Going home
Without my sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
Going home
Without my burden
To where it's better
Than before
Going home
Behind that curtain
Going home
Without the custume That I wore....

~ Partial lyrics of Leonard Cohen's song Going Home from the album entitled Old Ideas, 2012 ~

(Also posted on MindBodyGreen.)

During my post graduate work a professor bluntly asked me, “Who cares about the eight-fold path of yoga anyway?” As rude as this may sound it actually opened the door to some interesting discussions! If people are in fact satisfied with the physical does it matter they are missing the rest? The dilemma of course is that learning yoga as exercise is half, perhaps even less, of all that yoga is. This in turn posed the question, "Why settle for less?"

The foundation of the practices of yoga is based on the eight stages or limbs called Ashtanga-yoga. The word 'Ashtanga' is often understood today as the system of yoga taught by the late Shri K. Pattabhi Jois. However, the eight-fold path is the ground from which all systems of Hatha-yoga are united. At a glance the limbs appear as a linear ladder that moves from one stage to the next. In practice, however, it is a system that is highly interconnected often starting at the third stage (called asana, the postures).

Indeed we all begin somewhere and that is usually with the body. Yoga Master B.K.S. Iyengar clarified it by stating we start with what is tangible and with what we know. While Hatha-yoga is more popular and sexy than its counter- part Raja-yoga (the royal path), it is the latter practice that makes it complete. The right understanding of Hatha-yoga is that it leads to Raja-yoga (the science of mind control). The physical poses were designed to strengthen the body and prepare the mind for meditation. So whether it is Ashtanga, Iyengar, Sivananda, Bikram yoga or otherwise, the purpose is to purify the body for deeper practices in concentration.

So is it that no one cares? Or that people just don’t know?

Traditionally, yoga was understood as a means to enlightenment. For Patanjalim, the goal of yoga was to break the concept of the 'self'; a process that leads to Samadhi (the eighth stage). In the West, the understanding of ‘self’ is a bit harder to melt down. It also does not help that most of what is depicted as yoga in media is just flat tummies and pulsating biceps.

Yoga is a process: a discovery that the world and our identities are not as solid as we may think. As a yoga teacher it is not easy to introduce these more esoteric topics to students. Baba Hari Dass said it best when he said we come into this world believing we are this body, but we do not even know who this "me" is who is claiming the body.

I like this a lot because it hits the nail right on the head.

Yoga as an eight-fold path offers a great and tangible means to investigate and explore not just postures but the deeper meaning of life. The practice may begin with the physical, but leads to the mental and beyond. BKS Iyengar reminds us,

“It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.”
The answer to the question of who cares about eight-fold path is obvious. Whether teachers directly lecture on the topic is another story but that they hint toward the deeper nuances is going to change the way people practice.

So, it matters a lot when we care about the practice, the students and the teachings!

Ghoom Monastery: One of the most holy shrines is this renowned monastery that Lama Sherab Gyatso built in 1875 located in Darjeeling, North India. On the top are depicted two deer symbolizing that when the Buddha gave his talks creatures from far and wide gathered to listen to the teachings.

This beautiful monastery is a true haven of complete peace and calm. It is known for housing a selection of rare books on Buddhism. As well, it is home to a statue called the ‘Coming Buddha’ or known as Maitreye Buddha.




© The Yoga Way, Toronto, Canada 2012.

When hearing the teachings,
I cannot listen

When meeting the teacher,
I cannot see

Does memory strike at even chords?

Can the intellect become less clever?

And when, as a child, did I learn to mind the distance?

If ego is a pattern,
Can the waves break the contortion?

Not being of the body
What are the thoughts?

Not being of the thoughts,
What is the body?

Not knowing the purpose,
The aim is less sharp

Losing the purpose,
The questions are confusing

Coming into nothing is knowing more

The simplest instruction
Is the most difficult to follow

A difficult instruction may miss the point

Where silence is mistaken as strength,
No one is heard

This is the smell of the world.

By Heather Morton. Copyright The Yoga Way, Toronto, Canada, 2012.

For more poetry check out ~ The Poetry of Yoga

1.Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R’s:
~ Respect for self
~ Respect for others and
~ Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and
think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

20. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

***Original Post By Rebecca Ketchum on MindBodyGreen***

I love dogs



Photos: EK PARK

Q: So what does Vanity Fair, Yoga, Business and Money have to do with each other?

A: Well, quite a lot actually.

In the April 2012 issue of Vanity Fair there is an interesting article on what is known today as Jois Yoga. It speaks about the grand opening in California. Yet most of the hoopla rests with WHO is behind it and HOW long-standing Ashtanga teachers were treated in the shuffle. If you haven't read the article you should. Read: Whose Yoga Is it, Anyway?

Having studied in Mysore for many, many years...and under Shri Pattabhi Jois directly (or called Guruji), there are many who are not perhaps aware of the full story that lead up to this one. That is, the opening of Jois Yoga; a legacy extending beyond Sharath and his successors (aka family members).

What I am referring to is Guruji’s right-hand man Mr. Joseph Dunham (go to Interview, August 08 issue). As Sharath grew up Joseph was increasingly becoming less and less prominent. Prior to this, however, Joseph had been responsible for all of the US Yoga tours that pretty much put Ashtanga-yoga on the world map. It is said (and written somewhere as well but I can’t find it right now) that Guruji was about to cancel the trip until he was reassured that Joseph was going too.

Joseph was without a doubt a part of the wood-work in Mysore. Every yoga student going to Mysore understood this. If you didn’t know Joseph, well, you were pretty much living under a rock. He offered a bed and breakfast home-stay and was a part of the fabric of the 'old' shala (school) in Laksmipuram.

As I understood it and from bumping into Joseph in Mysore from 2000 to 2009, he was the one who had actually planted the seed of opening a yogashala; i.e., a stream of schools to spread into America, which would enable the Jois name and Ashtanga-yoga to live on. However, at the time they did not like that idea very much.....! Or, maybe it was they did not like with whom the idea was coming from. It could also have been the way it was presented. Perhaps they misunderstood what Joseph was proposing and felt he was trying to take over whereas they wanted the name to stay in the family. Having known Joseph as a friend, it had nothing to do with Joseph. He would just be the 'man' behind the scenes...as he always was....

There may have been other factors at play as to why Joseph lost his standing as the right-hand man and faded out of the scene. But none of these details are relevant to the 'business' idea that was planted.

When I read the Vanity Fair article I was not surprised or shocked in respect to what went on with the senior teachers of Ashtanga. I was sadden and reminded of the the simple facts of life. Plus, I had already seen how they treated a long-time assistance who had dedicated 15 years of his life to his Guru. And although Joseph was still hanging around Mysore he felt that when Guruji passed away his work would be done. Ironic or not, a year after Guruji’s death Joseph passed away having a sudden heart attack in Cambodia. Prior to this, I must admit I kinda wondered why he was still hanging around Mysore. When I learned he had gone to study under my teacher Yogacharya V. Venkatesha that said it all. He didn’t have to explain there had been a riff or why.

Perhaps those who are not involved in the subtle politics of Mysore Yoga won’t understand that studying with another teacher is a complete taboo. In spite of breif period in which Joseph studied with Yogacharya the mere fact he would try something ‘new’ indicated he was swaying. Still, in Joseph’s heart was his Guru because he quickly stopped the classes when the news became public.

Lots of issues here. And we all can lay claim that 'real' Masters of Yoga are not learning much from 'their' yoga....but business is business....and those are just the facts. People are people. (Let's not even get into what's been happening in the Anusura community).

There is an old saying edged onto a statue of Sivananda at the Sivananda ashram in Val Morin, Quebec. It is quite fitting and goes something like, "We stand together but perish alone."

And that’s how it goes for everyone...Master or no master.

“Even if you start doing push-ups it will not help," said Yogacharya Venkaesha to a student struggling with an arm posture.

In Mysore we practice an unguided sequence, which is built from learning to practice independently. As a student this provides the best way to learn to practice. Over time postures are added but only as you progress.

My teacher Yogacharya is known for his ability to verbally lead students in practice and without physical adjustments. When it comes to his instructions he hits the nail on the head and makes you feel like he can read your mind. Yogacharya finishes his instructions, “Strength cannot be built from the muscles alone.” The student must have looked bewildered because he added, "Doubts are there in the beginning."

This made me recall the time Pattabhi Jois (Guruji) told me I had "no strength". I didn't like that. In fact, it bothered me so much I started doing push-ups. I did them until I flopped on the floor. Like most people I wanted to become stronger but as a woman the desire to be strong was especially intense. It bothered me a lot until I found out he said the same thing to a lot of people! Looking around the practice room in Mysore I knew I had less strength in comparison to the male practitioners. I made myself feel better by commenting on my flexibility. But ‘how’ was I going to build strength?

Certainly many of the arm balance postures of yoga are very difficult in terms of physical strength as well as concentration. When I began regularly studying under Yogachaya he asked about my practice; how many hours did spent practising, reading, meditating and chanting? When I told him I started doing push-ups he gave me a very painful (an almost dirty) look. Then he laughed. I was just burning off excess energy and travelling in circles. Speaking from experience push-ups do not work. And I actually discovered later they are better for developing stomach strength than upper arm muscle! What I also discovered is not how much strength the arm postures require, but balance, control and an unwavering ability to focus. Called sthita-prajna in Sanskrit (meaning steadiness of thought).

Remembering that the practices of yoga are about mind-training is one thing. However, developing ways to steady the mind can be quite another. Early on I learned the best way to do this was by having a system that focused on a regular practice. For many years I never deviated from any of the systems I studied. First in Sivananda-yoga I practiced it as it had been taught at the ashrams. Later when I learned the primary series of Ashtanga-yoga, I practiced it from start to finish. There was little room for improvisations or skipping whatever I wanted. And when I came to study AtmaVikasa I practiced the same discipline for years. Out of this grew a fertile ground from which to trouble shoot the problems that came up along the way. My knees did not originally bend in lotus, my back did not melt into wheel and my arms would not lift me into a handstand. To develop these postures I needed a fundamental practice from which to draw upon.

An example was in learning the peacock lotus pose called padma mayurasana. To learn this pose first comes a series of postures in developing lotus (padma) and in all its forms (re: sitting, lying flat and upside-down). So forget about even lifting yourself up into the posture if you can't do lotus. My approach for a long time was on opening the hips, the low back and waist as well as stretching and opening the ankles.

When I studied under Pattabi Jois in Mysore he watched painful moments of me bending my knees and going into gardha pindasana (the fetus pose). Every day Guruji looked on in silence; letting me do the practice without interfering. I was burning through layers and levels of both mental and emotional resistances. The real awakening for me, however, was not when my legs folded neatly into the position but when I made the connection of where I was blocked internally. That single and silent moment opened a gateway in deepening the practice. Sharath, Pattabhi Jois’s grandson, who at the time helped only the senior students, gave me an encouraging moment when he showed me how his knee moved out of its joint from his practice. He even said it had been 'restructured'.

Meanwhile I was developing a practice in arm strengthening postures (no push-ups to help me get there) ranging from simple to complicated ones. One of the mistakes that most people make is in thinking a complicated posture is somehow more effective. Hm, but not if you hold it for a very long time! Take a simple posture like the plank and try holding it for 1-2 minutes. It becomes apparent that so-called simple postures have a lot to offer.

As well, there is a connection amongst all the postures. Wheel is bow, standing postures are sitting ones, inversions are downward dogs and plank is the incline plane. When you start to see this connection the postures are not just separate pieces but 'one' movement. Building the stability and the balance are part of the resistance training that takes a lot of time and patience. Learning to hold plank is one thing, but feeling its connection is another.

Nothing comes without a sustained and honest effort. One of the most gratifying aspects to practice is the ability to try something new. A good motto to follow is BKS Iyengar who said, “I don’t want to do only what I can, but what I cannot do.” If we only do what we feel comfortable with, safe and easy with and the oh-so-familiar we will never grow. Striking a balance, however, helps build confidence and makes the impossible appear doable. In other words, practice needs to include what you can do and a sequence of postures that are conveniently skipped or forgotten.

The asanas are only one part of the path of yoga. Essentially every posture that I have ever practiced has been a deeper training in conquering fear, doubt and the tapas (inertia) aspect of the mind. In the end, I don't really see them as physical feats as I do mental ones. Most of all the advanced postures that I began practising stemmed from hours and hours of being in simple ones with attention to the breath, alignment and concentration. I have my teacher Yogacharya to thank for this.

As a tip to improve your practice start with the basic postures. By basic I am talking about simple poses that you may make the mistake in thinking have nothing to teach you. Determine where your strengths and weaknesses lie. What is your state of mind? Consider what postures you like and those you avoid. Commit to practicing one of the former and two of the latter. Make notes and remember yoga is a journey, a great adventure in learning to work with your biggest asset...yourself.

In the end, keep returning to the mat. And hopefully have a teacher who inspires you to think beyond conventional methods (re: going home and doing push-ups to become stronger). It might feel like the long and slower approach but it will definitely become a solid one.