In this paper, I will present six elements that I feel have become essential components of what yoga is for me in both my personal practice and as a teacher. These components are based on the approach that I have been taught at the Esther Myers Yoga Studio (EMYS), which focuses on discovering the connections that exist between the breath, gravity (or grounding), and the freedom that comes through the lengthening of the spine.
In section one, I will articulate the importance of having a personal practice as the first element. In the next section, I will explore how gravity, the breath, and the elongation of the spine are essential to the practice of yoga and are three core components that are closely interrelated. In the third section, I will highlight the significance of listening to your own body and the value of yoga philosophy as the fifth and six components respectively. To conclude, I will summarise the key findings of my research and provide some personal reflections that speak to the insights and knowledge that I have received as a result of the amazing teacher training programme at the EMYS.
For the purpose of this paper, I will focus on these six components and explain based on my personal experience how they have been helpful and why they are important in developing my style and abilities as a teacher. I will also evaluate and explain why each of these elements are important based on my understanding of Vanda’s approach in Awakening the Spine and Esther’s approach from Yoga & You. Throughout the paper, I will critically examine these elements by comparing and contrasting them with other approaches in books such as Donna Farhi’s Yoga Mind, Body and Spirit (specifically her approach to the breath, ground, and spine); T.K.V. Desikachar’s The Heart of Yoga; and B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Yoga. I will also look at what these authors have not explicitly said and note any insight or understanding that I may have as to why this might be.
On teaching yoga Vanda Scaravelli said the following:
“To teach is an act of love. To teach yoga is also a responsibility, because occasionally certain centers are awakened in which the energy released can be tremendously powerful. This energy is not meant to be used for personal or egoistic purposes, but for other people’s sake. To teach implies also a certain vigilance and dedication in everyday life. This is why, in the past, this practice was limited to the very few. There are no good pupils, there are only good teachers. Teaching is not an imposition of the teacher’s will over that of the pupil, not at all. Teaching starts with freedom and ends with freedom.”
(Scaravelli, 46)
So it is here with this beautiful quotation that the exploration of what being a yogi is truly begins. I was first attracted to become a yoga teacher because I wanted to help others. The irony of the situation is that I did not have a clue about how to even help myself, and this is where the journey actually began. “To teach is an act of love,” and I needed to begin by learning how to love myself.
Section 1: The Importance of a Personal Practice
As I began to practice yoga I started to understand the truth of the theory that if you truly want to help others, first you need to learn how to help yourself; or you need to learn to walk before you can run. I had no idea how to make time for myself and the thought of taking time for a personal practice seemed almost unattainable. Esther explains the importance of practicing kindness to ourselves in the following statement:
“Taking this time may seem like an indulgence that is hard to justify. Learning to take time for ourselves and to be kind to ourselves takes practice. It may be painful at first, and surprisingly difficult, but do persist. You and everyone around you will reap the benefits. Turning inward provides a resource and clarity which enhances all other aspects of our lives. The practice of accepting ourselves leads to concern and compassion for others.” (Myers, 33)
This was not an easy lesson to learn as I desired to become a yoga teacher, but I had no steady practice, no understanding of the value of a personal practice, and no real knowledge of how to be kind to myself. I had been an athlete all of my life, so my approach with my body was to push it and train really hard for short intervals. This was how I first approached yoga. However, once enrolled in the EMYS Teacher Training Programme, I understood that this was not how you study yoga—especially if you want to teach and help others. To further highlight the importance of having a personal practice, Esther states the following:
“I think personal practice is essential if you are teaching. I don’t really see how you can teach without it. I think it’s a resource. It’s a way of coming back into your own centre and entering into your own process. You need that return back to yourself, which is different than doing poses with a class. . . What practice is going to consist of, is going to vary tremendously from person to person, because of age, physical abilities, needs, stamina and style. That a teacher needs to be practicing, I would say absolutely.”
(An Interview with Esther Myers, June 2003)
It is quite clear to see from this statement that Esther is a strong believer in the necessity of a teacher having a personal practice. She also talks about it as being a place to return to, a resource and a place to come back to your centre. The words she uses are very meaningful for me because this has also been my experience. When my practice is strong and I am feeling very grounded and centred, I am able to be more compassionate and caring to myself and others. On a very practical level, I know that my students also feel the benefit of my practice because I can more deeply draw on and use it as a ‘resource,’ giving personal examples of something that I am working on or a discovery (an ahha moment) based on my own experience of the body or mind. Esther’s words also speak about how our personal practice also acts like a touchstone—a place I have found that I can trust to recharge (regaining clarity and focus) so that I remain enthusiastic and full in my teaching. Whenever I give a yoga class that is literally what I do. I try to give of myself as much as possible so that others may have the experience of what it feels like to gently and deeply be present in their own bodies. I have learned that I can only effectively do this when I am, in fact, present in my body and have a strong practice.
I also looked to B.K.S. Iyengar’s book Light on Yoga to see what he says about the importance of a daily practice. It was interesting to note that there was no section or area of the book that clearly spoke to a personal practice or the steps you need to take to have one, as you will find in many western-based books. For example, there are sections in both Farhi’s and Esther’s books carefully explaining what you need for and how to go about developing your own personal practice at home. In contrast, I have the impression that yoga from Mr. Iyengar’s eastern perspective is that there is no difference between yoga and having a personal practice. It would appear a fundamental assumption for him that yoga is your personal practice or that one who practices yoga has a personal practice. I presume that this might be why he does not feel the need to mention the importance of having a personal practice explicitly. In India it is also uncommon to have a studio where you go to practice yoga on a weekly basis to tone your body. The focus of yoga goes much deeper than the body, it is as Desikachar explains:
“What is yoga after all? It is something that we experience inside, deep within our being. Yoga is not an external experience. In yoga we try in every action to be as attentive as possible to everything we do. … As we perform the various asanas we observe what we are doing and how we are doing it. We do it only for ourselves. We are both observer and what is observed at the same time. If we do not pay attentions to ourselves in our practice, then we cannot call it yoga.”
(Desikachar, 23)
I found this statement to be helpful in expanding my understanding beyond the physical benefits of a personal practice and the conception that I had coming from a western background about what yoga is. This description is much more in line with what I would now explain my understanding of a personal practice is and why I ‘do yoga’.
Regardless of whether a personal yoga practice is explicitly or implicitly stated, I have applied these eastern and western understandings into my teaching by explaining yoga as a holistic approach which includes the body, mind and spirit, and I give practical examples where students can incorporate a simple breathing exercise or pose at the office, in the car, or at home in front of the T.V. (e.g. I use paschimottanasana as an example of a good stretch to work with when they are watching T.V.). I do this to encourage students to develop the understanding that yoga is more than something you practice in a yoga studio with a teacher. Esther also encourages students to incorporate bits of yoga practice throughout the day by exhaling and dropping your shoulders when you feel tense or becoming aware of your spine as you sit, stand, or walk (Myers, 31).
Section 2: Core Principles (Exploring the Relationship of the Ground, Breath and Spine)
In this section, I will look at the dynamic relationships between the ground, the breath, and the spine as presented by Vanda and Esther in their books. I will also compare and contrast these three core elements with the work presented by Donna Farhi.
On Grounding: Farhi in her book Yoga, Mind, Body and Spirit talks about seven moving principles. There is one principle that she discusses called ‘Yield’ (‘Yield to the Earth: Weight and Levity’) that I have found useful and similar in some ways to the grounding approach that I have been taught at EMYS. Farhi says, “Any surface of the body that makes contact with the ground must yield to the earth. Actively yielding to the earth creates a rebounding force away from the earth, elongating the body upward into space. Whenever the relationship of yielding to the earth is lost, breathing is restricted.” (Farhi, 35) Farhi’s observations, based on this idea of yielding to the earth, express the relationship that Vanda also talks about: the relationship between the ground and the breath. Farhi presents this relationship with grounding and the breath within the context of three patterns: 1) Collapsing—dropping into the earth without the ability to use gravity to our advantage, resulting in lethargic and shallow breathing; 2) Propping—a pattern where we push the earth away tightening the knees, chest, and thrusting the spine forward creating a chest breathing pattern; 3) Yielding—the proper relationship when we make contact and give our weight to the earth, and thus receive the rebound of gravity up through our bodies, resulting in ease and effortlessness in breathing. She explains that yielding creates a ‘push’ back through the body (Farhi, 35-36).
Farhi has presented these patterns in such a clear way that it makes it easy to identify where we are at in our relationship with the ground and understand how this is impacting our breath. I could catch myself throughout the day (especially at work) using this ‘propping’ pattern when I lost my attention on grounding through my feet, and I noticed that my breath would become shallower and I would fall back into this chest breathing pattern that my body was familiar with. As much as I have found a great deal of truth and relevance in Farhi’s presentation of these three patterns, I haven’t found that the word ‘yielding’ means much to me when I apply it to my practice and this idea of ‘push’ back through the body doesn’t feel quite right. I agree that energy is freed up and there is a release upwards but I haven’t experienced it as ‘push’ when working with it in my practice or teaching.
Another point of difference between Vanda and Farhi’s explanations of grounding as you will see later on in the sub-section on the spine is that Vanda very clearly makes reference to the spine when she speaks about grounding. As you can see above Farhi doesn’t make any mention of the spine in her discussion about yielding. I see this as a weakness in Farhi’s presentation of ‘grounding’ as I have found it very valuable to understand and nurture this dynamic relationship between the ground and the spine.
I have also found that there is a significant difference between Vanda and Farhi in their use of language. I prefer the language that Vanda uses and how she talks about growing roots in relation to grounding and elongating and spreading into the space around it. “The roots of a tree are pulled deeply down towards the center of the earth while the trunk grows vertically towards the sky, elongating and spreading through the branches into the space around it. The deeper the roots penetrate into the ground, traveling below the surface of the earth, the taller and stronger grows the tree.” (Scaravelli, 10) I have discovered the value of language both for my personal practice and when teaching others as I find working with images from nature and gentle language more meaningful and therefore provides a greater benefit for my students and myself.
Another aspect that Farhi doesn’t speak about in her approach to grounding is the relationship between this idea of ‘yielding’ and the effect that it has on the mind. Esther clearly explains the relationship between grounding and how it results in freeing up the mind: “When the lower part of the body is grounded properly, the upper part of the body, including the mind, becomes light and agile. Energy is freed up. We learn to have our feet on the ground, to find connection to the earth and to grow upwards to toward the sky.” (Myers, 81)
This is an important point as it is something that I have also experienced in my own practice. The more firmly I am grounded, the more light and easy the mind becomes. I am able to not take myself so seriously, and I can give myself more easily to the practice and just be calm, clear, and present in my body. This lightness of the mind is something that Farhi does not talk about perhaps because this has not been her experience in using her approach to grounding. I think because with Esther’s approach one learns how to more deeply ground this results in the lightness that one may feel in the mind. This connection between the mind and grounding is a unique perspective Esther brings and something that I have identified is a significant insight in my practice.
Moving with the Breath: In learning to work with the breath, I have found it helpful to start by gaining an understanding about how the breath moves in my body. I have found Donna Farhi’s approach to the breath and her concept of ‘letting the breath move you’ to be very perceptive and supportive in working with breath.
“Becoming attuned to your breath is like learning to dance the waltz with another person. At first you have to become familiar with your dance partner—how he moves, when he moves, and where he moves. To be a good dance partner with the breath, you must be suggestible and let the wisdom of the breath guide all of your movements. As you learn to follow the lead of the breath, you will know what to do next. I call this ‘moving inside the breath.’” (Farhi, 31)
From my practice, I have found that this is indeed the first step in learning how to move with the breath: we first need to become familiar with it and then we can let it guide us.
Desikachar, in his presentation of the breath, shares many of these same fundamental insights about ‘moving with the breath’ as he speaks of consciously following the breath and becoming one with the movement.
“When practicing an asana our attention should be directed toward the central point of the movement of breath. For instance, the main action when we breathe in moves from the upper chest to the navel; when we breathe out the action is mostly in the abdomen. Our attention is on these movements. Consciously following the breath is a form of meditation in which we try to become completely one with the movement.” (Deikachar, 22)
Desikachar also speaks about the breath being the intelligence of the body and explains the importance of ‘feeling’ the breath as it moves in and out and with practice the quality of our breath in our asanas will improve (Desikachar, 22).
The understanding that the breath is essential to our practice and allows us to go deeper into our poses is a very fundamental point in the teachings of Vanda and Esther. This point is further highlighted by Farhi’s statement: “Whatever movement or yoga asana you are practicing, allow the basic expanding, condensing pattern of the breath to express itself through you at all times. Then, all your practice will become like a dance in which the invisible partner of the breath guides you.” (Farhi, 32) This is the essence of what my experience is in working with the breath, and Farhi’s teaching in ‘moving inside the breath’ has indeed been like ‘dancing with an invisible partner’. I feel that Farhi really complements the approach that I have been taught at the EMYS in terms of becoming aware of your breath and allowing it to guide your movement. This aspect of my research has allowed me to see how other leading yoga teachers have also highlighted the importance of the breath in relationship to our asanas and movement. All of my research supports that the power of the breath can be utilized to guide us deeper into our experience of yoga.
In addition, another aspect that I would like to explore in this section about working with the breath is the importance of how we, as yoga teachers, present this to our students. I have seen through this research that because the breath and pranayama are such key components to any yoga practice, there is a lot that has been written about the correct use of it and the role that it plays in the postures. For example, in Iyengar’s Light on Yoga there is a whole section specifically on pranayama. He speaks strongly on the importance of qualifications for fitness before practicing pranayama techniques: “Pneumatic tools can cut through the hardest rock. In pranayama the yogi uses his lungs as pneumatic tools. If they are not used properly, they destroy both the tool and the person using it. The same is true of pranayama.” (Iyengar, 431) However, based on Mr. Iyengar’s instructions for practicing pranayama, it would seem a bit dangerous and even harmful if practiced incorrectly. If I was reading about yoga for the first time, I might be a little bit put off and very cautious if I did attempt to try. I do not find it useful to present the use of the breath in this way, but I understand that there are some cautions that we need to be aware of before engaging in strong pranayama practices.
In contrast, I find Esther’s language and approach to working with the breath much more helpful and encouraging, especially when working with beginning students:
“…attention to and awareness of our breath is central to the practice of yoga. In many languages the words for breath and spirit are the same. Awareness of our breathing gives life to the postures, and builds the bridge between body and spirit. And just as stress can affect our entire body, so can the relaxation that comes with deep and quiet breathing. …The overall benefits of a regular breathing practice-physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually-cannot be over-estimated.” (Myers, 59)
I recognize as a teacher that it is sometimes helpful to give students the experience of the breath without a lot of strict instructions and words of caution. Once you understand how fundamental the breath is for the body and poses, you start to get insights into the power of the breath. Through your own practice you learn that the breath is your friend and you start to respect and feel more comfortable with the breath, especially as you start to experience some of the benefits that Esther speaks about above.
The final aspect that I would like to look at in this section is how the breath works naturally in relationship with the spine and the importance of bringing our attention to the breath.
“Breathing is the essence of yoga. Breathe naturally, without forcing. No pressure, no disturbance, nothing should interfere with the simple, tide-like movement of our lungs as we breathe in and out. After a while, when the last three vertebrae closest to the ground start to receive life, if we are attentive, we will discover that the energy running along the back of the spine (from its base to the top of the head) increases in power, making the spine alive and strong. Breathing is the most important part of yoga practice.” (Scaravelli, 176)
Vanda describes very elegantly the role that our attention and being gentle with the breath plays in the spine and in our experience of yoga.
I also want to highlight Vanda’s understanding of how attentive breathing makes ‘the spine alive and strong’. This same insight is also described in Farhi’s work:
“While the position of our spine is important, simply finding a balanced position is not enough. To bring life to the back we must be able to move force through it. Just as a fountain is an inert object until we run water through it, so too, the spine lacks vitality until it is brought to life by the combined forces of gravity, the breath, and our directed intention.” (Farhi, 45)
Farhi underlines Vanda’s point about ‘energy running along the back of the spine’ with her analogy of a fountain and ‘running water through it’. I am not sure that Vanda would agree to compare the spine to an inert object, but the basic principle of the spine being brought to life by the combined forces of gravity, breath and intention is very much in-line with her teaching. Farhi also brings up an important aspect about the use of our directed intention or awareness. This has been a valuable understanding and something that I have incorporated into my work and teaching. I often express it as ‘what gets noticed or attention changes.’ This can be practiced by breathing into a tight place where you are experiencing some tension or holding. I have felt how bringing the awareness of the breath to the area can often release or free up the space.
One aspect of Vanda’s teaching that is unique is her analogy of the breath as a wave and its relationship to the spine. “To follow the way the spine functions during this process of breathing is of the greatest interest. The wave of expansion while exhaling, originating from the spine, is the basis of our teaching” (Vanda, 22). I wanted to conclude this section on this point, as it acts as a very nice lead into the following section on the spine. In her teachings, Vanda often speaks about this harmonious relationship between the wave of the breath and the spine, and here she has presented the wave of expansion that we experience when exhalation originates from the spine.
Elongation of the Spine: On a basic physiological level, the spine is the central axis of the body and also acts as an information highway for the whole body. The spine has been a central focus of my practice for this reason. I have also learned that through the breath and grounding the spine becomes a good friend and a place of great strength and flexibility. Here is a statement by Vanda that speaks about the importance of the spine: “The first structure that is formed in the child’s body (while still in the mother’s womb) is the spine, and consequently all the other limbs, the arms, legs and hips, derive from it. For this reason the spine is of the greatest importance.” (Scaravelli, 18)
If I had to focus on one aspect of my practice that I have found to be unique from other approaches, I would say that it is based in Vanda’s deep understanding of the spine and how she uses it in her teaching:
“What is this new teaching? A revolution has to take place. A revolution based on one very simple physical truth. There is a division in the center of our back, where the spine moves simultaneously in two opposite directions: from the waist down towards the legs and feet, which are pulled by gravity, and from the waist upwards, through the top of the head, lifting us up freely.” (Scaravelli, 
Vanda explains that gravity is like a magnet attracting us to the earth, but it also allows us to stretch towards the sky. Farhi explains this in a similar way stating, “Give the weight of your lower body into the earth and wait for the effortless rebound that will lift your body upward.” (Farhi, 37) This language is very helpful as it reinforces what Vanda is saying about the spine releasing in two directions.
I also appreciate how Vanda clearly explains how each yoga pose is accompanied by breath, and that during the process of exhalation the spine stretches and elongates effortlessly in a wave of extension produced by gravity and breathing. “The resulting wave is extraordinarily powerful and helps us to find the right approach: and unexpected opening follows, an opening from within us, giving life to the spine, as though the body had to reverse and awaken in another dimension.” (Vanda, 10) This seemingly simple sentence is articulating what has been a very profound realisation throughout my yoga teacher training with EMYS and practice. This ‘unexpected opening’ can actually be experienced as a dynamic release where one can feel the spine lengthening up through the crown of the head and at the same time down towards the tailbone or feet. Or, expressed another way, Farhi says, “As you start to release the spine from the core down toward the earth, the most amazing thing begins to happen. As you exhale, the spine above the waist begins to ascend lightly.” (Farhi, 46) Both authors are articulating a similar experience, and this dynamic focus on the spine is still unique to most yoga styles that I have found. I like to give students this experience when I am teaching by giving them a hands-on assist in child’s pose. Here I am able to physically demonstrate by placing my hands on their back at the waist. I then run one hand along the spine on the exhale up towards the crown of the head and the other down towards the tailbone. I ask them to feel this dynamic release of the spine in both directions that both Vanda and Farhi speak about.
After carefully researching and analysing the different aspects of grounding, the breath, and the spine, I am firmly convinced of the value, advantages, and applicability of the EMYS approach and perspective in my practice and teaching. “We have three friends: gravity, breath, and wave (connected with the supple movement of extension along the spine). These three companions (fused in one) should be constantly with us.” (Scaravelli, 24) Here Vanda does a good job of summarising how these ‘friends’ or elements combine to create the foundation of our yoga experience. It is only by using all three of these components together in my yoga practice that I start to understand the profound nature of this statement. In examining each of these ‘friends’ independently, I have discovered that without an understanding of the ground (as expressed in Farhi, Esther, and Vanda’s work) we can’t breathe: without the breath we can’t know the spine, and without the extension of the spine it simply wouldn’t be yoga. I am further convinced that this approach works because it has also been my experience and is supported by other globally respected teachers such as Donna Farhi, B.K.S. Iyengar and T.K.V. Desikachar. I feel fortunate to be able to share this wisdom with others through my teaching.
Section 3: Listening to Your Own Body and the Value of Yoga Philosophy
Esther always encouraged her students to find their edge and listen to their own bodies, which I have experienced is a powerful combination. In this process, I can remember using my breath to take my body as far as I could, and then Esther would encourage ‘a couple more breaths here’. At the same time I was also gently reminded that I could always back off at any point if the pose became too intense.
“Each time we practice, we begin again with an acceptance of our bodies and ourselves. We give ourselves time and quiet attention, and allow our bodies to release and unwind naturally. From this acceptance and a willingness to work with our bodies rather than against them, we find happiness, security, serenity and balance within and through our bodies. This process gradually takes us deeper and deeper, opening up infinite possibilities.” (Myers, 45)
The process that Esther speaks to in this quotation has helped me develop a strong trust in listening to my body and the ability to work with it not against it. This is another one of the unique things that I deeply appreciate and experienced in my training with Esther and the EMYS. This permission to release and unwind naturally by listening to the body and what it needs on a moment to moment basis is an important concept that is not always highlighted in other approaches.
In comparison to Esther’s approach based on ‘releasing and unwinding,’ I have looked at Mr. Iyengar’s language and approach in Light on Yoga.
“He seeks a body strong as a thunderbolt, healthy and free from suffering so as to dedicate it in the service of the Lord for which it is intended. As pointed out in the Mundakopanisad the Self cannot be attained by one without strength, nor through heedlessness, nor without an aim. Just as an unbaked earthen pot dissolves in water the body soon decays. So bake it hard in the fire of yogic discipline in order to strengthen and purify it.” (Iyengar, 42)
I feel that Mr. Iyengar’s approach using strict discipline, firm form and stern language may not encourage students to turn inwards and become more aware of the needs of their body. As your yoga practice develops you have to learn to listen so that you can build a caring relationship with your body. I have noticed in Iyengar’s language, when describing how to practice a pose, he uses strong words like strong like a thunderbolt, chinlock, tighten and keep the legs rigid at the knees. The use of this language does not resonate with me because this has not been my experience when working with the poses in my practice. This harder terminology is something that was avoided in our training at the EMYS perhaps because it does not promote one in becoming kind and gentle. The following quotation by Vanda again highlights the results of listening to our body by ‘going with it and not against it’ and contrasts the statement above by Mr. Iyengar:
“You have to learn how to listen to your body, going with it and not against it, avoiding all effort or strain and centering your attention on that very delicate point, the back of the waist (where the spine moves in two opposite directions). You will be amazed to discover that, if you are kind to your body, it will respond in an incredible way.” (Scaravelli, 16)
Another important aspect of listening to our own body is this inner intelligence that we can develop. Vanda speaks about the intelligence that we can develop with a patient approach to our practice in the following way:
“When some difficulty arises we can always find a different movement, since the body is surprisingly able to adjust itself. It has its own intelligence and is willing to cooperate in finding a solution to any problem. One has only to approach problems with patience, care and attention. Nobody can help you to do this. ‘You have to become your own teacher and your own disciple’ (these are Krishnamurti’s words).” (Scaravelli, 40)
This quote also speaks about what I have experienced with my yoga practice. I have come to realize that there is a profound difference between someone who can teach and someone who is a teacher. I have been teaching for many years now, but it hasn’t been until recently as I have developed more patience in my practice that I have gained the ability to become ‘my own teacher and disciple’. If one of my students (or me) is struggling with a pose, I am becoming increasingly able to find a solution by using the intelligence of the body by being patient, caring, and deeply listening. I can now often find a modification or suggestion of how to work with a pose in a different way through the intelligence and this ‘teacher disciple’ understanding that Vanda references above.
As a complement to Vanda and Esther’s approach, I found some similar understandings from T.K.V. Desikachar as he spoke about his father Krishnamacharya’s yoga.
“What makes my father’s yoga teachings unique is his insistence on attending to each individual and to his or her uniqueness. If we respect each person individually, it naturally means we will always start from where each person currently is. The starting point is never the teacher’s needs but those of the student. This requires many different approaches; there is not just one approach for everybody.” (Desikachar, xviii)
This statement complements the individual and gently listening to your own body type of approach taught to me by Esther and reinforces the statements of Vanda. Desikachar does not come out and explicitly state you need to listen to your own body, but expresses yoga is about respecting each person individually and requires many different approaches. It is my experience that through this deep listening and attention to your individual needs you will find your own approach, as yoga is a personal discovery and journey.
I have also come to understand that yoga is much more than skin deep, and I want to acknowledge the value of yoga philosophy and knowledge as expressed by Desikachar: “Of course there was the study of the texts too, which took much more time than asana technique because once you have understood there is nothing more to say about it. The texts provide the content of your practice and make what you are doing comprehensible” (Desikachar, xxiv). I find that there is a lot of wisdom in this statement, as it confirms my experience of the necessity to integrate some knowledge of the yoga texts and anatomy in being a teacher. Yoga is not just about asanas as I have learned through my training at the EMYS. It is important to understand that to be a good yoga teacher some time also needs to be spent studying and learning from the yoga texts.
Conclusion:
Through this research, and also due to insights gained from my personal practice and teaching, I am able to draw the following conclusions based on the six key components for yoga practice (personal practice, grounding, breathing, elongating the spine, listening to your own body, and yoga philosophy):
- Personal practice is essential for teachers. Even when not explicitly stated by eastern teachers, it is considered to be non-different to the way a yogi lives.
- Personal practice is a resource to draw inspiration and energy for teachers and students and also to show how yoga can be practically applied in daily life.
- Grounding work, as presented by Farhi and Vanda, highlights the importance of understanding our correct relationship with gravity so that we can rebound and elongate through our bodies. It is only through grounding that we achieve true synchrony with the breath.
- Farhi, Desikachar and Iyengar’s work strongly compliment Vanda and Esther’s approach to working with breath in one’s practice to move deeper into the asanas.
- Vanda and Farhi very clearly compliment and reinforce the importance of understanding and experiencing the dynamic rebounding of the spine in our practice of yoga.
- The work of Vanda, Esther, Desikachar, and Krishnamacharya all stress the value of listening to your body in order to develop your own inner intelligence. This is essential, and yoga should be based on an individual approach.
On a more personal note, throughout the course of researching and writing this essay, it has become apparent that I deeply resonate with these findings, and that these understandings have developed in a large part as the result of my training in the EMYS approach. It is an approach where I have been taught three very precious principles: 1) Give yourself freedom and permission to explore; 2) Poses are practiced by bringing intention and awareness to the breath; 3) Learn to take the time to firmly ground the body and experience the elongation and dynamic nature of the spine. This is what yoga has become for me.
In addition, by comparing and contrasting both Vanda and Esther’s approach to others like Farhi, Iyengar, Desikachar, and Krishamacharya, I have been able to gain additional knowledge and resources to draw on about the approach and training that I have received. Through this research, I was unable to come up with any significant evidence that was contradictory to the teachings and writings of Vanda, Esther, or from the teacher training program. My confidence in the EMYS approach is further confirmed by the experience and insight that I have gained from my personal practice and teaching.
I am confident that by working with this literally breathtaking approach to yoga based on: having a personal practice, finding the ground, breath, and spine, deeply listening to your own body combined with yoga philosophy, anyone can live and love yoga. It is this love for yoga that I hope to share with others through my teaching.
As Vanda says, “To teach is an act of love” and I would like to deeply and sincerely express my appreciation to EMYS for sharing this most valuable teaching with me. I would like to offer a very heartfelt thank you for all of the teachings of Vanda, Esther, Monica, Paola, Tama, Mar Jean, and all the teachers at the Esther Myers Yoga Studio that I have had the pleasure of studying with. Yoga is a practice that truly allows you to come as you, and I don’t know where I would be today without it.
Bibliography
Browning Miller, Elise and Carol Blackman. Life is a Stretch – Easy Yoga, Anytime, Anywhere. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1999.
Desikachar, T.K.V. The Heart of Yoga – Developing a Personal Practice. Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International, 1999.
Farhi, Donna. Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit – A Return to Wholeness for students of all levels and traditions. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan Ltd., 2000.
Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on Yoga. London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991.
Myers, Esther. Yoga & You – Energizing and Relaxing Yoga for New and Experienced Students. Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala Publications, 1997.
Myers, Esther. An Interview with Esther Myers. FOYT Space. June, 2003.
Scaravelli, Vanda. Awakening the Spine – The Stress-free New Yoga That Works with the Body to Restore Health, Vitality and Energy. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991.
Appendix 1 – Additional Quotations
In preparing to write this paper I researched and identified a number of quotes that had significance for me. I have included a few of the quotes here to share some of the wisdom that I came across in my research but was unable to incorporate into my paper.
On Teaching: “Teaching is the highest level of work required by civilization in the world.” (Scaravelli, 44)
On the importance of daily practice: “Instead, in this kind of work, continuity and perseverance are required. We will progress much more effectively through daily training. When we are not well we turn to our practice. But perhaps, illness could have been prevented, avoided or even totally rejected, if we had kept our body in full health by practicing.” (Scaravelli, 64)
How to respect your body: “The way we live is destructive to the body; there is no respect towards its needs and demands. We destroy, little by little, that precious, complex, vital, vessel of life we received at birth. why? For ambition? For a final cause? For the sake of our children, or of our family, for the “superior” mind, the
“higher” self, the glorification of the brain, enlightenment, etc.? All religions encourage self-sacrifice, but when we are ill we pray to God to heal us. How inconsistent we are! To be simple, to appreciate what has been given to us, and to take care of our body, is an act of humility.” (Scaravelli, 38)
In relation to following your breath: “As always, this physical experience of greater depth has corresponding emotional and spiritual aspects. The feeling of being pulled down with gravity will also draw you inward to the roots of your thoughts and feelings. It is important not to close off your thoughts or deny your feelings. Many of the tensions in our bodies have been caused by this denial. Allow yourself to feel your feelings.” (Myers, 65)
Three questions that I thought were unique in Desikachar’s approach to a yoga practice and were not mentioned by Vanda or Esther: “Who should teach whom? When? And what?” These he says are important questions to be asked in beginning a practice. (Desikachar, xix)
Insights on breath: “The heart is the most important organ in our body and it can be controlled by long training in breathing exercises. It is not possible to teach how to breathe, but by watching and listening to the beating of the heart and the movements of the lungs, following attentively the inhalations and exhalations, one can discover a great deal.” (Scaravelli, 22)
On the importance of daily practice Vanda Scaravelli says: “In the beginning you have to make room for yoga in your daily life, and give it the place it deserves. But after some time yoga itself will pull you up by the hair and make you do it.” (Myers, 33)
“I enter each living creature and dwell within as the life-giving breath.” (Bhagavad Gita)
We would like to warmly invite everyone to experience an "Evening of Bhakti" on Friday, February 4, 2011 at Govinda's Dining at the Hare Krishna Centre.
companied by the sound of the cart’s cow-bell. He frequently stops at the houses of families placing the evening milk in front of the entrance-door or on the windowsill. This milk, bearing the scent of the cows, connects us to Syama’s cows, the devotees who render their service in the Gosala, the dust of the holy places, and all the grass, trees and flowers of the valley… we can feel the taste.
