| hy would Western people in particular be drawn to an | | | | SB: Is there an Indian word for what you are describing |
| Indian excercise system? | | | | (the state of relaxed alertness) a practioner |
| SA: I don't see yoga as an Indian excercise system, | | | | experiences? |
| although yoga was uniquely developed in India. Yoga is | | | | SA: The yogi sage Patanjali describes these states in |
| a global phenomena and formed the basis of many of | | | | stages. Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi are the words |
| the mystical practices of the ancient world. | | | | he uses and the words used in yoga, although there |
| You can see yoga poses portrayed in the temples of | | | | are others. I want to keep it simple and will explain |
| Egypt and China, and in the artifacts and artworks of | | | | succinctly. |
| the Celts and many other ancient cultures. Sanskrit | | | | Dharana refers to a condition in which we internalise |
| itself is often thought of as the mother tongue of all | | | | our awareness to pick up on subtle information coming |
| Indo-European languages. | | | | to us from within or from the world around us. The |
| So, the ideas and practices of yoga are far from alien | | | | teaching of the Internal Yoga Arts begins at this level. |
| to the West. Since the 1960's, there has been a | | | | Dhyana is a state of relaxed, yet sustained |
| reawakening and remembrance of something that | | | | concentration on whatever it is that we are focusing |
| was lost or distorted that is now returning to Western | | | | on. Samadhi is a spontaneous flowering of joyful insight |
| consciousness. Yoga is a big part of this process. | | | | into the nature of reality. These states exist at varying |
| SB: How long does it take to start benefitting from | | | | degrees of intensity. |
| Hatha yoga or any style of yoga and how long do | | | | SB: As a yoga teacher trainer, what qualities would |
| those benefits tend to last? | | | | you say aspiring yoga teachers ought to develop in |
| SA: The benefits of yoga can be felt immediately | | | | themselves, apart from their technical yoga ability? |
| upon practise as the body expands, the breath | | | | SA: At my yoga teacher training school, I highlight the |
| deepens and the mind tunes up. I personally think of | | | | importance of discovering the inner guru to my trainee |
| yoga as my insurance policy and I know that any | | | | yoga teachers. I think it is crucial for trainee yoga |
| investment of time and energy will reap the rewards | | | | teachers to be grounded in the core principles of yoga |
| of greater health, not only in the present moment, but | | | | practice that are common to all styles and schools. |
| also in the future. | | | | It is also important to know that there are varying |
| SB: A lot of people associate yoga with relaxation and | | | | opinions on how to practice the same yoga poses and |
| therapeutic healing of the mind. What do you think | | | | different schools and teachers emphasise different |
| about this? | | | | aspects of yoga. Understanding the difference |
| SA: One of the ideal states that yoga seeks to create | | | | between opinions and principles can be very helpful |
| within the practitioner is one of serene intensity. It's a | | | | when it comes to teaching yoga, enabling students to |
| state in which we are relaxed and yet totally alert and | | | | tap into their own creativity. |
| focused on whatever it is that we are doing. These | | | | The inner guru is that aspect of ourselves sometimes |
| states are of great value in self-healing. | | | | called the Higher Self or the Buddha nature that is a |
| There are many therapeutic applications of the poses | | | | part of our intuitive wisdom. In this way, we can teach |
| and meditations and many yoga schools are often | | | | from the heart and be inspired. |
| devoted to this particular aspect. | | | | |