The Yoga Tradition Needs Protecting
One of many things my teacher Octavio Salvado taught me is:
‘Find out not who your teacher’s teacher is, but your teacher’s Grand-teacher, their own teacher’s teacher. This will yield insight into your lineage. If you can’t find that information because your teacher doesn’t know or because it doesn’t exist, then perhaps it’s a good idea to question the philosophies, practices and insights being offered to you.’
Why am I telling you this?
Because yoga has become such a complex, muddled, overly commercial offering around here that when we see a studio offering ‘No Nonsense Yoga’, no one questions that actually, if you strip out all the connective, energetic wiring of a lineage and tradition that has been generously transferred decade over decade, from teacher to teacher, going right back to the ancient sages who first birthed this knowledge into being – it’s just not Yoga!
‘No nonsense yoga’. Really?
No tradition, no teachings beyond postural alignment, no breathwork, no meditation, no mantra and mudra! More like ‘makes no sense yoga’.
No wonder, even though there are a shed load more teachers and practitioners out there these days, no one is actually ‘waking up’ and the world is spiralling into such a s*^% show.
As Octavio told me, the world doesn’t need any more Asana (Posture) instructors or practitioners.
What we need are real yogis who are ready to stand up for this great tradition and not sell out to the commercial establishments and people in suits and boots who have (forgive me) f*&^ all knowledge about what Yoga really is and are only interested in signing up Yoga teachers who will conform to their agendas or don’t know any different.
It’s not Yoga – it’s just fitness
That and taking your hard-earned British pound and keeping you dependent on them like some unquestioning lab rat because, guess what – you can’t asana your way into enlightenment or your greatness and you will never get the results that Yoga promises, no matter what they tell you, just by perfecting your downward dog and stretching your hams.
Yoga is a tradition with a whole smorgasbord of sacred, auspicious teachings that will lead you into a place of self-governance, self-reliance and embodied empowerment. If that’s not on the table where you practice…. It’s not Yoga – it’s just fitness.
I’m not the most controversial person in the world, but I feel I’ve got to pull up my big girls’ yoga pants and say my piece on this because what we do here is rooted in tradition and is unapologetically going to question current ways of living, being and doing.
That’s what yogis do. We question.
If you want to pursue fitness, to get into a headstand that’s still a noble goal and you can absolutely go ahead and pursue it. But the teaching ‘trading a diamond for a head of lettuce’ springs to mind.
Yogis are soul driven to want more. They value the diamond.
Ok… so, you don’t want more. Take your lettuce. Fine. But please, please don’t call your practice Yoga. It’s not.
And if you will allow me one more observation. What we all really need to be chasing and pursing as humans, gifted with the power of choice, is a strong, resilient healthy body, coupled with a robust, clear, soul-directed mind. Because those two things combined (yoked) is what will move us all into the most capable versions of ourselves and help us go out there and do great things with our life.
That’s the promise of a traditional, lineage-based Yoga practice time-tested and scientifically sound.
If that’s what you want, you know where we are and what to look for!
P.S
Here’s our lineage which is through our trainings with Octavio at The Practice. Just in case you were interested.
You can place Yoga Local right at the seat of this graphic, beneath The Practice.
P.P.S If you’re looking for an insight into who we are as teachers at Yoga Local through our teacher, check out The Practice where we were taught by Octavio – here’s an introduction to Octavio – Watch this!
