My personal Yoga Interview by sibylle siegrist
Thinking about the last essay was quite a challenge; there were so many themes to talk
about, from sutras to poses, pranayama and meditation etc. Then I began to start from the
beginning, how this all started, looking at my journal, notes and the people around me. This
is where it struck me, to write about and compose a complete essay, as in a summary of how
the people nearest to me think about yoga. So this has developed to become "the interview
on yoga", giving myself insights on how this has affected the people around me.
I have actually started out soft, trying to hear from all sides, what yoga was for many friends
and family, without asking them directly, their only knowledge was that I started a teacher
training. Feedback was then usually, "wow, and so you'll be doing yoga everyday now!?", or
"oh nice!" (with no further comment) or "oh, I have done yoga before, but stopped….." or
"great, now you'll be a yoga master!"…..for some until today, they call me 'yoga master', (but
these are just the French speaking). But do they really know what this is all about, so I
started asking….What do you think yoga is, what comes first to mind?
"Well, it's something to do with poses and you hold it for a long time."
"It comes from the east and now they have them in all fitness centres."
"You burn smelly sticks and light candles and sing"
"You relax and stretch in different poses and sing"
"There is a guru that tells you what to do, really all just spiritual"
"Great exercise for back pains and relaxation when you are stressed out"
"People singing and raising theirs butts and hands to the sky"
"A place where you go with other people, and do breathing exercises and do poses"
"The 3rd eye plays a big roll, you Om and do poses; you start to become a yogi"
"A way of life, meditating and doing poses to feel good"
"A practise people do to become focused on themselves and do the poses of whoever is
standing in front of them: There is teacher to guide them, they feel taken care of and maybe
the will chant and meditate."
From here I have chosen my candidate to interview whom I thought gave me the insights and try to understand more:
"Yoga is a philosophy, where body and spirit unite; there is a connection with oneself, they do poses and meditate."
Why do you think people go to yoga, do yoga?
"In the western world, this is more of a trend; a lot of people have tried it. They go for the
curiosity about it, wondering if this can bring them to a different place for a while, to space
out. They would go to want to find out about themselves, being attached to themselves and
concentrating on themselves for the next hour or so, they most probably do meditation. Of
course it is something physical too. Some might be more aware of their bodies and feel
better after a class. People who are stressed would go, wanting to be calmed down. But I
really think it is something people do on their own and for themselves. They maybe want to
find out something more about their lives and find maybe a "higher Self", in our current world
where people are all egocentric and stressed out, going to do yoga to balance their body
and spirit is what they think will help them. It offers an exchange for and to themselves. (sic.)
Honestly the meditating part is the critical part in the yoga world, they seem to tell people
about a "higher state", but this can be impossibly described at length, as I imagine someone
in the state of meditation could not remember his or her experience, since they are not
conscious of what or where they are. There is an emptiness and in emptiness there is
nothing, just empty space or light".
Where do you think yoga comes from?
Surley from Asia, most probably from India. There they would use yoga in a different way,
more a 'way of life'. There must have been some spiritual people like the gurus to have
shown the people how to practise this.
What do you think 'OM' is?
"Om is a sound that the people of yoga make, surely something similar to 'amen' in the
church. This again, to maybe give thanks to "whomever" and be in touch with themselves."
How do you feel, when you hear the word Yoga?
"It is surely nothing bad; I am just a very sceptical person. As I mentioned I imagine people
somewhere doing poses and meditating, but I am someone who wants to find out
things on my own and I definitely do not like it if there is someone out there to show me how
its done.
Which poses do you think are done in Yoga?
"I think there is a 'sun greeting' thing that they do. Positions that bring the hands into a prayer
position and there is a position about a 'dog'. I think in general there are poses named after
most animals. Of course there is that seated cross legged position, where they would sit for
meditation as well. Then even different poses that bend and fold the back into various
positions, which looks painful by just looking at it.
How do you think a person who does Yoga lives?
Maybe just like any normal person would, only maybe they are more aware of their
environment. They would sit on the floor more and do their ritual everyday, eat vegan food
and nuts and other grains. Have incense candles and play spiritual music; of course they
would seek centres where people meet and talk about and do yoga.
These were questions asked during the first two months into the teacher training, already the
candidate is being very thoughtful on the idea of yoga and not giving just any radical
answers, even though I did ask to answer "what comes to mind first, not thinking too much
on the question". After a few weeks into the training I began to place subtle remarks about
yoga and its definition; bringing more awareness about the body and the diet of the different
poses and when and why they are done. Even mentioning meditation of being a "place of
peace" within oneself. Of course never drawing the full attention to me and making a "big
deal" about it. The remarks I have seeded, I can see only now are growing, I have realised
to some people it is not easy to talk about something, that in our western world has so much
cliché! Different sorts of people can take things from yoga, without being the "full yogi".
People want to make their own choices and pick out what is best for them.
Some, I have realised I have touched slightly and the effects are slowly grounding, as for
a good friend from England, who has been so touched about this whole yoga experience, she has
now signed up to do an extension to her yoga knowledge, she is willing to learn more on the
sutras, pranayama and meditation. Of course she has done a workshop on yoga years ago
and has given meridian (sic.) yoga classes since then herself, but realises what has been missing;
to know the Sanskrit and to deepen in the sutras. I am happy to at least have touched one
person deeply and also because I have always sort of looked up to her about things in yoga
and have shared thoughts over the last months,seeing that I have given her a great
impulse, touches me. I look forward to our future talks!
Coming back to my primary candidate on yoga, I have sensed a subtle understanding
between us and have asked my following question:
What do you think about me practising yoga?
"Maybe you are like one of those people who are looking for an entrance to something,
maybe there are open questions you would like to have answered. This I am not quite sure
of, but I think you are looking for something physical as well. But I know that you do not get
too carried away about the whole "yoga way of life"! You seem to be very interested in your
training and I see you practise, but I do not sense that you are "Zen" yet! Your studies seem
to be more stressful and nerve breaking the last few weeks; I see you set priorities but this
has gotten intense over the past weeks.
How do you see Yoga now?
"Still I see Yoga as an individual thing people do or want to do. I understand the whole nondoing
stuff about not stealing or harming or wanting things, and still think that people have to
put this into their own experience, either in life or in the practise. I know that there are
different types of yoga out there, either more meditative or more core-working yoga. I respect
people's choices and for myself know; I prefer Pilates than Yoga. I just need to work the body
and not the mind."
Pascal, my life partner has given me these answers and I am actually glad to have such an
opposite pole around. His counter reaction to things
in yoga has helped me to understand it more and see it in a different light. I think it is all
about him being ever so sceptical about Yoga; that I need to express myself more too and to
stand by to my arguments on Yoga. This exchange helps me a lot. I am very grateful for him
to help me through the asanas too, being there, doing them with all his might and then
comparing it to his Pilates (which he still thinks is the best sport ever for him).
Finally to conclude, this experience for me; intensive for the past months, dealing with it
day in and out and with friends and family I see the difference in the people, who know yoga
or think they know yoga or do not care about yoga. I have met with friends too just coming
out of a yoga class and all I get is the funny remark: "feeling all relaxed and Zen now!?" but
they do not wait for an answer. I think I know how to proceed with this training, I will surely
want to go deeper into the sutras and read many books about it (my list is endless, but the
summer is long!) My plan is to teach, but only after I have really understood the sutras fully,or to my knowledge of "fully", when I feel it peeling off my skin! I feel to share this more, but
want my back supported of this knowledge…otherwise, I end up dealing with someone like
Pascal and the talks can be never ending with Yoga ending up in a cliché again.
One never knows how things can turn out, but there are always things to learn,
as in my new beginning to yoga, this new creation when it survives the turbulences will be an
experience too. The best way I like to express this simply to all and what I think is true is the first sutra
HATHA YOGĀNUŚĀSANAM
And my favourite interpretation of it is: Now is the time for Yoga
Ref: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Sri Swami Satchidananda