hard to find a sense of balance between your own practice and those of your students, especially in the beginning.
Oh, Claudia, thank you. Beautifully written.
ReplyDeleteA display of unpleasant rudeness by those who are doing this practice is surprising and disturbing - but maybe it just means that they still have some samskaras that need to be worn away and/or replaced!
No matter how much asana practice you do, or how far you "advance", it's really just one of the limbs - and the one Patanjali mentioned the least, too. Asana is just the foundation on which we build the practice, as PJ said here - http://ashtangayogashala.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=199&Itemid=168
(Thankfully, there's a transcript, as it's hard to hear him on the video - too many rushing motorcycles outside the Shala!)
Thank you Michelle, what a treasure, had seen the website but not this page in particular, very appropiate too :-)
DeleteClaudia, as usual this is a thoughtful post, written from the heart, creating a community of engaged and grateful readers.
ReplyDeleteI am a relatively un-advanced ashtanga student, having started in my 50s, but I had many years of experience with psychoanalytic psychotheraphy before I began. The Ashtanga practice has made it easier to live the realized life I was striving for before. The insights i gained are less abstract, and the process of evolution and transformation is very similar. I am also a member of a community revolving around religious practice and social obligations.
In all these spheres, I find some failure, some bad behavior, which could be interpreted many ways. One is to think that there's hypocrisy and the system is inherently flawed. Another is to see that we ae all striving, and these frameworks for evolving into kinder and more aware, compassionate and self-aware beings are only guidelines. We are imperfect, we don't always make it. We stumble, we fail, we get up, we learn. I fail anyway.
Many ashtangis start from a place of neediness, brokenness, confusion, seeking. It's a long way from there to a life of kindness and goodness. Some make it and others are trying. We need to learn from each other along the way, take off our blinders and see our mistakes. I guess the question is whether Ashtanga alone offers a way to jump through the superficial (mechanical knowledge or performance of asana)to get at the heart of yoga, the heart of life. I don't know the answer. I use all the tools I can get my hands on and I'm always trying to do better. I just know that I'm a bit better and truer member of my family than I was before. I try to see from the heart and be present and honest as well as kind. I am working my way down the yoga path.
Thank you for your writing and thinking on these important subjects.
S
Anon, I agree with you, that is how I see it too, we are on a path, we discover what is important as we go, priorities change. I was looking at the link that Michele sent in particular just now, (coincidence?) where Guruji is talking about how pranayama (an advanced practice, one that comes after solidlty steady in asana, is not correct without yama and niyama.
DeleteMy point is just to stress how important it is to start here, together with the asana to really start looking into being truthfull, kind, clean, contented, etc...
I also agree with you that things get better as we explore, life changes, it has no choice but to :-) Appreciate your comment
addition to post above--when I say i am a bit better member of my family, I mean since I started practicing yoga. It has given me a way to reach inside myself and get to my heart. Of course I don't always do it, but the yoga does help.
ReplyDeleteS
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ReplyDeleteSo true! Wonderful post. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteso true!! Thank You!
ReplyDeleteClaudia, loved your post. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThere is only one thing I would like to say. We can not justify rudeness, violence, anger. It is not a yogui attitude but sometimes being in India is difficult, a very different kind of culture and we are not used to people cheating when you want to buy some stuff in the coconut stand, the market, wherever. Travelling alone, as a woman in India can be difficult too. Nothing wrong will happen but Indian men can be annoying... So, there is a very thin line between the limits and being agresive. It is a challenge, one of the samskaras that must be burnt.
Again, thanks so much for this post :)
Jacqueline and Zee Zee, thank you.
ReplyDeleteLucia, I went alone on my first trip to India so I agree. I feel that when someone is rude towards me setting up clear in boundaries is immediately in order. Discrimination is the key word. Being kind does not mean we let others run over us, no, not at all, we train people on how we want to be treated by being clear about what we will accept and what we will not. It is a balance, but I find that setting clear paaramenters sets the stage, then being kind is what follows, especially towards outselves
Such a great post - I lived in Mysore for more than three years and I saw a lot of what goes on in the yoga scene. Not all of it is pretty! India also tends to put us all through fire... I think studying in Mysore is not just about being in the shala, it's about dealing with everyday life in India (and Mysore is really, really easy and hassle-free compared to a lot of India!)
ReplyDeleteHi Claudia,
ReplyDeleteI am interested knowing what is the daily activity that you are doing in your Mysore trip, i.e what time do
the students start their practice, and do they have any other "workshop" afterward?
Is is possible for you to share with us?
Namaste
Satu, it is indeed.
ReplyDeleteOm, well, not sure about what everyone does but I can tell you what I do. The practice uses most of the morning time/energy... depending on when you go and how long you stay your time for practice can range from 10:45 AM to 4:30 AM...
After that there is chanting at noon usually
Then for me that is enough, I try to recover for the next day, and read texts on the yoga sutras or other inspiring texts, lately I am loving I AM THAT... yogic texts.
There are however classes at the shala on the sutras or on chanting which you can attend in the afternoon. For more you can see a page I created called MysorePedia.com
This is just my thought. teaching might seems like a way to make a living but I feel like it's much more than that. teaching is giving and is a great way to practice loving-kindness and compassion from seeing that others too are suffering.
ReplyDeleteA yogi is the one who has seen the soul, rest are seers or in the process of seeing.
ReplyDelete