Giving adjustments and stilling the mind through asana - Elise's further questions

What is the point of giving students physical adjustments?  If it isn't about the asanas, then does it matter if one can do it or not?  If one isn't willing to make the effort then why should the teacher bear the burden? Or is more like helping the light shine through and the energy move past someone's samskaras? 

There were some students Guruji would seldom adjust and there were others he helped with every pose. Some students learn verbally and others somatically. Adjustments can help students understand how to get into a posture, take them deeper than they understood was possible and can be used therapeutically.

Tomas Zorzo: "I remember I was writing in my diary, I was sitting on the bench in front of Lakshmi Puram police station waiting for class – he (Guruji) had told me to come at 6 am. And I wrote “This man, he is going to kill me, he is adjusting me so strongly.” I was afraid I was going to be broken from his strong adjustments. He was on top of me in every asana and I was feeling “Oh my God he’s going to kill me” But instead of that he was healing me. His adjustments were very good. He treated me with such love and care on that first trip, It was superb." 

Guruji understood the mechanics of the body very well, he conveyed this by guiding us with his hands. Not only which direction are you moving the arm/leg/etc but are you internally/externally rotating it? Is it an inhale? Or an exhale? He was very specific and precise.

How does "getting" a certain posture relate to stilling the mind?

Guruji used to say that you have to practice an asana 1000 times in order to perfect it. So one only "gets" a posture long after its novelty has worn off and probably you would not notice this moment. Perhaps some time afterwards you would remark - "I have not been feeling strain or discomfort in this asana for some time."

Patanjali says: prayatnaśaithilyānantasamāpattibhyām

Which means something like - the asana is perfected when all effort is relaxed and the mind is absorbed in the infinite. The mind being absorbed in the infinite, implies, I believe, a state of samadhi. 

The way to controlling the mind is through the breath - when the asana is comfortable, the breath can be even, but we also know that through the breath we can directly make the asana more comfortable. The breath is the bridge between mind and body.  

When the posture is steady and comfortable, it will be a fit vehicle for pranayama, through which will come the progressive stilling of the mind. As long as we are taking a posture for a few breaths and then doing vinyasa, there is no possibility of stilling the mind to a complete stop. There is certainly a reduction in mental chatter, but as Guruji used to say: "every time you open and close your eye, you think a different thought" - so you have to sit still to steady the mind. That means padmasana, or some other suitable posture.

Further questions from Elise - what is the role of Teacher in Ashtanga Yoga?

What is the role of the teacher in Ashtanga Yoga?

I believe the teacher's role is primarily that of a therapist. All students start by learning the Primary Series which is also known as Yoga Chikitsa and most students never learn the second or third series. Chikitsa means therapy. The intermediate Series is known as Nadi Shodhona - this is a purifying sequence, so I think it also falls under the category of therapy. From the yogi's perspective, the reason we can not experience samadhi, is because we are sick. Mind and body are polluted - so asana practice along with pranayama and the yama and niyama are designed to heal, purify and strengthen the body and mind, so that the internal aspects of yoga may be experienced.

Guruji did not give any special training for teachers. When he felt a student was mature enough in practice, he would give his permission to teach. He was in favor of the practice being spread, but he wanted to make sure it was being done correctly - he told us not to change anything. But there is more implicit in his insistence on not changing anything than at first meets the eye.

Teachers who studied with Guruji in different decades will feel there is a different emphasis in the way he taught. I think you can see three distinct phases in the evolution of the Mysore shala and the way western students experienced and interpreted Guruji's teaching. Teachers who studied with him in the 70s and 80s have the widest divergence in the way they teach - if you compare the way Richard Freeman, Nancy Gilgoff and David Swenson present ashtanga - you have three entire universes! Each one faithfully pays homage to the same teacher and same practice, but each has evolved their own understanding and implementation of the method in an individual way.

I was delighted to discover this while making the book. Each teacher researched different aspects of practice and developed expertise in areas they were interested in. It seemed to me that the practice over many years (decades) gave these individuals greater strength of personality and the courage to follow their individual convictions. 

Teachers who emerged in the 90s as the shala started to get busy, experienced Guruji teaching in a very systematic and effective way in the setting of the old shala. Students were taught in batches and although, by the late 90s, the line to get into practice in the shala snaked its way up the stairs and onto the roof of Guruji's house, the shala itself was intimate (and intense) with a 1-6 teacher/student ratio. This translated into many Mysore shalas springing up around the world. (Up until this point very few teachers had been using this traditional method). I think because of the numbers in the 90s, the practice became, or seemed to become more generic - and Mysore teachers became stricter in adhering to the exact way Guruji was presenting it at that time.

With the move to the new shala (2002)  the teaching changed again. The student teacher ratio had changed significantly (there were now five times as many students in each batch) and Guruji started teaching a led class on Fridays and Sundays to deal with the workload of teaching 100s of students - so there were only 3-4 Mysore classes a week. 

So I think you could characterize the first period as being a time where the relationship with Guruji was intimate and teaching was fully one-on-one. Then a period when he was teaching a lot of people in a small space - so his teaching became more systematic but still intimate. And lastly a period where he was teaching large numbers of students mostly through led classes.

In later years when Guruji taught thousands of students on his world tours he had to move hundreds of students at a time through the practice. Compare this to a time where there were only one or two students - a very different experience. So there was an increasing universalization in the way students experienced his teaching as the years passed and I think you can see this reflected in the way teachers from different decades teach.

Teachers will generally want to teach as closely to their understanding of Guruji's method as possible. Depending on when teachers studied with him they may feel there is a different emphasis in the way he presented it.

There are perhaps three ways in which this yoga is taught - mysore style, led classes and workshops. Guruji's teaching method was Mysore style, he did not teach workshops and led classes were a means for large numbers of people to practice with him in later years. This method is for experienced students and a good means for Guruji to see the state of many students' practices at the same time, so it was also a form of quality control, but it was not the way Guruji taught the practice.

Newer teachers place a particular emphasis on "correct method" - meaning the precise vinyasa and drishti with asana. These sequences were Guruji's curriculum and represent the ideal method for practice, however they must be adapted or modified according to certain needs. As teachers mature, their understanding of the system unfolds and they are able to share the deeper and subtler aspects of the practice as well as to adapt to different health or other needs of the student.

Not everyone is able to develop a practice of the primary series (or even half primary series) using the "correct method". This is not due to laziness but physical limitations, injuries and responsibilities which prevent daily practice. Should these students be excluded from the wonderful therapeutic benefits of the practice? Of course not.

"As the bodily constitution of each human being is different, it is important to practice the asanas accordingly. The benefit to be had from one asana or pranayama can be derived just as well from another that better suits the structure of the person's body. Some asanas are not suitable for particular people and may be painful" - KP Jois - Yoga Mala

As western teachers we work with students who have jobs, families, illness, pain and stress. Teaching yoga to people who are living their lives is different from an intense workshop-like situation such as one experiences in Mysore where students leave their responsibilities behind and want to go deep but also have time to recover from an intensified practice.

There is an inherent wisdom in the ashtanga system but it is only brought to light by a teacher. You can not learn yoga from books. A teacher is a living link back through a succession of gurus who have passed down this wisdom since time immemorial. Only if yoga lives in the teacher, can he impart it to the student. As Guruji was fond of saying: you cannot understand the sweetness of honey without first tasting it - it is the same with yoga.

Guruji was our example of a teacher. How could one hope to emulate him? His knowledge of both asana and yoga philosophy were far greater than any of us could hope to acquire in a lifetime of study and experience. Personally I always thought of myself as simply a channel for Guruji's teaching, he was the teacher, I was just passing on his teaching. But so much more than asana is taught through practice. So, in addition to being a motivator, healer, teacher and much more, the depth of his knowledge was an inspiration for us to educate ourselves.

... he told us to study:

“It is very important to understand yoga philosophy; without philosophy, practice is not good, and yoga practice is the starting place for yoga philosophy."

Ashtanga yoga is a spiritual practice which leads from the external to the internal, and the yoga philosophy of the upanishads, gita, yoga sutra etc are the guide for the serious student who practices as well as for the teacher. Without a guide on the inner journey we stumble around in darkness - study, svadhyaya, brings us progressive enlightenment, guidance and certainty of the direction we need to go.

An Ashtanga teacher is teaching both Pattabhi Jois' system of asanas and Patanajali Yoga - for Guruji these were integrated, though it is understood that the teacher's role is mainly concerned with asana and pranayama in the context of this yoga philosophy.  In the beginning a teacher's understanding is primarily of asana but with time and study his knowledge will deepen.

The role of teacher is both a relationship to the tradition and to the student who is being taught.
An Ashtanga teacher would ideally have had the opportunity to study closely with Guruji and failing that, with one of his children or grandchildren.

The teacher's role in relation to the student will depend very much on his or her individual samskaras - character, experience (including life experience), intelligence and and so on. Teaching asanas is a means to teaching yoga in a fuller sense: how to "yoke" mind and body via breath, drishti, bandha and vinyasa, and how to navigate the various obstacles which arise. The system of asanas and vinyasas is a structure within which the teacher is able to help the student overcome various obstacles (such as ill health and "real life" stresses). The yoga teaching comes in the "how to" - not always conveyed by words or even by hands (sometimes just by looking, the teacher motivates the student to lift up and jump back).

An Ashtanga teacher, teaching in the traditional way, inevitably starts to take on various roles in relation to the student. In addition to advice on asana practice, questions on a range of subjects come to the teacher. There are different ways in which teachers respond to these questions - individual conversations, theory/philosophy classes, consultation on diet etc.. Ashtanga teachers often become involved in adapting a practice for pregnancy or injury. Guruji performed the marriage ceremony for a number of his students and there are western teachers who have done the same thing.

In the beginning, like a child, a new teacher will mainly imitate what he sees. Deeper understanding takes time to mature. When Guruji said we should not change anything, I believe he meant we should use the same teaching method also. His method varied according to the student. He observed their bodies and character and taught them accordingly. Somehow, today, with youtube, we can have the impression that one size fits all. This could not be further from the truth.

Is Ashtanga Yoga religious? - further questions from Elise

Is Ashtanga yoga religious?

What do we mean by religious? The word religion comes from the latin re-ligare - to re-bind, re-connect... with God/divinity. From one perspective that is the essence of yoga. However yoga is not a religion in the normal sense of the word, nor are yoga practitioners necessarily religious, though they may be, of course. In fact, yoga is the opposite of a religion in a number of ways.

According to Patanjali, liberation and Self-realization do not result from action (yoga) but through knowledge (samkhya). What yoga does is to remove the impurities in the human system, so that the mind can naturally become inwardly absorbed. Ashtanga Yoga concerns the practical field of knowledge, it is not religious, it is more like medicine or psychology. 

Ashtanga practice is certainly ritualistic and contains many aspects which seem religious in nature. The opening mantra worships the lotus feet of the lineage of teachers, the second a prostration to Patanjali. I am sure many practitioners think of Guruji when they start practice - in India there is a saying "Guru is god" - that means the divine may manifest through him. Next a series of prostrations to the sun - the source of our life and symbol of the Self. Those who understand that the purpose of practice is to increase the sattva guna in the system will also bathe before practice. 

These rituals put the mind in the right place to receive the maximum benefit from practice - as we have said elsewhere, the practice is chikitsa (therapy) and shodhona (purification) - with the mind in the right condition, these processes will take place. 

Yoga is at the core of all religions - the priest's knowledge (assuming he has some) and inspiration comes through union, samadhi - what they teach for the masses is the religion - they transmit higher experiences to the masses but often do not teach people how to attain these experiences for themselves, hence keeping them dependent. The path of yoga is to attain direct experience rather than one mediated by a priest.

Patanjali uses the expression Ishvara Pranidhana. In some contexts, the word ishvara denotes a personal deity - shiva, ganesh or some other deity, but in the yoga sutra Patanjali describes Ishvara (in the Samadhi Pada) as a pure soul (purusha), untouched by karmas, the unsurpassed seed of knowledge, the eternal teacher, whose sound vibration is the sacred syllable OM. The word Purusha (soul) means the one who lives within a castle. The castle is the physical body and the purusha lives within its walls (boundaries). In a similar way, Ishvara is said to live within the Purusha (like a series of russian dolls). This Isvara is none other than the true Self, the Eternal Truth etc. - which is our internal essence.

Pranidhana means to draw close to. Ishvara panidhana thus means to move towards one's spiritual essence and completes the action initiated by vairagya which means to move away from externally directed desire and furthered by pratyahara - sense introversion. In drawing close to Ishvara we are approaching something intimate, internal. This seems to be at odds with the path of most religions, where god is seen as being something external.

Patanjali mentions Ishvara Panidhana three times: as one of three elements required for controlling the vrittis along with practice (abhyasa) and dispassion (vairagya), as an element of Kriya Yoga (tapas, svadhyaya and isvara pranidhana) and as one of the angas of Ashtanga Yoga. So there is no doubt that this is an essential element in his view of yoga.

In the Gita Krishna talks about three kinds of yoga - Jnana Yoga - yoga of/through mind/intelligence, Karma Yoga - yoga through the body/action, and Bhakti Yoga - yoga of religious devotion. Patanjali's Samadhi Pada is a teaching for the jnana yogi - the yogi of high intelligence and purity of mind. The Jnana yogi can easily grasp the few concepts presented and apply the method to bring the mind to an arrested state and experience samadhi.

The society in which we live today makes the approach of jnana yoga almost impossible. Our bodies and minds are polluted and we are not able to spend our time in peace and contemplation - we need to perform action in order to survive. All thoughts and actions have consequences both on our own wellbeing and that of others. These repercussions are mostly invisible to us, but we are left with the consequences in the form of further desires and the drive to further actions. This perpetuated cycle leads to sickness, pain and suffering and keeps us in ignorance of our true nature. That is why we need Karma (Ashtanga) Yoga - asana, pranayama and yama and niyama purify the body and mind (take away the pain and increase the intelligence) and make them fit for Jnana Yoga.

As students on the path of yoga we are mix of rajas, tamas and sattva. We all need to cultivate a quality of devotion. For some this devotion could be towards "truth" or "higher knowledge" for others this devotion could be poured into action and for the religious minded, devotion is directed towards a god or guru. Jnana yoga is possible only for the student who is sattva dominant, karma yoga is for the one who experiences the impact of rajas (almost everyone in this modern world) - he must perform action to find satisfaction, and bhakti yoga is suitable for one who experiences many strong attachments and is influenced by tamas. The tamasic aspect of mind can not find its way to the inner purusha, it needs an external representation, in the form of an idol. Through transferring its devotion to the idol, the many attachments are re-directed to the one goal. The idol is symbolic of one aspect or various aspects of the divine. Through meditating on these qualities the student is able to use the deity as a window, a portal into the universal and undifferentiated spirit. Jnana yoga is the  "true" yoga because the other two culminate in it - jnana, or knowledge, is the only means to liberation.

Pain and Injury - further questions from Elise

What is the difference/similarity/benefit/purpose/meaning/etc of pain, soreness, opening, and injury?

The purpose of yoga is to overcome unnecessary pain - physical and psychological pain - and to become indifferent to it as it arises. Yoga is a means by which we learn to navigate our life and our bodies differently - so that we stop doing that which causes us to suffer. Whether these are mental patterns or physical symptoms - only we have the power to change them. Thankfully yoga provides us with many tools to achieve this.

Pain is a highly subjective experience. When anxious we are intensely sensitive, when relaxed we are much better able to bear discomfort. When we pay attention to the pain, look at it, scrutinize it, we often enhance it, when we put our minds elsewhere, or on the breath, it diminishes. Those who are detached feel less pain, those who are passionate feel everything intensely.

Sometimes when we experience intense pain, the only way to deal with it is to become numb. Sometimes aspects of ourselves remain numb for decades. Numbness is a level below pain where we lose awareness of the cause and its consequences - it leads to morbidity of the mind and the body. 

When we start breathing prana (through asana practice) into these deepest recesses of our bodies, these morbid processes start to reverse and slowly the numbness begins to thaw. But, in order to heal, the original feelings have to be re-lived and resolved and the pain is re-experienced before it can be released. Through the use of regulating the breath many demons can be released from the unconscious in this way.

When there are matters which trouble us, perhaps cause us anxiety or anger but we do not acknowledge them, we are often literally driven to distraction, become clumsy and careless, and as a result often succumb to accidents and injuries of various kinds. This happens in daily life as well as in yoga practice. It is almost as if our bodies are trying to make us aware that there is something we should be taking care of, paying attention to.

Pain often tells us a lot about our ambition (the more ambitious we are, the less likely we will hear this message). A teacher's role is often to hold the student back from being over zealous and hurting himself. The traditional step by step method of learning the asanas should help protect the student from doing too much. However, without daily practice, there will almost always be pain. Even with daily practice, it takes a long time to learn how to practice completely without pain.

Injury is when some damage has been done to the tissues of the body, almost always resulting in pain. An injury is usually regarded as a set back, however, usually, now that the student is paying attention, it is an opportunity for learning: the student has to start using his body in a very conscious and deliberate way to avoid pain - this translates into a greater facility and awareness of the body. 

An opening is probably a moment where the body experiences something like a chiropractic adjustment which allows for a greater range of movement. These experiences are often intense - both blissful and often accompanied by intense feelings, sometimes tears etc. Usually these openings are achieved through an adjustment. 

In Mysore on my first trip, I received what many people would consider to be an injury while being adjusted by Guruji. Following Guruji's instructions and continuing to do the posture, the injury was healed within 10 days. In another asana, I received a profound opening the first day but the asana was painful for two years. Guruji adjusted us very deeply and we were almost always in pain when we were there with him. 

We used to call Mysore a karma accelerator - it was working with Guruji in this intimate setting which taught us so much. We were confronted with our demons - pride, anger, jealousy etc and were able to let go a great deal of baggage, transform and heal with his guidance - there were often tears in the finishing asana room - a release of accumulated sadness and stress.

Brad Ramsey: "Well Manju always says no pain, no gain. And there is a great element of truth there I think.  The pain is almost necessary.  The pain is a teacher also."

Interviewer:  "Usually pain you take as a message to stop what you are doing because you are about to do some damage."

Brad Ramsey:  "Yes that’s the American way, probably the rest of the world is the same way, but for Americans especially. In a lot of schools of yoga, if it hurts you are doing something wrong.  And if you were a perfect physical and mental specimen already then I can see how that might be true.  If you are altering the status quo in an unpleasant way you might want to stop, if you were already perfect.  But if you feel growth coming from it and see things changing that need to be changed… The series is just a mold towards a body that meets the requirements for spiritual advancement, I believe. I don’t think you can get there without pain. I never met anybody who really did. Even David (Williams), I know, in India, he had pain. Everyone did. Now for his own practice probably he doesn’t do anything that hurts him.  But for me it was never that way. It hurt from the first day to the last, at least something hurt, there’s always something."

Guruji used to adjust us very deeply and we used to practice to the limit of our endurance under his supervision. There was a sense of urgency to learn and absorb as much as possible because we were only there for relatively short periods of time. It was a very intense experience being in the small room with him. I think this added to the intensity of the practice and the tendency to feel pain as a result of "trying hard". The indian students used to practice in a much more relaxed way, and I think the way they were taught, since they were there week in week out is more the model for the way we have to teach in the West. In the West we do everything we can to avoid pain and injury. Many students do not practice every day and so they will always feel some unnecessary discomfort.

avidyāsmitārāgadveṣābhiniveśāḥ kleśāḥ

avidyā kśetram uttareṣāṃ prasuptatanuvicchinnodārāṇām - YS II 3 & 4

According to Patanajli the fundamental cause of pain is ignorance - this ignorance has arisen from an increasing attachment to the body and its pleasures that the human being has experienced over thousands of years. 

Because of ignorance (of healthy diet/habits/lifestyle/behavior) we pollute our bodies and minds with unhealthy influences which result in pain. Even undesirable feelings such as greed, anger, envy and so on cause hormonal secretions which lead to unwanted actions, such as bad food choices which also result in pain. 

The way to correct these habits is to understand and follow the yama and niyama as best we can - in this way we eliminate unwanted thoughts, words and actions - until this point we need to practice asana to eliminate pain caused by these samskaras.

A few years back my dentist told me a story about two yogis who had been patients in her care. The first, a western yogini, refused any pain medication, took the lotus position in the dentist chair and endured the entire surgery through controlling her breath. The second was Pattabhi Jois - when asked if he wanted pain medication he said: "Yes, lots." She found this somewhat bemusing.

Over the years, and you have to remember that Guruji was already an old man, we often saw him in pain. He suffered terribly with his teeth, hurt his ankle, had a cataract removed and lost his wife. He always continued teaching (he stopped for 3 weeks when amma died). I have done the same thing and we discover that when we do not think about our own suffering and are concerned with the healing or helping of others, we also become healed through the processs. So, often, pain is unavoidable and has to be tolerated. But pain that can be avoided should be avoided.

The Lessons of the Yoga Sutras - further questions from Elise

After asking me about the Guruji book, Elise followed up with some other questions she had been pondering:

Do the lessons of the Yoga Sutras automatically come through practice without reading them?

Guruji felt it was very important to study yoga philosophy. Without study the aim of practice is likely to be misguided. In the Guruji book I asked Norman Allen:

"How far do you think the physical practice can take you?"

Norman Allen: "In most cases probably nowhere, without taking other steps… without the right intentions, without the right diet, without Yama/Niyama it ain’t happenin’. Its just not happening...You gotta make sure that you dissolve the ego, get rid of the ego. If practice becomes sensational and competitive it is completely anterior, it becomes tamasic. You gotta’ become sattvic in potential, in means and in intent or you don’t have a chance."

Guy: "You don’t think that practice can destroy the ego?"

Norman Allen: "Practice often amplifies the ego depending where the intent comes... not a little bit, you know… the warnings are out there - it’s in the (devotional) songs, it’s all over the place…"

What is the connection between the Yoga Sutras and the practice we do?

Guruji believed this was the original Patanjali method as described in the Yoga Korunta. This is what Krishnamacharya had to say about the Korunta:

"Rama Mohana made me memorize the whole of the Yoga Gurandam (Korunta) in the Gurkha language. The various stages of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra are dealt with in that book in a very precise but extensive commentary. That is necessary because Sutras are by definition very concise. In the Yoga Gurandam, the various kinds of Yoga poses and movements are described with great clarity. Only after studying this book can one understand the inner meaning and science of the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali."

The yoga sutra delineates the path and explains the obstacles, but the elaboration of the techniques used to overcome these obstacles are to be found in greater detail in the Yoga Korunta, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita etc. 

For instance, the sutra says nothing about the breathing in asana. Guruji taught that the breathing should be even - this would lead to evenness of mind - "Chale vate chalam chittam nischale nischalam bhavet" - he integrated teachings from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and other texts also.

Reflections on "Guruji: A Portrait" - Interview with Elise Espat - Part IV

Is there a point in the book that you feel is really crucial to understand Guruji, the system, or the practice?

I feel the book makes a few important points. Perhaps nothing new is said, although for many people there will be a lot of new material. The fact that we have 30 statements or interpretations, and that these statements are broadly in agreement, or together put pieces of the jigsaw in place, what we have as a result is a kind of "authoritative" text.

Interviewees were not always in agreement and at times completely contradict each other, however, I think you can trace at least 80% agreement on most of themes throughout the book.

In some respects you could say the interviews were research on my part. For instance, on the origin of the sequences: David Williams and Nancy Gilgoff believed that the sequences we practice (with some modifications) had been passed down directly from the Yoga Korunta, a text, 100s or 1000s of years old. This was the story I received when I first started practicing since my first teacher had learned from a student of David's. I asked Guruji about this several times and was never quite sure what he meant by his answers.

Apart from Nancy and David, everyone else who was interviewed believed that Guruji was involved in creating the system of asanas. Manju goes as far as to say that Krishnamacharya and Guruji sat down and went through various texts (Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita, Yoga Korunta, Yoga Rahasya) and made up the sequences based on Chikitsa and Shodhona. Norman Allen alludes to Norman Sjoman's book and its suggestion that this type of practice is a new creation modeled on gym training.

I think, through the interviews and my own conversations with Guruji,  a picture emerges that the Yoga Korunta contained  asanas and vinyasas grouped according to their therapeutic benefits but that the actual sequences we practice were created by Guruji under Krishnamacharya's supervision based on Chikitsa, Shodhona and so on.

It seems that Guruji did much of the work in organizing the sequences as well as in modifying the vinyasas. If you look at Yoga Makaranda - Krishnamacharya's book of 1934 - you can see how he sequences the asanas and structures the vinyasas quite differently. Shammie said he invented, or discovered the surya namaskar - I believe this is true - at least in the form that he taught.

One of the reasons I made the interviews was to establish a coherent picture and to correct some misconceptions about the nature of yoga, as taught by Guruji.

Guruji felt very strongly that yoga is a spiritual practice. It is perhaps ironic that someone who believed this so deeply, is sometimes seen as propagating a purely physical practice. Too many of my fellow practitioners in the early '90s tended to think this way, and maybe this is something which motivated me to initiate this project. For Guruji, the purpose of yoga was to make one fit for realization - that was his main interest - I think this is emphasized in the book.

For many people who never met Guruji, or whose contact with him was minimal, the anecdotes and stories about studying with him and about his character have brought him to life in vivid color. For those who did know him, the interviews reveal other facets of his teaching and has brought back many memories. I have received many emails from readers expressing gratitude for having been able to experience an intimate meeting with Guruji through these interviews.

here is an email from John Scott:

Dear Guy,

Brilliant! Fanatastic! Congratulations!

Thank you Guy, I do think you and Eddie have put together a lovely and very valuable book.

It reminds me how much we learned from each other back in those days (the early 90s).

Guruji passed on so much wisdom to every individual student, and this was because he was always 

on-to-one with each student, and therefore the questions asked of him were all uniquely different. 

What is so nice,  is that Guruji's students love to share and pass on their personal experiences with

everyone else.

The photo on the back cover looks great* and it's just as Guruji was for us back in those days.

Those were the days - the Lakshmipuram days

I have already read a few of the pieces and have learn't so much more already

So again Thank You Thank You for sharing

Love John

Lucy India and Fynn

* This is John's photo

Reflections on "Guruji: A Portrait" - Interview with Elise Espat - Part III

Did you ask any of the questions to clarify a question you had?  For instance, whether advanced asana meant advanced practice?  Or what was mulabandha?  Was there a satisfactory answer?

I believe there is a general misunderstanding of the purpose of asana practice - which is therapy. Advancement comes through perfecting yama and niyama, pranayama and the internal limbs - asana practice is the foundation of that process. So no, I was not curious - I had the desire to get the subjects to speak about this so as to dispel this general misconception. 

Mostly the questions were not asked out of personal curiosity but with the intention of  getting the interviewee to speak on a subject of interest. However, I was certainly interested to hear their different perspectives and feel that my own understanding has been enhanced through the process of making the book.

In the Guruji book, it seems that people agreed that advanced asana did not necessarily mean advanced yoga practice.  Do you think that is true?  Through asana, with the tristhana and a good teacher and time wouldn't that lead to advanced practice?  Would a student automatically start doing self-study and such?

Asana practice is therapeutic, purifying and strengthening - both for mind and body. How much purification or therapy is required depends on the individual and what end result is desired. I don't think anything will happen automatically through asana practice alone, but if you have a good teacher, he or she will teach more than asana.

Dena Kingsberg: "Some of us have to drag our bodies a long way in order to facilitate the cleansing process.  Those of us with stubborn, egotistical natures may need to drag ourselves further and twist ourselves harder and bend ourselves deeper in order to appreciate that at the end of the day we just need to focus the attention and open the heart."  

One of Guruji's most capable students (not interviewed in the book) was given a practice of 12 Suryanamaskar A and 12 B morning and evening - this he was told was for treating "insanity of the mind". So there is no apparent correlation between being able to do postures and a particular level of spiritual or mental development. However, developing a practice with Guruji into advanced series and practicing the asanas over time gives enormous benefits. 

If the student has not gained some control of the bandhas by the end of Intermediate Series, she will have no choice but to master them progressing into the advanced asanas. Perhaps this is why instead of teaching the pranayamas after intermediate, as he did in the early 70s, later Guruji wanted students to be established in the advanced asanas first. 

Westerners have such a strong attachment to their bodies and body image that practicing asanas can easily lead to greater vanity, competitiveness and other distractions from the goal of yoga. Sri Shankaracharya warns in his Vivekachudamani:

"Whoever seeks to realize the Self by devoting himself to the nourishment of the body, proceeds to cross a river by catching hold of a crocodile, mistaking it for a log… 

…desire, like a crocodile, instantly seizes the aspirant who tries to cross the ocean of samsara and reach the shore of liberation without firm detachment, and straightaway drags him down." 

One has to consider: what is the goal of practice? After overcoming health problems, our aim is to be able to sit still and quiet with a concentrated mind. For some this can be attained easily, asanas are not required, which is very rare today. Some need moderate exercise and purification, others need deeper cleansing and more rigorous training for the mind.

Guruji taught that Ashtanga Yoga was a step by step method but that yama and niyama could not be perfected until the stage of pranayama. However, in spite of the fact that it is very challenging or maybe even impossible to perfect yama and niyama, an attempt to do so is required, and our success in yoga will be much more closely related to our progress in the first two limbs than the third alone. In a certain sense the yama and niyama encapsulate the whole path - it is said that liberation can be achieved through perfection of any one.

As far as asanas go, what is important in the immediate moment is a practice which gives us a sense of wellbeing and freedom from pain. If we are sick, then we need to purify and strengthen the body. In preparation for pranayama we also need to purify the nadis further through Nadi Shodhona and to be able to sit comfortably in padmasana or a similar asana for a long period of time. 

Where did the notion come from - that advancing through the series would lead to advancement on the path of yoga? It seems like there should be a logical correlation.  However, the purpose of the asanas is therapy. As long as we continue to fall short of following the yamas and niyamas perfectly, our system will require continuous correction from practicing asanas.

Reflections on "Guruji: A Portrait" - Interview with Elise Espat - Part II

Everyone you interviewed spent time with Guruji in Mysore.  Why is making the time to practice in India so crucial? Or is it?  

If you want to go deep into a subject, you have to go to the source. Spending time in mother India is an incomparable experience and having the opportunity to study closely with a master such as Pattabhi Jois is a priceless opportunity. I believe that it is almost impossible to understand yoga without spending extended time in India, so for a deeper understanding I think it is necessary.


Practicing with Guruji, especially in the intimate setting of the "old shala" in Lakshmi Puram was a very powerful and transformative experience. Receiving the asanas from Guruji and being adjusted in them by him on a daily basis also has a profound impact. Beyond the effectiveness and beauty of the sequences he created, the nature of his adjustments and the way in which he engaged with each individual were teachings on a daily basis. Much more is conveyed through teaching asana than is at first evident.

He would observe our personalities, mental and physical states and engage with us accordingly - teaching us yama and niyama and other yogic truths indirectly or in a practical way. For instance, in some students he was always trying to curb ambition and break down an over inflated ego, in others he was pushing, encouraging, demanding more effort. For each individual on each day it was different. This often caused a lot of confusion, intense emotions and outbursts of anger - either in private or in the shala - one day you though he loved you, the next he seemed to despise you. This caused a lot of self reflection and self analysis.

Prior to 2002 Guruji's yoga shala was very small. In the beginning there was space for eight yoga mats - two rows of four. As the numbers grew we squeezed an extra mat in each row and then eventually there were two in the middle - making twelve. In '91, when I first arrived, Sharath was just beginning to assist, so there were two teachers and eight students in the room. Prior to this and during the summer months there were only a handful of western students, sometimes only one or two - they would get private lessons from Guruji.

With the new shala there was space for sixty students to practice at the same time so the teacher student ratio changed radically. By this time there were many of Guruji's students teaching around the world and students coming to Mysore already knew the practice, so the teaching in the new shala for most students was more about quality control and less about one-on-one teaching. At times there were as many as 300 students present in later years. However, Guruji's commanding presence continued to have a powerful impact on everyone present even though he did not necessarily engage with you directly. It was a common experience that when Guruji spoke to one student - he would shout "straight(en) your leg!" or "touch your chin" - other students in the room felt spoken to also and even though his prompts were not directed at them, they were able to use them also.

Much is made (with good justification) of the ashtanga sequences, however, it makes a huge difference who you learn from and the environment in which you learn. Some say the practice is the teacher. I feel the practice is more like therapy. The guru is the teacher. Even though the teaching may not be explicit, by investing the teacher with a real or imagined superior knowledge, he causes us to reflect on our own limitations. When you are in close proximity to the Guru, these reflections take on a much greater intensity. We used to call mysore a karma accelerator - we felt that enormous transformation was taking place.

How does Mysore influence the practice?  Or does it?

Going to India can help by making practice the central theme of one's day for a period of time. It is also an opportunity to allow the transformations which want to take place in the mind/body to unfold in an environment which does not elicit one's habitual (conditioned) responses. Somehow India has the effect of opening people to greater acceptance and transformation. 

I believe it is easier for those who spend time in India to become less materialistic and to start to guide their lives on the basis of a spiritual purpose. While churches in the West are closing, in India every tree or road side rock is a temple to a deity. While many indians crave the same material rewards as westerners, the celebration of and devotion to the divine is everywhere.

The traditional Hindu culture as primarily propagated via the Brahmin caste is based on the same principles as yoga. Guruji's old shala was in Lakshmi Puram, a neighborhood hardly touched by the twentieth century, where people lived much the same way they had been living for hundreds of years. We lived simply without furniture other than a mattress on the floor, intermittent electricity and water. We went to bed when the sun set and got up long before it rose. All around us the local people were all also involved in their early morning rituals, chanting, cleaning, bathing, etc. The target of life for the Hindu is liberation, yoga's target is the same. 

Yoga is only one of 64 arts, each of which can bring a practitioner to samadhi and Self realization. Many students learn a musical instrument or study Sanskrit or philosophy - these pursuits take one deeper into an understanding of the science of Self realization.

Reflections on "Guruji: A Portrait" - Interview with Elise Espat - Part I

How and why did you choose to ask the questions you asked for the interviews?

When I arrived in Mysore in the early '90s Guruji used to give regular theory classes, but his ability to communicate was often thwarted by language problems. 

Guruji spoke a little English but he had a strong accent which was often hard for English speakers to understand and mostly impossible to understand for non-native English speakers when he started to talk about philosophy. 

In the first few years I was there, there were 15-20 students at his theory classes. We were French, German, English, American, Dutch, Swiss… a jumble of languages with varying limitations on the grasp of Guruji's broken English and Sanskrit. So his efforts were often mired in frustration. I felt for him (and for myself - I was also frustrated we were unable to learn more from him in this forum).

There were also increasing numbers of students who did not want to think too deeply. For them being in India with Guruji was perhaps a bit of a lark and not an opportunity to absorb the fullness of what he had to offer. Often they turned Guruji's theory classes into a bit of a circus.

Guruji was a scholar and had the desire to share the gems of the Upanishads or the Yoga Sutra with his students, but as time went by, the quality of the interest was often brought down to a lowest common denominator by questions such as "Guruji, what is the best kind of yoga clothing or mat to use?" or other perhaps important, yet mundane subjects. 

In the end Guruji would often shake his head in frustration and resignation and say "You don't understand! Just do your practice and all is coming!" This was accepted by increasing numbers as a motto, and for some, as an invitation not to question any deeper. But I felt it was said in the context of frustration that direct teaching through the mind was not possible.

"Sat tu dirgha kala…" - perhaps Guruji's favorite words - "you practice for a long time! 10 years, 20 years, your life long, you practice!" He was able to convey this aspect of his teaching with absolute effectiveness - but what did he mean by "all is coming"? I think this is the subject of much of the book.

So my first motivation was to give Guruji a voice and to try to share his philosophy. Of course it is not his philosophy, it is the eternal teaching of the Vedas, Upanishads and other sacred literature of India, but unique in the way it came to expression through him.

Originally the interviews were part of a video documentary project. What I had in mind was to paint a portrait of Guruji, an Impressionistic image or collage, by juxtaposing different shades and hues of answers to the same questions. My questions were designed to be cut from the end result, leaving the interviewees to speak for themselves. You will notice there are very few questions which evoke a yes/no response.

I wanted to make the interviews as comprehensive as possible because I was not sure which parts I was going to want to use. When the interviews first started to take shape as an idea Guruji was still relatively unknown (Yoga Mala had not been translated into English) but by the time I started asking the first questions (1999), he was already traveling and teaching extensively and had become well known in the West. 

While I had been motivated to write a book myself, I felt that the voices of others would give much greater authority and weight - and as it turns out also wisdom, eloquence and insight! The questions covered several areas such as: Guruji as teacher, the practice, theory, Guruji as family man, origins of the series and the individual experiences of the interviewees. As time went by the question list became more comprehensive, but it changed with each interview as I noted particular areas of interest or expertise. If I found the subject going in an interesting direction, I would follow it. 

I have always known yoga as a spiritual practice, but many I have met on the path are more interested in the material benefits. Although the book is called "Guruji" and does contain biographical and anecdotal stories about his life, the larger part of the book is devoted to what he was teaching. What is yoga? And how should practice be applied? What are the benefits? And what is the metaphysical viewpoint which underpins the yogic knowledge? Guruji is the lens, the teacher,  but the main object of interest is yoga itself. Because there was no clearly (or universally) understood "Ashtanga Yoga Philosophy" amongst his students, his philosophy became summed up by many as 99% practice, 1% theory, do you practice and all is coming etc - and that was about it. I felt this imbalance needed correcting.