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april 2018yogajournal.com.aupractices. Although her teachings
aren’t strictly traditional, for Sammy
they still honour yoga’s roots. She
says, “We are still practicing the
same poses, learning the same
meditation techniques and anatomy.
We are living the true nature of
what yoga is all about...We tell our
students that we are not creating
happiness – you are using your yoga
practice to reveal your natural state
which IS happiness.”Maintaining the
traditions in a
modern landscpae
For Rachel, respectfully upholding
the traditions of yoga is about
education and inspiration. She says,
“Educate people about the true
meaning of yoga - about tradition,
heritage and where yoga has come
from. We need to inspire people to
seek out authentic and learned
teachers with a proven track record.”“We need to inspire people
to seek out authentic and
learned teachers with a
proven track record.”Mark notes that social media
can certainly be used positively
to promote traditional yogic
philosophies. He says, “Before it
was not possible to access those high
teachings without going to India.
Now you can just sit on the bus and
take it in and send love heart emoji’s
to show your gratitude.” For Mark,
teachers must continue to practice
and develop their understanding
of yoga’s deeper philosophies to
maintain respect for the tradition.
He says, “Lets show our gratitude
to the rishis, sages and gurus that
went before us and through great
austerities got to the highest human
possibility and then mapped a path
out for us to live a more fulfilling,
satisfying life. It’s our responsibility
to honour their legacy.”
Yoga’s traditional philosophies and
practices have undoubtedly been
diluted in the modern, western world,
but introducing practices that appeal
to the masses may inevitably lead to
more students, who ultimately seek to
understand the deeper roots of yoga.Goat yoga is said to be calming
as the animals help people
deal with stress and anxiety.