What kind of yoga do I teach?
What kind of yoga do I teach, is a common question. My first class ever was a Bikram class, but I never certified as a teacher. I spent several years studying ashtanga/ iyengar based styles in Vancouver, but never certified specifically in those streams. I find great affinity with Vijnana yoga (an offshoot of Iyengar), but again, never certified. I did my general teacher training in 2011 from YYoga Vancouver (hosted by Yoga public in Winnipeg).
Over the following years, I taught sporadically, taking general classes of all sorts, and then returning to the Bikram stream. I haven’t attended a public class in years. I miss it somewhat. I think my lady was when I took some Kundalini classes (which truly resonated with me). I have had little time for public yoga classes, as I began studying group fitness, Pilates, gymnastics, calisthenics, weightlifting, animal locomotion, primal/natural movement, dance.
My yoga asana practice had to be done in conjunction with these other activities. I have never been a devotee of Karma, Bhakti, Mantra or Raja yoga, in the sense that is the main perspective of my understanding of yoga. In fact, the Jnana perspective, that of wisdom, is what resonated with me the most. That is why the philosophy of Vijnana yoga- particularly discernment- is something that I intentionally try to transmit to my students.
The best perspective I have gained, though, into yoga has been through the practice of pratyahara (sensory withdrawal) through the posture/ release method of Bikram/Bishnu Gosh, style (one can argue about the heat, but the mirrors are highly beneficial). It is through pratyahara, that the witness observer develops- discernment- and one’s own understanding of the self (the illusion of, if you prefer), which entitles one to control over action. Of course, the simple (but challenging) practice of asana and pranayama contribute greatly to unlocking pratyahara, and thus onward into Raja yoga.
Do not let sitting and allowing thoughts to relax away be an unattainable site while just beginning your practice. This should be started right away. So, what kind of yoga do I teach, then? Pantanjali’s eight limbs, with an emphasis on asana, pranayama, pratyahara, and dharana. Or in other words: postures, breathwork, meditation.
