While I was learning to teach yoga, I bought the most expensive book in my library. It could only be found online from, of course, India, and was $200. It was a systematic approach to ancient tantric yoga by Satyananda Saraswati. It was so systematic my brain would spin each time I looked for some technique, which ought to have been a clue! But I liked the book for a few reasons: it comforted my ego (I hadn't yet arrived at my own egoic reckoning) to know I could back up teaching with TMI, it was comprehensive, and though I didn't know it when I ordered it, it came with an inscription by the author:
In case you cannot make it out it says: Yoga will emerge as a mighty world power and will change the course of world events.
Hmmm. Not sure I was on board with that yet. It's not dated, but the copyright of my copy is 1981, about the time I had begun to take yoga practice seriously. Fast forward several decades or more to around 2012 - I realized I was ready to let go of teaching classes. I learned much, benefitted in many ways, passed on what I had been taught, but at that point, it seemed western yogis were primarily interested in asana, less in the internals of transformation. Where was that transformation of the world Saraswati had declared?
I had kept Dona Holleman's books on Centered Yoga, far less expensive, and they spoke to what I felt I was looking for in a practice. Her words, far more articluate than my own:
Her use of the word, 'dancing' refers to the title of another of her books, Dancing With the Body of Light . She teaches from a foundation of Eight Vital Principles:
- The meditative state of mind or the not-doing of the mind
- Relaxation or the not-doing of the physical body
- Intent or the not-doing of visualization
- Rooting
- Centering
- Bodyscape
- Breathing
- Elongating
What pleases me a great deal is that for the past few months, I have been unknowingly using these steps, not necessarily in the order she has built. I came to recognize them because I would make schematic journal posts for remembering, 'wow - how did I find this feeling?'
That's when I realized, remembered to go pull her book off the shelf and have another look. It had been a long while since I'd studied. I had always loved the title of her book, now I could dance the book!!
Perhaps what I most appreciate from learning yogas, is that stillness is the starting point of all movement. Allow the dance to emanate from within the still point of being. For me, that is the heart of the Dance.
Thank you for sharing. I feel a lot of light in this and am still holding out possibility that yoga will transform the western way from the inside out :) the not-doing doing is so appealing to me. It is easy for me to get caught up in doing. I want to practice coming from that place more. Thank you.