The big Ashtanga news that recently burbled into the blogosphere has had me thinking about teacher-student relationships. I've been thinking most specifically about these relationships in the study of yoga but, really, they follow similar arcs irrespective of subject.
Ashtanga yoga is devised as a synthesis of old and new wisdom. It's a living "tradition" that draws from the present as much as it draws from the past. It's really no more ancient than this present moment. Notions of timeless mysteries and of rootedness in tradition only serve as points to draw potential adherents; otherwise it's mostly just superstition, or religion, or whatever description least offends you.
The yoga we learn is never that of the originator of the line. Nor is it even the yoga of our immediate teachers. I don't refer necessarily to the constant changes to the system as prescribed by Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute. That's an amusing curiosity but it's not so relevant. I refer instead to the way we each learn all these things anew for ourselves. Our teachers never actually impart any of their knowledge or skill to us. Rather, they give us suggestions of skills and knowledge that we may figure out for ourselves. Hopefully they use wisdom in guiding us through these discoveries and developments -- that's why we subscribe to their teaching -- but that's not absolutely necessary; a good student can learn brilliant things even through any teacher.
It doesn't matter what we call our yoga; now that the world is seeded with The Word of Yoga, it's not too important to retain links to any perceived tradition. It's true that individuals must dedicate themselves if they are to realistically hope to attain the goals of the discipline. It's not true, however, that any system of yoga study is itself complete. Yoga needs the unique individual for its completion and, because of this, complementary ideas have to be drawn in from elsewhere.
Each individual who has studied the yoga knows it only in his own unique way so no founded yoga system can be considered a complete method of guidance for others. It's best that the basic yoga teachings of old have blossomed and littered the world with errant seeds. These seeds will germinate and grow into new traditions, which will hybridize with other traditions, and the evolution will continue.
Friday, August 15
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15 comments:
Carl, you're the best in the whole world. I like that you exposed this travesty. Means our former teachers are no longer certified. silly. They can't take that away from them, man! NO WAY! (okay, too much mochi ice cream, sorry)
also, I thought about my spine during practice thanks to you. Thanks, Carl.
Carl, you're the best in the whole world. I like that you exposed this travesty. Means our former teachers are no longer certified. silly. They can't take that away from them, man! NO WAY! (okay, too much mochi ice cream, sorry)
also, I thought about my spine during practice thanks to you. Thanks, Carl.
I think of ashtanga as kind of like the constitution - there are people who believe it should be traditionally adhered to, and others who think it's a flexible document that must take into account changes with time.
Laksmi's right, how can they take certification away? They can't take knowledge away. The whole "you must go to mysore" is something that's always annoyed me anyhow, considering that there's a lot of wonderful teachers who dedicate their lives to yoga but for one reason or another can't keep taking months off to make pilgrimages to India.
Anyway.
My teacher now, who's the best teacher I've ever encountered, is a disciple of Manju so he's not even authorized. What-the-f (I won't swear on your blog) - ever.
"A good student can learn brilliant things even through any teacher."
The evolution continues.
Rock and roll. : )
(with the FUR.)
Yeah, the two months in India thing--imagine if you are a teacher who is adhering to the morning mysore requirement. Now you have to leave your business for two months. From a lot of what I've seen (ahem, Carl), many students just disappear when their authorized/certified teacher is gone. This edict also presumes that the only learning that can occur for the authorized/certified teacher is when they are in a room full of other yogis in India doing asana. I think most of us have experienced that the majority of the learning comes from our own experience with our smelly mat--teacher or no. It's true that you can learn from any teacher--it's about developing your own knowledge.
I do think that learning ashtanga the traditional was is really important. I was fortunate enough to learn from two certified teachers and I practiced with them for four years. I think that unwavering discipline and their adherence to tradition was a very solid foundation. I learned more from just going in and doing the same shit every day than I every would have anywhere else. But you know this because you're doing it too. It's just so WEIRD that they put this out. Pretty sad. But I guess we're looking at it through western eyes and we find it hard to swallow the eastern teaching traditions--we have independence and questioning built into us and most of us don't just blindly accept and follow what is presented. Can you tell that I just had my coffee?
Anna, I’m glad to know you have such a teacher. I think it’s very meaningful to find a good one. I suppose I contradict myself now but I was tired and hot when I blathered out my post yesterday. It takes a lot of insight to be a good teacher. Since you have a yoga teacher with whom you have a profound connection then you have to stick with him. That’s not a common kind of connection.
I don’t understand the Manju Jois thing. Has he been disavowed by Pattabhi Jois as a teacher? Or, OH MY GOD... has he been disfellowed from yoga altogether?
Laksmi, I really didn’t mean to angle at any travesties or anything like that. But who cares if a teacher has certification? Once a pupil leaves his teacher and undertakes to teach , he should offer himself by virtue of his own name because, really, that’s all he has. Students don’t actually carry the full wisdom of the original teacher.
But, yeah, it was good to start with the rigorous doctrine. It gives me a lot of stuff to sort through now.
I didn't disappear when David left! I continued to practice diligently. I just chose to begin working with a new one who better understands my limited level of practice, rather than linger in an ambiguous situation wherein I might not have learned anything.
You did move over to acme yoga when david left. admit it. the timing was, shall we say, suspect. I'm glad to have you with us, though.
David and Catherine are on the list, as of this morning. As is Manju. I think we are looking at a list-in-progress...
Yes, but David is now just a workshop guy and Catherine is, I'm pretty sure, done with teaching. I'm not sure if 'they' (AYRI) are able to check up on these things. Probably not. It's probably 'honor system'.
The best yoga teacher I ever had was only 28 years old, never had any teacher training certificates or authorization from anybody. He had been been practicing yoga since he was 16 and is one of the most knowledgeable person about yoga, and its philosophy that I have ever met. I have practiced with a few authorized Ashtanga teachers (granted, only in workshop type settings) and in my opinion, they were no better than my teacher.
Forget authorization, certifications and any sort of pedigree. Find a teacher who really resonates with you and stick to him.
peace
or her
Hi Carl
I also thought of my spine today because of you, thank you.
Hot potato, hot potato, who wants the hot potato next? I think there is much confusion about this supposed "no workshop" rule. I think it's more not calling it teacher training but intensive. Also it's the question of when the word ashtanga would be allowed to be used in connection to classes in a shala.
None of these requirements that are now announced publicly are new. We have been talking to each other about this for about a year, offblog, because we have heard it from our teachers who travel to India.
It's bedtime and I don't have more energy to discuss this. Laksmi, yes the coffee worked wonders in your clarity.
cheers,
Arturo
oh, I just went and reread the latest comment to Phillipe's post. It means that traveling teachers who have been going around the globe to travel destinations would have to stop and teach only in one location. Ouch. Only certified teachers would be allowed to travel and teach outside of their shalas.
Time will tell how all this plays out. Yes, this has serious impact on great authorized traveling teachers.
Just wondering where people get the idea that this whole certification rules business is some standard practice in India.
Have found a bunch of comments remarking that this is particular to India. But, in Mysore, many of the locals call SKPJ the "money guru", and think his fees are obscene.
Anyhow, I can see fair arguments on both sides of this issue, but really it has nothing to do with Indian customs.
Its amazing how the story of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga from Mysore (Krishnamacarya-Jois) can be further clarified, and seen as a "modern construction" and not a "sacred and blessed" tradition.
These masters are saying/doing teachings that may contradict traditional ways of ancient yoga teachings, contradict their own previous personal practices (truly unseen), and also contradict the guiding/mentoring of their own "trusted" people versus discriminations towards "westerners".
No "sacred cows" now....
I leave you my bloglinks for you to freely review some research I have done already for the past year (use the google flag-translator for your home languague):
1) http://andresdelmastro.blogspot.com/2008/09/ashtanga-yoga-de-patanjali-ashtanga.html
2) http://andresdelmastro.blogspot.com/2008/03/ashtanga-yoga-tkv-desikachar-bks.html
3)http://andresdelmastro.blogspot.com/2007/10/yoga-aun-tenemos-demasiado-que-aprender.html
Dig into those at least...and there si much more from Sri Dharma Mittra (New York) there worth looking at.
Saludos
Juan Delmastro
Buddhism and Yoga Blog
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