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Spring 1997

NAMASTE,

In the last couple of newsletters I have been writing about what it takes to be a truly fine yoga teacher. Of course most of you are not teachers. Still, I thought having some idea of the path teachers have pursued to become and excel as teachers and the problems that have confronted and continue to confront them might be of general interest. After all, some of this is stuff with which many of you are familiar anyway, teachers or not. This is particularly true since the main issue I have focused on thus far has been practice, specifically one’s attitude toward it and the amount of time one gives to it.

Another aspect of practice that I think is important and relevant to both teacher and students is the intensity of one’s practice. This is a somewhat different issue from whether or not one loves practicing and how much time one spends, although they may be related. I know some students and teachers who spend a couple of hours a day practicing. They enjoy their practice and do it regularly. Yet they seem to make little progress. Others whom I know spend half the time and move ahead rapidly.

Why?

There may be several reasons for lack of progress in practice aside from time and attitude. Incorrect actions in the poses and poor sequencing are two. Another is practice performed lackadaisically or carelessly. The practitioner puts in the time, but there is not much intensity to it. (At the April 27 discussion on practice we’ll talk more about these specific issues and practice in general. See the Calendar of Events on page 4 for details).

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In the Yoga Sutras Patanjali describes practitioners as being of three types: mild, medium, or intense (I:22). B.K.S. Iyengar subdivides them further. He says that an intense practitioner may be mildly intense, moderately intense, or intensely intense and that the same subdivision exits for the other two categories.

What is meant by intensity in practice?

From a physical standpoint intensity means several things. Just plain old working hard is the most obvious. In this vein one of Mr. Iyengar’s more famous quotes is: “If you can do more and don’t, that is unethical practice.” Regarding teachers, he has said that if you ask your students to do something ten times you must do it thirty.

One must be mature in one’s understanding of this, however. This is not intended to instill an ethic of macho competitiveness. (How long can you hold a headstand?). Injuring and exhausting yourself are the antithesis of yoga. Instead, the point is to explore one’s limitations and expand one’s capabilities.

This process of exploration and expansion is one of the reasons that the skillful practice of more advanced poses is more intense than practicing beginning poses. Advanced poses are more likely to directly take you to your limits. The effects of the poses are intensified as well. That’s one reason for doing advanced poses. It’s like the difference between trying to clean your kitchen sink with Comet cleanser as compared to using Ivory soap. They’ll both do the job, but the Comet’s going to do the job faster and better.

Physical intensity doesn’t only mean puffing and sweating. Ask anyone who has practiced meditation with any degree of seriousness and they will tell you that just sitting can be as intense a physical experience as doing 108 backbends. Holding poses longer – going past the initial and secondary resistances and immersing yourself more deeply in the poses – also creates intensity. Then there is more time to explore the subtle processes of the pose and to discover the openings that allow you to penetrate more thoroughly to the essence of the pose.

Working hard, doing more advanced poses and holding poses longer make for a more intense practice. They challenge one’s ability to remain focused. Physical intensity in one’s practice thereby creates the opportunity to develop mental intensity.

Mentally, intensity simply means bringing unswerving attention to what one is doing. I say simply because it is that uncomplicated. It is anything but easy, however. We are constantly distracted by a myriad of sensations from within and without.

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In a yoga class one of the teacher’s primary functions is to keep the students focused. Most students observe that they can do more in a class than they can in their practice at home. Why? One of the main reasons is that the teacher keeps them concentrated on the task at hand. This kind of mental intensity creates energy. Even though one works hard, the experience is ultimately energizing rather than depleting. This is one of the most important differences between doing exercises and practicing yoga postures.

Working intensely, both physically and mentally, deepens one’s knowledge of the actions and effects of the poses. In the teacher's case, this allows a better understanding of what’s going on with students. Then, when students come with questions or problems, the teacher will be more likely to have some insight into what they are experiencing since she will have been there and beyond. And because she asks the maximum of herself, she can ask the maximum of her students with confidence and integrity.

Whether you are someone who is striving to be a truly fine teacher or a student who simply desires to improve in your practice, hard work and deep concentration are crucial. Couple these with many hours, days, weeks and years of practice and a joyful and reverential attitude, and you will develop an intensity and purposefulness that will carry you on a wave to the shore of your destination. As Mr. Iyengar says, “The goal of yoga is near or far according to one’s eagerness and one’s efforts.”

       

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