There is one thing that
is more important than
the actual atmosphere
of the yoga space; that is
the consciousness of the
teacher.
My philosophy about hatha yoga is that
ultimately it was intended as a spiritual
discipline. Its purpose is not simply to
stretch and tone muscles or massage
internal organs, or even offer repose or
relaxation. I have found that hatha yoga
is ultimately a tool to lead in to
meditation. Without meditation the
state of transcendence, or in Sanskrit
Samadhi, is difficult to attain. I am not
advocating a particular meditation
technique. Any practice that leads to a
withdrawal of the senses and thereby
unfolds a mindless state is worth
pursuing.
My goal in any yoga class is simply to
create conditions in which the
consciousness of the people who
attend is very different when they leave,
from when they first stepped inside. For
example, at the venues where I teach,
when they first come they seem chatty
or even gossipy. They talk amongst
themselves because they haven't had a
chance to see each other during the
course of the day. But when they leave,
it seems they float out of the room.
They usually don't exchange any words.
They stay in their inward space.
How can we describe this difference in
their states? At some point in the yoga
class, they have transcended a worldly
consciousness, and have reached a
state of beatitude. We can use many
terms to describe it. We can call it bliss,
transcendence or mindlessness. We can
say that the kundalini has risen to the
point where it has pierced through the
sahasrara, or crown chakra. One can
describe it in any which way, but unless
you have that direct experience of
blessedness, these labels are really just
intellectual constructs or concepts.
Getting back to the fact that I have had
to go from the office to the yoga class
and "shift gears" so completely, and
that the atmospheres of my teaching
venues are not necessarily highly
refined, both these challenges have led
me to some important revelations that
have changed the way that I approach
my class. In fact, my whole philosophy
about what I contribute as a teacher has
changed.
I have noted that while the venue is
important, it is actually more where my
consciousness is at that makes a huge
difference. A beautiful room can have
very sacred vibrations, but if I, as the
teacher, am not living a sacred space,
there is no way that I can help lead
participants to that same level of
consciousness. In that sense, my
responsibility as a teacher goes way
beyond ensuring that the technical
(physical) aspects of a hatha yoga
routine are executed properly.
So, in terms of creating a sacred space,
there are a few things that need to
happen, at least in terms of the way that
I approach my classes. Of course, by
"sacred", I am referring to an inner
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