Living the Light of Yoga

Teacher Training class of December, 2017, from left: Patrick Dineen, Doug van Houten, Trish Barrett, Laura Spaulding, Steven McGuire, Kelsey Swartz, Susan Rudy and Heather Watkins, December 30, 2017.

As one candle lights another, the teachings of Yoga are handed down from teacher to student in an unbroken chain.  This chain is the lineage of yogis which traces itself back to Maja Trigg, to Sharath, Saraswathi, Pattabhi Jois, Krishnamacharya, Shankaracharya, to 1000 BC to Matsyendranath, then back even farther to the first yogi - who is nameless - and whom we call Shiva - the One who is bright, shining and auspicious.  Tonight we welcome our graduates into that lineage, our lineage. When you become a member of our lineage, the power and the knowledge of the lineage flows through you.

It is a knowledge tradition - because very simply yoga is the knowledge of how to live in this world fearlessly, enthusiastically, joyfully, contentedly, in complete fulfillment of what it is to be a human being, to have this human life.

In the yoga tradition we offer prayers to our teachers, other yoga practitioners who  walked this path before us and who show us the way. Our prayers are prayers of gratitude and acknowledgment of what we have received.

One of my favorite is this one which Patabhis Jois used to say softly at the end of the Ashtanga mantra:

Om namo brahmavidbhyo brahmavidya-sampradaya-kartrbhyo
namo vamsarshibhyo mahadbhyo namo gurudbhyo
sarvopaplava-rahita-prajnana-ghana-pratyagartho brahmaivaham-asmi
Om tat sat

Salutations to the Infinite Being and Truth;
Salutations to the Knowers of that Infinity and
to the Ones who perform actions for the benefit of all beings;
Salutations to the rishis - they who have seen the Truth,
Salutations to the great ones who inspire us,
Salutations to my teachers - due to my association with them,
I identify with that infinite Truth and I know the truth
- that I am free from all limitations and problems.

We are guided by our great tradition of teachers and their teachings.
Very often the texts are so old we don’t know who wrote them or when they were written. Another reason is that the texts were usually anonymous or attributed to the author’s teacher.  In the past, no one took personal credit for yoga because it’s not the individual teacher who is important - it’s the teachings themselves which are important. 

Approximately 2500 years ago, Patanjali wrote The Yoga Sutras, 212 aphorisms that outline what was known about yoga at that time.  2500 years ago yoga was already a well-established tradition and body of knowledge.  No one knows how old it was even back at the time of Patanjali.  In the original commentary to the Yoga Sutras, Vyasa, the commentator says, “Yoga eva upadyayah:” “Yoga is itself the teacher.”

Yoga is owned by no one, and belongs to everyone.

Commencement - a word which means, to begin. Here we mark the end of teacher training and the start of a lifetime journey of exploration into the vast realm of yogic knowledge and practice.  This is a time to pause to reflect and ask ourselves about the past: What mistakes did I make? What did I learn? What inspired me?  If things occurred that were negative or unpleasant, offer those into the fire of understanding and dissolve the habitual thought patterns that created mis-understanding.  All of that is now in the past.  You are free from it.  Go forward. This is a rebirth into a new life.

Your being here on this planet, living this life, is a matter of your conscious choice. It’s not an accident or a mistake.  Recognize this life as a choice you have made. Summon forth all the power of your inner courage and live the life of your dreams. 

Courage means you live a life which is a blessing to others, rising to meet the demands of any situation. Step forward and be the light.

This is the way of yoga.

These new teachers will carry on this great tradition which has uplifted so many people.

[Remarks by Laura to the graduating class.]