How can we become better yoga teachers?

The first point is to deepen our understanding of yoga and raise our teaching skills. When each new teacher begins leading their own classes, they add their own style, intention, and words to it, and sometimes change the whole teaching. Their ego dictates that these yoga lessons must be "in their own style." There is nothing wrong with this, as long as we don't lose the spirit of yoga. We have all gone our own way, with good intentions, but with limited understanding, with role-playing and agendas. So the idea is to return to the basics, to keep things simple, to return to the simplicity of the practices.

I would like to draw attention to how the teaching of yoga is understood within the system of Swami Satyananda Saraswati of Bihar. As teachers, we meet the needs that people want to satisfy through yoga, but we do not touch the essence of yoga.

Because this is not about arriving at new achievements or new ways of presenting yoga, but about returning to the original teachings and understanding them. If we, as teachers, are not clear about what we can do to make the techniques easier, simpler, more understandable and profound, the whole concept of yoga will be lost over time. Then every organization becomes a commercial organization, and every individual teacher becomes a commercial teacher. Even today, yoga should be as simple as possible, without traps — containing only what is necessary for people to understand and reconnect with its essence.

We must remember that we are not yoga teachers, but Sadhakas. Teaching yoga is our profession, but above all it is our SADHANA. As a professional activity, we can teach yoga to different groups — beginner, intermediate and advanced — and plan accordingly so that we can develop our professionalism. However, we must make an effort to identify not with the yoga teacher, but with the sadhaka. So let us first change this concept in our minds.

Here I would like to explain what the word "Sadhana" means.

The term sadhana comes from the Sanskrit root sadhu, meaning "go straight to the goal." The routine application of mind, body and spirit in pursuit of a spiritual goal is the most natural and effective way to surrender the ego, find relief from suffering, and attain peace.

For this reason, sadhana is the cornerstone of the discipline of yoga. Yoga offers an enormous variety of tools for this purpose, from physical practices such as asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing techniques), to more introspective applications such as svadhyaya (self-study) and meditation.

Anything practiced with awareness, discipline, and the intention of spiritual growth can be considered sadhana, but it must be practiced alone and for the good of the individual. As such, it need not be a physical activity; even the daily, independent study of yogic or spiritual scriptures is a form of sadhana.

Sadhana is also a way of forging a ritual connection with God, or with universal energy. It encourages the practitioner, known as a sadhaka, to apply self-discipline in order to gain mastery over the ego and maintain a connection with universal oneness. Through regular daily practice, the practitioner continually attunes their inner self, slowly approaching the ultimate expression of consciousness known as samadhi.

Whatever course we teach, it is never just a yoga course. We try to go a step further, setting a direction for the student's growth — whether given in the form of a home practice, or in some other form that allows continuity and inspiration to be sustained. Those who want to go deeper are given the option to do so. There must be a way of seeing yoga not merely as a morning practice, but as an understanding that calls for continuous effort. So the approach to teaching must be the approach of a sadhaka, not of a teacher.

Most schools that teach the physical aspect of yoga, say asanas, use the feel-good method. You stretch your body and feel good, feel free and light, and you say, "Yoga has really helped me!" This feel-good factor is superficial. We don't subscribe to it, because we feel that the body can influence the mind on a much deeper level.

Swami Satyananda used to say that when you practice asanas, become an observer of your own body. In the initial stage, become aware of the annamaya kosha — the bending, the twisting, the stretching... the movement of the body. Once you have developed awareness of how the body responds to the asanas and moves under your command, become aware of the pranamaya kosha. For example, when you practice surya namaskara: at first it is simply an exercise — bend backward, bend forward, stretch, and so on. Then, in your practice, an awareness must develop in which you are able to see the whole body, from the crown of the head to the tips of the toes. You must visualize; you must see yourself performing the perfect posture before you begin to do it. Visualize it first. Then, when you perform that posture, you will find that it gives you something. If today you cannot touch your toes, after a week something will give way, your muscles will loosen, and you will be able to touch your toes. This is the connection to annamaya kosha. To harmonize the annamaya kosha, to prepare the body — first visualize, then practice.

For example: "Now I will do twelve rounds of surya namaskara." Before you begin, sit for a few moments in a meditative state and see yourself practicing surya namaskara. Feel the same stretching and contracting of the body and muscles as when you actually do it. After going through the mental asana, perform the physical asana. You will find that your body responds differently and performs better.

Once you have control over the body, you move on to the next dimension: prana. During your visualization before the practice of asanas, you will see the movement of prana in your body. Visualize your body as transparent and see how prana moves within it. If stiffness or pain appears, it means that prana is blocked in that particular area. Then it is enough to direct prana to that spot with the mind. Once you are able to see the unobstructed movement of prana in the body, begin to practice the asanas.

Your mind now connects with something subtler than the physical. Stay with this for a while, and then move on to the manomaya kosha. Identify your mental state as you begin to practice yoga. Are you relaxed, calm, tense, anxious — check this. Then, in your mind, work with ida and pingala. If you are tense or agitated, before practicing asanas close your eyes and try to activate ida — not through pranayama, but through willpower. If you feel sluggish, activate pingala. Be aware of your mental states and energies, and try to balance them before asanas or any yoga practice.

As a yoga teacher, also make yourself a chart of your own strengths and weaknesses, needs and ambitions. Be honest, and write down all the qualities you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses, your needs and your ambitions. Each time you practice yoga, hold this thought in mind: "This is a weakness I want to overcome, and this is a strength I want to cultivate. This ambition comes from my desire, and I will work to fulfill this need." Set priorities in your mind regarding your personality and your needs, in order to improve the quality of your life. This is how a sankalpa is born.

If you practice yoga with a sankalpa, then the asanas, pranayamas, mudras and bandhas will help you strengthen your willpower and develop the strength and quality you are seeking in life. They will also help you overcome weaknesses and shortcomings, and manage your ambitions and needs.

At every level of practice, you must concentrate and proceed step by step. First, annamaya awareness, to release physical blockages from the body, such as stiffness and fatigue. Second, pranamaya awareness, to recharge the various organs with prana. Third, manomaya awareness, to balance and harmonize the mind with the body. Fourth, vijnanamaya awareness, to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and how to move beyond weakness and develop strength of character and mind.

If you can first experience yoga in this way in your own practice and see its benefits, and then teach this process to others, they will gain far more from yoga than is usually possible in a purely physical class.

Swami Satyananda emphasized subtle awareness in our yoga practice. This is the main difference between the Satyananda system and other systems of yoga. The body serves as access to the mind. Prana serves as access to consciousness. And the whole of yoga serves as access to inner spiritual harmony and balance.

Text inspired by a lecture by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

Piyush Mittal