Hello my Newbies

New batch starts in August, but a few showed up for intro to Patanjali (summer reading assignment before theory classes begins in earnest).

"Waaah, so much to learn!" said Ken with a shake of his head. Actually not, because Patanjali is about the wisdom that is already in you. No need to learn more. It's just the roadmap to tap that internal fountain of knowledge. Unfortunately, the roadmap is in Sanskrit, and not very detailed either. So that's why we 'study' Patanjali (study is such a wrong word when it comes to Patanjali) - to figure out the cryptic clues that Patanjali put together for us all those years ago.

Is it worth it, all this studying, instead of spending time perfecting our postures?

Yes, definitely. My favourite analogy is if you want to be a priest, you must know the Bible. If you want to be an imam, you must know the Koran. If you want to be a yoga teacher, you must know Patanjali's Yoga Sutra. If not, how are you going to guide your students? Jumping on the mat on its own won't get them to the path of enlightenment.

Another of my favourite sayings: some of the most unhappy people are the thin, flexible, successful and rich ones. Just getting them jumping on the mat will not help them find bliss, which is supposed to be the original reason why people do yoga.

Young Afia asked, "Why are so many people so unawake?" (this is the mudah state of mind).

I don't know, but maybe it's because their light has been dimmed with the burden of everyday living. Going to work in a dead-end job, the burden of responsibilities and obligations, stress, looking after kids, trying to compete with neighbours, chasing material goods - Jeez, that's enough to put out any light. You see sleepwalkers everywhere. Even last evening. As I was going to my car, I spotted a dead cat lying on the pavement, not terribly injured but his body was already in rigor mortis (grotesquely twisted). Yet, no more than three feet away were a table of men, eating and drinking, totally oblivious that they were sitting so close to a dead animal. Maybe they just didn't care, but I found it quite perplexing that they were happily tucking into curried meat when there was dead meat just beside them on the road.

So how do we wake people up to start this spiritual revolution? Sun Yoga, of course :-) I shared with the Newbies some of the emails that I regularly received from former graduates telling me that they themselves are now in the position of awakening people. For me, that's justification of doing what I am doing.

Ot course, what I am doing felt a lot better at 9.15pm after class when Sanaz brought some amazing cakes she baked. Err, can't see how cakes fit into the Sutra yet, but bring 'em on, Sanaz!