Editor's Recommendation:
I always feel that a good yoga teacher needs to be a regular yoga practitioner and always on the path of learning yoga. Previously, Mr. Zou Jie went to New Zealand to practice with Peter, an authorized teacher with 40 years of practice experience, and thanked him for his sincere sharing, so that we can see what Ah Tang practice should look like.
The following article was written by Ashtanga Guangzhou by Zou Jie Jason
New Zealand tours
Last month I went to the classroom to practice with Mr. Peter, a lifetime licensed teacher (he is one of only 28 lifetime licensed teachers in the world), and he is also documented in the book "Inheritance".
We met in Mysore, India, when he was dressed modestly and didn't even have a camera on his phone. Peter has been practicing in Mysore for 40 years since his old days, and travels to India at least twice a year to study.
Many authorized teachers don't go back to India to practice for various reasons, but this is the first time I've met a practitioner like Peter (tóu tiě).
I was deeply touched by Peter's classroom – the way he spoke, the tone of his voice, and the style of teaching he did, was very similar to that of the old boss. He is one of the simplest, simplest and most unworldly of all the empowered teachers I have ever met.
For example, when you go to other countries to start classes, you only need to take an economy class flight, and there are no requirements for food and accommodation, you can live at home, and even the house is bought after marriage, because your lover proposes to need a stable residence.
Mr. Peter's teaching is very close to life and has a sense of relaxation. He often mentions in his teaching: you must be relaxed and humorous.
He said that the old master is a very humorous person, please let go of all the skills and pressure during the practice, and the only thing that needs to be taken seriously is to "keep it humorous".
In addition, there is no need to tense the body during the exercise, such as pressing the shoulders firmly or exerting force in the legs, etc., all of them are put down. The only thing that needs to be paid attention to is the abdominal lock and root lock, that is, the abdomen, ** and perineum are kept aware, and the other parts can be relaxed.
Even though I didn't get the new asanas in class, I was still very happy because he made me practice in relaxation, and this relaxation hides a quality of detachment, which quietly blends into life.
The teacher believes that there is not much difference between practice and daily life, and that you should be aware and live in the present moment both in life and in practice.
Although Mr. Peter did not specifically learn mindfulness meditation, nor did he share mindfulness meditation in class, what he taught was the spirit and quality of mindfulness – he taught us to be aware of our breath and body at all times, to know how our body feels at this moment.
Let go of all the tense parts, don't tense up during the exercise, and don't get attached to the result of the asana.
A non-detached practice attitude will make the body more flexible and stable, and more aware and aware. The same should be true for my practice direction.
I don't want to push myself too hard or put a lot of pressure on my students, I want everyone to have fun practicing in my classroom, and I want to practice for 10 years or more.
In addition, Peter does not allow students to sit far away during regular meetings, but asks everyone to sit around so that everyone can make eye contact and interaction, and energy will be transferred between teachers and students.
In his classroom, there are some students with inconvenient legs or disabilities, who are practicing how to relax and how to practice the sun salutation in the simplest way. With slow practice, my legs and feet become more flexible and I can walk.
It made me very happy to see a real-life version of Ashtanga helping people heal. Many students do not rely on muscle strength, but on relaxation to slowly build up the flexibility of the body.
What Peter tells us the most is that you just need to be aware, then relax and give to time and gravity.
I am encouraged by this, because Ah Tang can practice from young to old, from injury to **, from leg weakness to physical flexibility, it can accompany me for a lifetime.
Trip to Thailand
After my trip to New Zealand, I went to Sriracha in Thailand, where there was a very amazing teacher named His Holiness Lompo Palmer.
His daily itinerary consisted of waking up at 5 a.m. to wash up and then set off to the monastery, then to walk and sit in meditation.
In the monastery, I didn't see the ceremonies such as the release of life and the offering of lamps, but more of a practice, and when you came here, you started to practice consciously, and no one came to supervise you and keep an eye on you.
His Holiness said that our practice begins and ends with the heart. When your practice ends in your heart, it is the day of liberation and fruition.
Therefore, the practice is not about the venue, but about the mind, eating, walking, and talking to people are all practices.
I was very pleased to hear about the teachings of Samatha and Vipassanā, which solved the puzzle that had plagued me for many years: why do many people practice yoga and meditation for many years, but their minds are still cold and solidified, and their temperament is still moody, because the practice of "stopping" and not "contemplation" cannot develop "wisdom" and it is difficult to generate compassion.
Therefore, in my future yoga teaching, I will share "stopping" and "viewing" with students in a scientific way (mindfulness meditation), because I think yoga should not only exercise the body, but also cover the mind, and healthy people should refer to the health of the body and mind.
In the monastery, I found that this is very similar to the mindfulness system I learned, both of which integrate practice into life, but the difference is that mindfulness is a practice that combines modern science, and it does not seek enlightenment and fruition, but seeks how to live better in the here and now, how to make life, work and relationships better.
Although many of the practices of the mindfulness system are derived from Southern Buddhism, it removes the religion and combines brain science, neuroscience, psychology, and behavior** to explain why this practice works from a scientific point of view. People of any religion can learn the skill of mindfulness meditation.
So I didn't have much material gain during the whole trip, but I felt very fulfilled in my heart because I knew the path to be taken in the next few decades: the direction of Ah Tang's practice, how the path of life should be taken, and how my personal spiritual and spiritual journey would unfold, and I became clearer, more determined, and more confident.
Yoga