Conducted by Shikta Shimana, Grade 11 Student Jarvis Collegiate Institute, Toronto. May 2009
Where did yoga originate?
Yoga is an ancient practice that originates from India (once known as Indus). It is a practice that evolved around the same time as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. While it shares some of the same practices as these religions such as chanting and meditation, yoga is not a religion.
What made you interested in yoga?
Initially I wanted to get a very good workout (really). I knew I was also looking for something else but could not articulate it. In the beginning, I had very little interest in the theory or philosophy of yoga. Prior to any formal training, I was living in South Korea and working as an English teacher. I read a book on yoga as therapy and decided to teach it! When I returned to Canada, I felt it would be a good idea to take a formal training program. Since then I have made several trips to India to study under my teachers.
Do you have any special stories about yoga or anyone you’ve worked with?
There are so many stories. I have taught a wide range of people from children to a man of 91! One memory that stands is when I was teaching a relaxation session to a group of elderly people. I asked them to focus on an object and suggested things like a flower, a tree, etc. When I asked the group to share what they were focusing on one of the students (the 91 year old) said, 'You. I am focusing on you.'
There have also been very important moments when I see a student begin to understand a posture they have been working and they begin to do something that they believed would never happen.
Have you ever worked with a mentally disabled person or someone with a mental illness?
Yes, I worked with a disabled woman as well as people with depression and anxiety.
How was the experience?
As a teacher it places you in a position of being able to see how much you actually know. By this I am not talking about book knowledge, but working intuitively with a person, being able to adjust and modify the practice, learning to be creative, watching what they are doing and being able to add to it. This is what I call ‘living’ and ‘teaching in the moment.’ I feel it is the most interesting and rewarding way to teach as you are working with living material and not a concept from a book.
Do you think yoga benefited them and why or why not?
Yes. Learning yoga relieved their anxiety and stress. It also empowered the disabled woman by helping her to feel she could do many movements on her own.
What are the advantages of practicing yoga?
You can practice yoga any where in the world, any time and alone
What are the disadvantages of practicing yoga?
None.
What types are yoga are there and how are they different?
There are many types of yoga. Most people understand yoga as the physical postures called Hatha-yoga. However, there are four paths of yoga that deal with: 1) learning from the scriptures, 2) chanting and devotional practices, 3) doing work without any material gain or profit and 4) mind control. The fourth path is divided into two paths called hatha-yoga (the physical practice) and raja-yoga (mind control).
What is best known today in the West is hatha-yoga. Within hatha-yoga there are many branches of yoga. These are usually named after the Yoga Master who developed it such as Sivananda yoga, Iyengar yoga and Bikram yoga (to name a few). What makes them different is the approach and focus in the practice. For example, some types of yoga are more focused on breath and alignment while others use props, etc. In the end the means may appear different, but the path is the same.
What are some of the ways that yoga is more effective than medicare?
Yoga is more effective as a long-term practice and regime that helps a person strengthen their body, mind and spirit. Yoga also provides tangile tools such as breathing techniques, meditation exercises and physcial postures. The approach in yoga is a holistic one by addressing all aspects of a person (physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually).
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