Conference today was refreshing, uplifting, funny and
educational. Sharath spoke of many
things, took quite a few questions, demonstrated some simple breathing exercise,
spoke of sacrifice, dedication, what is yoga and made time to fit in a few
jokes too.
One student asked him why there is difference between how
senior teachers who used to study with Guruji many years ago teach and how
things are taught today. Sharath couldn’t
help but laugh and try to explain to this student that yoga isn’t about the postures;
the postures are here to help us stabilize the body and the mind – that is
all. The student continued to ask the
same question over and over because he was not getting the answer that he
wanted…he kept missing the point…yoga is not about the postures, not about how
one so called senior teacher may teach you to raise your arms straight up and
he teaches us to raise our arms to the side…yoga is about coming and taking
practice in order to steady the body and mind…that is all. Again the student asked using an example,
these senior teachers say they learned from Guruji and were allowed to start
second series without having to stand up from backbends, why is it different
now. Sharath stated this is different because
your body must be ready, and if you cannot stand up from backbends the system
is not ready for second series postures; it is not safe, it is not yoga to do
something more advanced simply because you want to, it is important for this
yoga to go deep, to change you and you need time, dedication, surrender for
this to happen. This students
persistence in getting a different answer somewhat annoyed Sharath who finally
explained that just because someone came to Mysore to study for three months
with Guruji in the 1980’s or the 1960’s does not necessarily make them a ‘senior
teacher’ and if these teachers are boasting they teach differently, the way Guruji
used to teach, they too are missing the point of yoga. He briefly mentioned that many so called
senior teachers never learned the asanas correctly, could not themselves do the
postures correctly, and gives students too many postures at one time simply
because they want to be liked or because the student wants them, regardless of
if the student is ready to take them.
This is not yoga. Sharath
explained he teaches the way he does because he wants his students to
understand yoga, the philosophy, the asanas, what it means to do yoga. Perfection of asanas is important to him for
his students because it ensures they have dedicated themselves to allowing this
yoga to go deep, to be more than just movements. It is important because the body must be
ready for postures that come next, and a teacher is doing a student an
injustice giving them many postures, ready or not. Sharath also mentioned that when Guruji was
young, he was a very strict teacher.
Some people, who no longer acknowledge the institute, boast they are
senior teachers, perhaps boast they are better than Sharath, and perhaps are
missing the point of yoga. Sharath
beautifully stated that he does not know everything; there is still so much to
learn.
One student asked Sharath what one is to do if they cannot
afford to come study in India, but want to have and maintain a dedicated
practice. I loved his answer to this
question. We can afford cell phones and
nice meals, nice clothes, etc but we cannot afford yoga? He spoke of so many of his students who make
tremendous sacrifices to come study with him each year, bringing their
children, sacrificing many things to ‘find’ the money to come to India and
study with him b/c they want to learn the truth of what is yoga, they want to
learn this practice properly under his guidance. If so many of these people can do, everyone
can do. So many families coming now brining their
children, uprooting their lives to come learn proper practice, to understand
this yoga, to show their dedication for this practice, this lineage – if parents
can make such tremendous sacrifices and bring their children, it is possible
for anyone to do. He chuckled and
advised someone to skip one meal per day for some time until they saved enough
for the trip.
Someone asked what they are to do when people speak ill
words about their teacher. Sharath sat
back quietly for a moment and said, “When dogs bark it doesn’t bother the
heavens.” Many people will speak ill words about many things. We are to ignore those people and their
words.
He spoke of how some people will come to this practice and
it will not help them because they do not want it to, or perhaps are not ready
for it to…It is like giving a diamond to a monkey. He will not understand how precious the gem
is and will use it to play cricket. Some
will come to this practice, will not understand it, and they will use it for
reasons other than for steadiness of mind and body. And this is also the result of someone not
learning the practice correctly. If
someone takes or is given too many postures they are not ready for, it will
have negative effects on the body and mind, it will boast the ego, not soften
it. Thus it is not only important to
truly master a posture so the body has the time to become steady and
comfortable before moving on to the next, it is vital for the mind also.
One student asked how this practice has changed over the
years, since the early days Guruji was teaching to now. He said the yoga has not changed, not at all. Yoga has been around since the beginning of
time, since the existence of the Vedas.
Yoga has not changed at all, but perhaps some people are trying to
change yoga. Some people today use this
practice for reasons other than what it is intended for – to steady the body
and the mind. Some people use this yoga
to make YouTube videos and get many fans and show people how good they can do
this asana or that asana. This is not
the purpose of yoga. In these ways some
people have changed yoga, why they do yoga, but the yoga itself has not.
On the topic of pranayama, Sharath explained pranayama
should not be taught until asana is mastered, as it is stated in the yoga
sutras. Also, someone should not learn
pranayama from a book because it must be learned from teacher to student, and
ONLY when one is ready. Otherwise it can
have very negative effects on one’s mind.
He took time during conference to demonstrate simple alternate nostril
breathing, with no kumbhaka. After demonstration
he instructed everyone to do with him.
He showed correct hand placement, and we each took inhalations through
the left nostril and out the right five times, and then switched inhaling in
the right and out the left five times.
He advised that we not hold the breath but let it flow. This will help us with asana practice, with
meditation practice, with prana movement.
Sharath also spoke of how it is important to be a good
teacher, anyone can do asana well, but one teaching yoga to others must also
learn and teach correctly. It is very
hard because everyone is different, with a different body. We are all humans, but we come from different
places, look different, and we all take to the practice differently. To some Kapotasana will come easy, others
must work for a very long time. The importance
is in working very hard at the asanas for a long time, learning proper method,
and respecting the teachings. If someone
cannot do the posture, the teacher should not give them more just because they
want more. He told a funny story
regarding Ramesh, Guruji’s son who passed many years ago. Sharath so lovingly spoke of how Ramesh was
so dedicated to this practice, the teachings, teaching yoga. He was a very spiritual man and very
dedicated to teaching correct method.
Guruji was a very strict teacher back then and so Ramesh taught as
Guruji taught him. There was an Indian
student who wanted new asanas everyday!
One day Ramesh was teaching and this fellow told Ramesh he wanted
another postures. Ramesh knew that this
student was not ready for any new postures (both his mind and his body), and he
would not go against Guruji and give him the next asana. Instead he said he was going to give this
student a very special posture, Rangasana.
He instructed the student to lie on his side with his hand holding his
head, then do the other side, and repeat five times. The student was very excited to get a new
posture. Guruji comes in and asks this
student what he is doing, and he tells Guruji that Ramesh gave him
Rangasana. Guruji laughed….there is no
such asana. But there is a god,
Ranganatha, well known in South India.
This deity is a resting form of lord Vishnu.
Let us be dedicated students working diligently each day on
our practice(s) so that we may take the right action at the right time. Let us make the necessary sacrifices to get
to the motherland to study correct method under the guidance of Sharath so we
can practice correct method and teach correct method and maintain a connection
and deep seated respect for our teachers and this lineage.
