“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.