Mysore, India                                    

*Sharath Jois and teachings

This year in Mysore I had my first ‘personal encounter’ with Sharath Jois, the present ‘Guru’ of the path of Ashtanga yoga. And it was very intense and amazing to meet him in person. I truly think that anyone practising on a more serious level or teaching some form of Ashtanga yoga has to go to Mysore and study with the parampara (the traditional way in which knowledge of yoga is passed down in India from generation to generation).

Things are revealed that you just don’t learn any other way…only by being there.

Sharath ‘touched’ my body perhaps 3 times in the 2 months I was there but the knowledge and guidance that he transmitted by just being there, by touching all the other Ashtangis, by sharing his knowledge in his weekly seminars, by living his own life in front of our eyes is just immeasurable.

Living in New Zealand it is rather difficult to stumble upon other beings that share the same interest and passion for yoga and Ashtanga yoga in particular. Because it is a small place with not so many people and far away.

But generally it is difficult to come across a being whose highest priority in life is to gain enlightenment or mukti or liberation or whatever you may call it. And though we are all the same, part of a great consciousness that enjoys learning and meeting and recognizing itself, it is nice to be in an environment like India, where such a science (the science of the soul) is held in very high regard. This is why I feel very much at home there. Certain things just do not have to be explained, like what it means to be self-realised and why it is the most important thing that a human life is there for. Children learn it from their parents and grandparents like Sharath.

He did not go to a 200hr or 500hr or whatever yoga teacher training course to become a teacher. He practised yoga since he was a child under the guidance of his guru, his own grandfather, Patthabhi Jois. And yoga in its original intention is not so much about asana (physical pose) but it is a full-fledged 8 limbed path with clearly outlined instructions about social behaviour, personal conduct and further steps of purification that help the practitioner to become purified and to achieve liberation from the body mind conception of the self, from suffering and pain.

For me in fact it was one of the most precious gifts that I have witnessed in Mysore. How dear it is to Sharath that Ashtanga is not about getting your leg behind the neck or standing on your hands or bending yourself into half. Surely, this is an important part of it, because it teaches you so many lessons… but ultimately, it is about surrendering everything to the Divine (whatever conception one has of this). Of not calling anything mine, of putting in your best effort but giving the result completely up to the Divine.

He spoke a lot about the different limbs of the Ashtanga yoga practise, about yama (conduct in relation to society) and niyama (personal conduct). For example the yamas contain: non-violence, which means also towards the food we eat, hence the diet prescribed for yoga practitioners is vegetarian. But non-violent also in word, action and even in thought!

Truth, non-stealing, which includes works, ideas or In Ashtanga yoga even practising asana (poses) that are not given to you by your teacher

Sensual abstinence (hard to understand in the west… J) but basically it divides the human life into different stages where it is recommended to pursue different goals. So when you are young you are a Brahmin, learning spiritual knowledge and keeping yourself pure so that this study remains undisturbed. Then you become a grihastha and have a family and look after this family. In the vanaprasta stage you prepare for your life after marriage and family and as a sannyasa you devote your last years entirely to pursue the liberation of the soul.

Non-possessiveness. Means not to grasp things around you, to not be greedy.

The niyamas contain sauca, purity which means maintaining internal as well as external purity. Keeping the body clean, the yoga gear J, and thinking good and positive thoughts, santosa, contentment. Being happy about what you have and not greeding for more.

Tapas, self-discipline… he spent a lot of time on this one… I think it is particularly evident in the Ashtanga yoga practise because you require a LOT of tapas to keep it up….

tapas, self-discipline to get up at 5 in the morning (Sharath gets up at 3 am in order to do his own practise before he starts teaching), tapas to eat the right food, only a light meal in the evening… not too many puris (Indian bread) he said J because you cannot digest it properly before the morning practise. Tapas to only engage in sattvic activities (those that are pure in nature) because negative influences distract the mind. Through this practise the mind can be focused on the spiritual goals.

Svadhyaya, which means self-study. He also spent a lot of time on this, meaning that we have to take our yoga practise outside of the ‘class-room’ and find out what yoga really means. So to study the scriptures, to reflect on the teachings of the Guru and to go deeper into the subject in our own time. He joked about people ‘socialising too much’, chatting with other yogis and drinking coconut instead of pursuing more self-study…

And ultimately there is isvara pranidhana, devotion to God, which means surrendering to the supreme soul or God. In a way the Guru is a representative of God, so one naturally feels similar devotion and love for this realised soul. But also to surrender whatever you learn to the divine. Sharath spent some time on the subject of building up a relationship with the divine, he said he does japa (mantra recitation with a chain of sacred beads) every evening before he goes to bed. His mantra is the Maha mantra… Hare Rama Hare Krsna but that obviously any mantra has the same meaning.

These are just some points that were mentioned with regards to the eight limbed path of Ashtanga yoga.

I was very deeply touched to see for myself how important it is to Sharath to spread the knowledge of Yoga as it is, the science of the soul, leading to liberation or the realisation of the true self that is supreme happiness…  and not only as a physical exercise…

This is probably the most precious and amazing gift I have received at the shala.

 *The practise….

The practise was very special too… As I said my body was touched by Sharath 3 or 4 times but the day I entered the shala there was this amazing energy that was so uplifting that practise seemed to much easier… (everyone is saying this!!!) I could just feel this wonderful ‘lift’ to my practise especially in the surya namaskar (sun salutations) and vinyasa. But all together the practise was light and easful.

Yes, the heat was a challenge… It was very very hot in the shala…. I was dripping with sweat as if I was in a steam-room… and the challenge was not to wipe it off. Because Sharath says to keep the sweat of the body, to not waste it by wiping it off.

The other challenge was the waiting…  and the gift of realising that it was only in my mind… and that this was a great opportunity for some introspection.

I have a notorious impatience towards waiting lines… and there I was, together with what felt like 50 other students (realistically perhaps 20) waiting in front of the shala entrance squashed (realistically there was always enough room and the marble floor was nicely cool) in a tiny entrance. Each day I was astonished how quickly the line was moving and that I did not really ‘feel’ the wait but each morning I was filled with new anxiety about ‘the wait’.

This is how the mind works… At least I got to the point of realising how silly this was… but up to the last day I could not help it but feel anxious about waiting… perhaps next time? ;-)

And there were many many students… over 200 for sure…. And more were coming each day. It got to a point where Sharath had to email people not to come although they had already booked a place… but it was just not manageable anymore.

The other challenge was that I was ‘kept’ at Primary Series for 1 months. It took a long time for me to get over it.. and to realise that whatever you do, it is the same. It doesn’t matter if the practise changes one or the other way, it is all yoga! Again it was my mind playing up, this great sense of self discipline but also identification with my practise in a certain way. I felt that if I take asanas away, I am being lazy. Clearly very silly, working on the same sequence each day for months had engrained into me some sort of compulsion about having to do all this or my day was incomplete!

But this is how it works… first months primary and then if you are ready he starts giving you asanas from the Intermediate. I  didn’t reach the point where I normally practise, I left Mysore at some stage but also I am sure that I would have spent a considerable time on Kapotasana because he only lets people continue if you can grab your heels by yourself.

In fact, after my first inner rebellion I felt so well guarded by Sharath… I knew that he sees everyone and guides everyone in the perfect way. Even if there are hundreds of faces that he sees every day and they constantly change… he knows everyone…. I don’t know how he does this….In fact, I dared to skip one of the Sunday led classes (because he put me at 4am… and yes, it is very early…) and next time he looked at me and said: where were you on Sunday?... I couldn’t believe it… How could he even know I existed!!!

And there are many stories like this… people being called out of the changing room (some people have to practise there because the shala is too full) because there was no time for ‘hiding’.

Sharath is a truly beautiful soul…

I am very blessed to have met him in person and India is a place that I hold very dear in my heart.

*Some challenges

There were regular and frequent power and water-cuts… First I was rather uncomfortable with the idea of having no water for days on end… there were some works in progress on water pipes so water was stopped for one entire week…. Without notice! (this is normal)

But luckily I lived in a house with a very competent French lady (she runs the place) and she got a private water company to fill up our tanks so that we were almost never without water! The power, well… you can do without it really… J

One of my favourite moments was after practise at breakfast time… when I sat at my small wooden table with my cereal and nuts and fruit and listened to Satsang with Mooji for hours… Just to have the time to do this… was amazing. Also I bought a small harmonium (Indian piano) and played lots of kirtan.

The food… was amazing… so many nice eating places… I was never sick and very spoiled by authentic Indian cuisine.

All in all I think Mysore is a very easy place to get around and live.

There are so many challenges in living in India, like power, water cuts, hygiene, washing of clothes, wearing of clothes J that are such a great opportunity to check in with yourself, to see who you are outside of your usual comfort zone….

*Ayurveda and Truth

One of the most beautiful experiences outside of the practise was my ayurvedic massage. I don’t think my body has ever benefitted to such an extent from anything ever!!!

I felt like new born after it…. The place was stunning, in the midst of nature and the moment you stepped into the doors you could smell herbs and oils. It was so peaceful…. The massage itself is nothing like anything that we find here in the ‘west’. I was wearing a cotton loin cloth and lain upon a leather bench. I was smothered with oils by two ladies that was massaged into every cell of my body…

A considerable time was spent on the head and skull, then the whole body even the eyes and mouth and face. The arms, legs sides back and front. The bench had little drains to the sides that collected the litres of oils dripped upon my body. The room was darkened and one of the ladies spoke some prayers while massaging. She said: ‘and now, you let yourself completely free’. A sound bowl was played. After the massage I was guided onto a leathery chair and wrapped up in a steam cone…

I was asked to lower my face so that all the body could soak up the heat and integrate the oil. Then I was guided into a shower, dressed and my hair was combed. I was given an ayurvedic herbal tea and medicines for after tea. Another prayer was spoken and I was asked to listen to the sound of the bowl.

After the massage my body felt so light and clear. I actually felt I didn’t have a body. And this feelings lasted for very very long.

I find it so peculiar that such things exist and only few people know about it and benefit from it. I know that in such a place I would never be sick or ill. In this world people are ‘fixed’ with poisonous medicines and pills that numb the mind, creativity and self expression. Medicine is based on the conception that we are the body and illness is therefore treated at its most periphery end, numbing the side effects of the root cause which in fact is not of a bodily nature.

I sometimes cannot believe that we have to conduct ‘studies’ in order to ‘prove’ that things like meditation and yoga are ‘beneficial’ for our health and we have to quote someone with the letters DR. in front of their name in order to give these words credit.

In India there are still some remote places where the science of true knowledge is found, where Ayurveda and yoga look at the human being as a soulful entity and treats him and her as such. It is peculiar that such places are considered ‘backward’ when in fact our conception of a human being which shape our society, our thinking and life are comparably naïve and incredibly limited.

I hear people speak a lot about the pollution in India…

But what about the pollution of the mind and the heart in a materially obsessed world. I truly did not mind cow dung on the streets and dust on my feet. But I do mind the pollution that was dumped into my mind from school age on when I was told I am the body and I need to be a certain way in order to be ‘successful’, materially, since the rest was all imagination and new age gibberish.

I was ‘taught’ by psychologically unstable and damaged people who spoke to me about the end of the world and that suffering would always overweight happiness in life. I was told I had no right to change this because I was only a child and knew nothing.

I was told so many lies and made to believe that a ‘good job’ and getting married were the goals of a human life.

India however has revealed to me the finest teachings that a human soul can be blessed to see.

Basically confirming that what has been known even before this body has taken birth. How could I define such a place as dirty and backward? Only the materially eyed and the sleeping can speak such words. But the awakened soul will always be drawn to the golden light that sets upon the misty horizon of the Mother that is India.