Making Practice Real

In yoga teacher training, we are discussing this quote from Michael Stone about how yoga practice is relevant in our lives:

"For yoga to be a living tradition, we need to integrate committed practice with a teacher alongside critical engagement with the core axioms of the particular yoga system we are studying, so that the teachings come alive in this culture, in this time, in this human experience."(1)

I believe that the real work of yoga and the growth that results, comes at the nexus of the ancient practices with the real circumstances of my life, right now. I am not a reenactor, trying to recreate the life of a yogi from the past. I am a practicing human being, applying tools of the yoga tradition that have evolved over thousands of years through their application by thousands of dedicated yogis and teachers.

That the two concepts of dedicated practice and non-attachment are both necessary for yoga is a core teaching. Understanding the truth of that concept is an ongoing process for me, in particular understanding that non-attachment doesn’t mean that I don’t care about things in the world – or, conversely, how to care deeply about things without being attached to them.

Nicolai Bachman describes dedicated practice as a disciplined, persistent effort to remain focused, and says that diligent practice directed inward will, over time, cultivate non-attachment.(2) As I become more in touch with the inner Self, things in the outer world don’t seem as important, giving me space to let go of clinging.

Teachers are important to me. Perhaps it is a feature of modern yoga, with a multitude of studios offering classes from a multitude of teachers, and with many more resources available over the internet, that I have so many teachers. In a sense, all the teachers merge into a collective Teacher. I believe that I benefit from the variety of perspectives and particular approaches that each teacher brings into the collective Teacher-space.

The final step, though, is that the ultimate teacher is also the student, me. No matter how brilliant the teaching, it has no effect until I recognize how it applies to me, internalize it, and incorporate it into my practice. This is where another of the core yoga concepts, keen discernment, is so vital. Where am I in my practice? Where are my edges, now? What does this teaching mean, applied to my practice? How do I apply it to advance my practice, extend my edges, and stay safe?



(1) Stone, Michael. The Inner Tradition of Yoga: A Guide to Yoga Philosophy for the Contemporary Practitioner. Boston: Shambhala, 2008. Print.

(2) Bachman, Nicolai. The Path of the Yoga Sutras: A Practical Guide to the Core of Yoga. Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2011. Print.