Yoga Journal USA — December 2017

YOGAJOURNAL.COM / 82 / DECEMBER 2017

Teaching pranayama is diffi cult.

Back in the late ’80s, I would schedule

a pranayama class and people would

come for about a month, then they’d

let it go. When it comes to pranayama,

very few people stay tenacious. Some

people, looking for a quick fi x, don’t

think there is enough of an immediate

benefi t. For others, it causes too much

change, which can be confusing or

scary. The pranayama practice is sub-

tle, but it aff ects us at the root of our

physical and mental existence. Because

the practice is powerful and delicate,

we need to dedicate ourselves to it

daily. Only when it is done daily do we

build up the sensitivity that is neces-

sary to understand the language of the

breath and prana. Every asana class

I teach, I attempt to get students to

experience the absorption of prana.

Teaching is a vital aspect of who I

am. My brothers and sisters were all

teachers —it’s a part of our DNA. It

means that I get to share something

special; yoga still raises the hair on my

arms. It is endless and infi nite; it feels

like the whole gamut of life is captured

in yoga. Sharing it makes it more real

for me. I get to test out practices, ask-

ing, “This works for me; does it work

for you?” and “This makes me feel this

way; how did it make you feel?” Yoga

helps me feel that I’m not alone or in

confl ict with the world. Sharing it

makes me whole.

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continued from page 80

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Let nature be

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Let nature be

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