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Yoga For Beginners - Does Your Class Measure Up?
Breaking yoga up into different levels, based upon the level of physical difficulty involved, really paints a superficial picture of what yoga is. And just in case you didn't know, yoga had virtually nothing to do with streching your body. Most people I meet are yoga beginners ... and I'm talking about folks, including a lot of yoga teacher out there, who have been "doing yoga" for years. The mistaken idea is that one's "level of yoga", be it beginner, internediate, or advanced, is primarily determined by their proficiency in the perfoemance of the physical yoga exercises. If that were true, however, then we could count a lot of elite athletes, ballet dancers and circus performers as advanced yogis too ... which they almost certainly aren't. But if we know what yoga is really all about, then we know that they are not yogis merely because of their physical abilities. Being advanced in yoga means being able to demonstrate something extraordinary on levels far beyond the physical. It means being able to demonstrate a consistent level of joy and compassion through any circumstances of life. It means living in a way that puts the needs of others ahead of one's own, and the good of humanity at the forefront of all that they say and do. Of course, these things may seem far out of reach for most of us. But being able to rise to these hieghts of being is what advanced yoga practice means. With that in mind, I'm afraid to say that most modern "yogis" I meet don't quite fill those shoes. OK, rarely have I actually met anyone who even comes close. Most yoga teachers today don't seem to be immune to any more trauma and drama of modern life then their students or their neighbors are. But they should be ... if they are in advanced to any degree in yoga. Yoga is a science with limitless potential to transform our lives. But that has to start with a greater awareness of yoga as something more than just a system of physical exercises ... and teacher can play an important role in creating that awareness in their beginner yoga classes with a more comprehensive approach. I'm hopefull that the current fixation on yoga exercises will eventually yield to a much deeper exploration of this profound science of life. When that day comes, and I know it will, then we'll surely start to see a lot more genuine "advanced yoga practitioners" emerging into this world ... and that will surely be a good thing. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Yogacharya is the Director of International Yogalayam www.discover-yoga-online.com , and creator of The Yoga Tutor, a step-by-step online yoga training website. For your FREE TRIAL of The Yoga Tutor, visit www.theyogatutor.com You may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links remain intact. |
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