Chasing the Yoga High

A couple of months ago, I was at a workshop and the teacher asked about our first yoga "experience" and whether we continued to practice because we were trying to replicate that same feeling again. I don't have any particular insights, except that it reminded me of what they say about drugs, the first high is the best and people keep getting high hoping for that same experience, but it's never that good again.

I'm not sure things are that dire as a yoga practitioner, but I do recall that with my first teacher, at a time when I was healing from a profound heartbreak, tears would roll down my face at the end of class after deep backbends. It was a silent, private thing, and I definitely knew that something important and meaningful was happening to me because of the yoga I was practicing.

Later, I was fortunate to have a teacher that was able to hold this amazing energetic space for a feeling of being in "yoga". I'm sure that feeling is quite individual, and for me it has to do with a knowing that comes over me at certain times, and it's accompanied by color displays in my inner vision and certain sensations in my physical body. It likely had as much to do with my level of development at the time, and yet, I've often lamented the "loss" of that experience of being led in a practice, not having to think, and being with a teacher gifted enough to guide me through a practice that gives me that feeling of the yoga "high".

It's never been exactly like those two experiences since, and I doubt it ever will be again. I realized that I've also thought it hasn't been as good. The recognition came today that I was wrong; it's not only just as good, it's much better. What is different is the less obvious nature of the experience. The territory I walk now is much deeper in the woods. It's quieter, the changes on the surface terrain more subtle, so the work happens below the surface layer, and more substantial the discoveries because of it. There really are no guides for the path that leads within, except the Inner Guru, and as Ana Forrest would say the "Sacred Ones".

The lesson is not that there is no outer teacher for me, but that I must take full responsibility from here on out- for my practice, my life, my healing and the outer expression of what's inside me. Admittedly, I wish there was someone to whom I could turn for all the answers, but the Truth is that everything we need is already inside us, we just have to go find it. And that means whether we are practicing alone, carried by the energy of practicing with others, or led by a teacher, the direction to go is always the same-within. And that's where all the really good stuff is anyways.    

See you soon and keep practicing!
Liz
//SeattleYoaShala.com 

 P.S.  I've had one spot open up for the Fall Retreat Oct.3-5, 2014 - email me if you're interested!!

more info: http://yogalodge.com/retreats/doyle.html

Who Will Step Into the Seat of the Master Teacher?

With the passing of BKS Iyengar in the wee hours of the morning August 20, 2014, I wonder what is to become of this beloved practice.  Of course, it will continue to evolve and grow and change, and yes, I know "it's ALL yoga", but I can't help but wonder (with more than a little trepidation) about who will step into the shoes of the Masters that have been passing since I began teaching.  Here's an article I wrote in January 2013 after the death of Georg Feuerstein...

There have been few words for the disillusionment I've felt lately with the trivializing of yoga (as a practice and the training of a lineage of teachers), the introduction of the "yogalebrity", and the general lack of foundation in yoga philosophy. From where will the next generation of "Master" teachers emerge?
 
There's a fantastic article on the female pioneers in yoga- you can read it HERE. There's a generation of Master Yogis, aged from around mid-50s and into the 90s, taught by their teachers, that have continued and contributed to a beautiful tradition for us, and they won't be around forever- I just wonder, "Is this the legacy they intended to leave, and what is our responsibility in it? My hope is that we respect the lineage, the tradition and the practice enough to keep ourselves steeped in it- the whole of it, and keep it going.
 
The recently deceased Georg Feuerstein, a prolific author, dedicated yogi and master teacher, said:
 
"The (yoga) scriptures furnish the context for the actual practice of yoga. Many yoga practitioners perform postures, breathing exercises and other techniques without having a clear idea of their purpose within the larger path of yoga."

As teachers and students of the practice, I believe it's our moral imperative, out of respect for those who taught us, our teachers and our teachers' teachers, to maintain a connection with the tradition. Without the greater context of yoga, it's just exercise and breathing.
 
Whatever that means for you, I encourage all of us to take those moments to show our gratitude and respect for those who came before us. The most meaningful way to honor the practice is to be a sincere student of the practice. And it's this sincerity and dedication that bears the fruit of the practice- making our lives, and the world, a better place through better human beings.
 
See you soon and keep practicing!
Liz
//LizDoyleYoga.com