20
PERSONAL JOURNEYS
Govind Das
Govind Das is the owner and director of Bhakti Yoga Shala, an innovative bhakti-
based yoga studio in Santa Monica, California. Govind Das and his family live
overlooking the ocean in the Pacific Palisades. Govind Das leads bhakti yoga
workshops and retreats and presents at festivals and conferences in the United
States and abroad.T.E. How did you discover yin yoga?
G.D. I discovered yin yoga in my own self-practice. Not always did I feel like
doing a strong power yoga or vinyasa yoga practice. At times, my body would
just really thirst for stillness in the yoga poses, so that's where I first started my
own practice with yin. Then in 1999, I started to hear about this teacher named
Paul Grilley, and I took a yin yoga workshop with him. I realized at that point
that the things I had been doing actually had a name, form, and a structure
to it. It was called yin yoga. Why I love the yin practice so much is because of
its meditative and surrender-based way of practicing. It's a nonstimulating
practice, in contrast to the yang-based practices, which are very stimulating,
yin is completely the opposite. It’s more soothing for the nervous system. Yin
practice is about slowing down and really meeting yourself in the moment. It
reaffirms the teachings of Ram Dass in Be Here Now and Eckhart Tolle in The
Power of Now. There is nowhere to get to. It's a fabulous and a fascinating
practice to dive into.T.E. Is there anything you nd challenging about yin yoga?
G.D. It can be incredibly challenging. [laughter] The most challenging thing is
just being with yourself, especially when you've been in a pose for three, four,
five, six, seven, eight minutes. You're feeling sensations that could be incredibly
uncomfortable, or your mind is very loud and noisy. I feel like it is such a great
life practice. It sets us up for being in relationships and especially in intimate
relationships and partnerships. In these poses, what we're asked to do is just
to sit with what is. We have to learn the incredible virtue of patience. There's
a great saying from the Vedas about the one who has patience has the entire
universe.