by Kara-Leah Grant
There are many people doing yoga poses today, but there are far less people who have a yoga practice.
Postures are everywhere – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, advertising, magazines, yoga classes, yoga retreats, yoga teacher trainings.
However, postures do not make a yoga practice.
A yoga practice requires at least two other important elements before it can serve its purpose – that of self-realisation, or of waking the practitioner up from the dream of Maya (illusion).
Of course, not everybody is doing postures for the purpose of self-realisation. Many people are doing postures to get things, like flexibility, strength, injury recovery, a yoga high, popularity, sponsorships, a sexy partner or even fame.
There is irony there when that which serves to lesson our ego identification – yoga postures – has instead become something which now enforces a new, stronger ego identification. That of ‘Yogi’.
But without two crucial elements accompanying the practicing of postures, one will never develop a yoga practice, nor break the binds of identification that create Maya and prevent self-realisation.
The first is a container. And the second is a teacher.
Both of these two elements need to be present, because without a container, the teacher is ineffectual, and without a teacher, a container is impossible.
Why are these two elements of container and teacher crucial to create a yoga practice? Because real work of yoga arises not in the physical achievement of the postures, but in the understanding of the Self through observation of our relationship to the postures.
So what is a container in relationship to our yoga practice? A container is the form which holds the formless.
A concrete example of a container is a daily home practice. No matter what is happening in your life and no matter how you feel you turn up to your mat every day for a period of time and do something.
Another example of a strong container is a month-long immersion experience. You don’t have to think about whether or not to show up for yoga as you are already on the immersion.
In both of these cases, the container means that when the going gets tough – as it always does in our yoga practice – we’re far less likely to turn away from our practice and avoid facing whatever is arising.
This is the power of the container. It creates a space and holds us steady so we can do the challenging work of ego dissolution. This is why immersions are such powerful experiences and can accelerate our growth so much.
However, a container can not function without a teacher. It is the teacher that watches us and notices where we are holding on or attached, where we are avoiding or in aversion. It is the teacher that notices how we are relating to the postures and what samskaras (limiting beliefs) are shaping our practice.
On an immersion, it is the teacher we go to when we’ve hit the wall and don’t think we can turn up to class again. It is the teacher who notices our psychological state and provides us the necessary support and practices to help us through this stage in our awakening.
This teacher doesn’t have to be external though – it is possible to develop a strong internal teacher and do the hard work of self-realisation by oneself.
This is when the external container becomes even more important. Because when you’re working with an internal teacher, it is easy to fool yourself and come up with all kinds of reasons for not practicing. However, when you’ve committed to a daily home practice, the container will hold you strong.
Because no matter what our commitment to our yoga practice, it is inevitable that life will happen.
We will get busy, sick, over-whelmed or resistant towards our yoga practice. Without a strong container and awareness of the importance of that container, we will stop practicing our yoga.
Paradoxically, it is these times when we need our practice the most. The days with the strongest mat resistance hold the keys to the greatest awakenings. The times when our lives are busy is when we most need the stillness of our mat. The times when we’re sick is when we most need to be present. The times when we feel over-whelmed is the time when our practice can bring us back to centre and strength.
The establishment of a container holds us strong through all these times when we are not strong. It supports us, encourages us, whispers to us, beckons us.
Yet a container can also make us feel trapped and boxed in, tied down and constricted. We rail against the idea of having to do something every single day, we rail against the idea of committing to something greater than ourselves. We rail against the idea of giving up our freedom.
But this IS the journey of self-realisation. This is what loosens the chains of illusion. This is what dissolves the layers of the false self.
Commitment to daily self-practice is the first step towards self-realisation. One can not turn up to the mat every single day without facing one’s own demons. It is impossible.
Of course, one has to want to face one’s own demons. And many of us don’t, even if we think we do. We’re too busy distracting ourselves, entertaining ourselves, avoiding ourselves, denying ourselves, and running away from ourselves. While defending our right to do so and thinking we’re practicing yoga when we’re really just practicing postures.
If you are ready to step into a yoga practice, create a container for yourself and find yourself a teacher, or become your own teacher.
Try a Forty Day practice. Get on your mat every day for forty days and do seven minutes of practice. That’s enough. It’s not the postures that are important here – it’s the container. Creating it, maintaining it and honouring it. Through the practice of containership, the yoga will come.
Observe yourself in relationship to that container, because this observation of Self is the yoga. What does your mind do? What thoughts come up? What feelings? Are you attached? Are you in aversion?
Or, find a great external teacher you can work with consistently and commit to your practice with them. Show up to their classes every single week and ask them question after class about your practice. Then take when they’ve told you and apply it.
Now you have a yoga practice.
Thank you Kara-Leah! Fantastic article, for me you exposed some denied truths and offered clear guidance, I really appreciate that. I’ve often felt disillusioned by the images I see online of people who can ‘do’ the poses, their accompanying commentary has seemed contrary to what I believe yoga is. Great to hear your concrete distinction. I’m off to do my 7 minutes, thank you!
Hey Chandra,
Yes! Stoked you are off to do your seven minutes 🙂 That’s what it’s all about. And glad you got value from the article too.
Kara-Leah, this is incredibly inspiring. I so often make excuses to not incorporate my practice into my day to day life, and when I don’t I take painful note of how horrible I feel at the end of the day. Thank you for redirecting my train of thought for the best and inspiring me to MAKE time! 🙂
Hi Kara
I love your honest style and inquiring mind. In April/May of this year I was very fortunate to have completed the 200 hours training in Ubud, Bali with two beautiful souls and authentic teachers, Kirsten Reiss and Burkhard Langemann of the Akasha Yoga Academy. After practicing for 15 years I had dabbled in a number of styles of yoga over that time and was attracted to their classical, fundamental approach to Hatha yoga. They are true yogis in the sense you discuss in your article, constantly striving for self-realization and conveying that practice to their students. They have a huge respect for the history of yoga and the various lineages; not least of all their own, via Mark Whitwell and TKS Desachchar/Krishnamacharya. One of the main things I took away from the training was the absolute importance of self-practice, something I was a bit haphazard with prior to the teacher training. Ironically I injured myself when I returned home which has stalled my own ability to teach but, as always, the universe happily supplies us with these learning experiences. In the midst of frustration and impatience, my practice provides me with an anchor; the gift to go inwards and observe myself, to connect with my breath and just be where I am at right now.
The truth is that very few are actually interested in Self-Realization as a priority in their life.
And among those who are, very very few will attain it in this lifetime anyways.
We know this because even among the so-called Spiritual Giants of India (past and present) – those who are widely considered to have been (or be) true Jnanis can be counted on both hands.
Meaning that even for many of the best known Gurus/Yogis – with all of their fame, charisma, siddhis, knowledge, oratory/writing skills, ability to transmit “experiences”, etc etc – there is serious question whether they were/are true Jnanis.
Jnani in this case meaning one who is established in abiding, unchanging, complete, effortless, Sahaj Samadhi Self Realization – where the ego/mind/body identification has been completely and irreversibly dissolved.
Of course it depends on who you talk to – but many believe that these Jnanis have always been extremely rare on earth – and there is no evidence to suggest that this is changing now or anytime soon. (in spite of popular new age beliefs of global awakening that are not based in reality and with an understanding of what true Awakening/Realization actually is)
Among these rare souls – one often finds mention of Ramana Maharshi.
The remarkable thing about Bhagavan, for me, is that we actually know most everything about his life – because he lived among us recently.
We have his writings and words, video footage, photos, first-person accounts from his closest devotees, and on and on.
We can say that he was born, he lived, and he left the body.
Compare this to the older/ancient accounts of Gurus, Deities, Avatars, Prophets etc for which we have zero solid proof.
Everyone talks about Jesus, Buddha, Babaji, Ascended Masters and so on – as if it is obvious that we know anything about their actual lives, words, or whether any version of them even existed as we believe they did.
But here is Ramana, a remarkable Sage, a Guru of Gurus, a Jnani of Jnanis, for which we know everything to be authentic and true.
For me, this is far more interesting and inspiring than all of the older/ancient myths and stories combined.
Even with Ramana, where we have so much information, it was inevitable that there were those who set out to cast him as this or that avatar, incarnation, etc – with all kinds of mythologizing surrounding his birth, life, past lives, etc.
The deification/mythology began during his life, and increased after he left the body,
And it will continue so that in 100 years, and 500 years (if people are still on this earth) he will likely be cast in a similar way like Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Christ etc.
This is simply how things work – the inevitable, recurring and sacred “savior myth”
So given that, why do we invest so much interest and certitude in the stories of Christ and Buddha for example?
The earliest records that reference the Buddha are from about 400 years after he is considered by most scholars to have lived.
For Jesus it seems to be about 150-200 years.
Given what we know about Ramana as an example – and how things were exaggerated and skewed even during his life – why would you think that we know anything of certainty about these ancient people – if they even existed at all!
And yet we are far far more likely to have their images, statues, books etc hanging on our altars, walls, bookshelves, etc.
There are temples, churches, monasteries, entire cities/towns dedicated to these figures and deities.
And yet for those like Ramana, human beings who we know most everything about, who were born and attained the highest Realization – there is a small ashram in India, some books, some teachers who claim to be part of his lineage, and that’s about it.
The reason a Jnani like that was not and will not be anywhere close to as popular – is because his life, teaching, and attainment are not actually what the majority of people are looking for.
It feels too abstract, too lofty, too final, too other-worldly, too austere………like death/void to our egoic minds basically.
What most people really want is the ideal – the infallible, perfect, all-knowing, divine savior – the parental figure on steroids in other words : )
We want Christ the all-encompassing Savior with the flowing hair and robes – same with Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, Babaji, and so on.
It is also convenient that they are not around to directly teach us, correct us, challenge us, push us, etc.
So we can have the feeling of being connected to the highest Divine Being/Force, that we are being looked after and protected, that we are being forgiven and purified, that we are special and have a place/attainment waiting for us, etc.
Without doing much of anything different than what we want to do in our lives.
But if you put all of the scriptures, myths, stories, accounts, histories, etc aside.
And really look at our situation in this life.
What is the most apparent, real, likely thing that presents itself?
The answer is that we were born – and we have an opportunity to deeply explore what is possible for us in this single lifetime – spiritually and also in our day to day lives.
And that we honestly don’t know what happens after death of the mind/body.
And fortunately, and remarkably, we also have really inspiring and clear examples of incredible beings like Ramana – and also living Teachers like Adyashanti and so many others – whether any of them can be called true Jnanis like Ramana is another question – but there is no question for me that they are advanced spiritual beings regardless.
This is what we know.
The rest of it – past lives, miracles, siddhis, reincarnation, divine hierarchies, ancient lineages, astrology, veggie or meat, this or that tradition as better/authentic etc, angels and fairies, ascended masters, avatars, global awakening, heaven and hell, and on and on and on…………………
We just don’t know – and frankly – it all tends to be a speculative distraction from the task at hand – which is to focus our energy and attention – to make it our single priority – to deeply investigate what we are.
To awaken to true Self-Realization – or get as far along the path as we possibly can if not.
That is what we can know and stand behind in this life.
So what are you actually longing for in this life?
Be really honest with yourself.
Thank you SO much for this comment. It’s almost an entire article in and of itself. You bring up so many beautiful points.
What do I long for in this life? Truth. Knowing myself. Awakening to Self-Realization, or – as you say – as far along the path as I can be.
This is deep. I know you probably get a lot of obvious comments but let me add my own – I find this very inspirational and I wish every blog post was written like this one.