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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MASTER CLASS
PRACTICE WELL
continued from page 80
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Let nature be
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