In modern times, there is such a proliferation of Yoga schools and teachers that someone who is approaching this discipline for the first time will almost inevitably feel confused. How can you choose a good teacher? Is a certain lineage of masters and disciples “authentic”? Can somebody be a good Yoga teacher even if they’ve never been to India? This and other similar questions are the topic of this article. I will try to demonstrate how, in Yoga, traditional and “instantaneous” knowledge are both valid and that we can take advantage of this without getting lost.
Time and again, I have heard this kind of question asked by people who are new, or not so new, to Yoga. There are countless debates over which lineage of Yogis is the most “authentic”, over whether it is at all possible to teach Yoga in the West, and over what kind of certification should a teacher exhibit to demonstrate her right to teach (the subject of teacher certifications in Yoga deserves some exploration, so I will address it in a separate article). Behind all these questions, there is a reasonable concern: we would like to be able to tell those who are teaching and learning the “authentic” Yoga, from those who are just fooling around or following the latest trend in New Age spirituality. Nevertheless, as we will see, things are not so easy as they might seem.
Traditional knowledge: the diachronic way.
In the vast kingdom of human knowledge, there are some disciplines that can be learned only by transmission. For example, if you wanted to learn physics, engineering, or chemistry, you would need to better start looking for a qualified teacher or book to begin with. You could attend the university, or if you are really skilled, you might even build up your knowledge in those disciplines just by reading (a good number of) books. But there is no way you are going to master any of these areas of knowledge just by using introspection, or by sitting in meditation. Luckily, it is not so difficult to find a knowledgeable teacher in one of these fields. There is a whole system of certification, involving university degrees, masters, and so on, that, while very far from perfect, at least guarantees that whoever is teaching physics in a university has studied the matter for a number of years. The same concept, in some degree, applies to all scientific areas (with some interesting exceptions, mathematics being the most striking): these disciplines almost only admit diachronic transmission of knowledge, a mechanism through which knowledge is passed on from one person to another, either verbally, or through written books or other technological means. But this is not the only way that knowledge can be acquired.
Instantaneous knowledge: the syncrhonic way.
In Yoga, diachronic transmission of knowledge is still the most common way: learning from people that have learned it before, or even from books or videos. However, in a certain sense, all the knowledge that Yoga has to offer is inside each and every human being; thus, theoretically, you could learn all there is to know about Yoga just by sitting in meditation and doing experiments with your mind and body. In fact, this is how the entire science of Yoga originated: through the perseverance of wise men and women who spent their lives looking inside themselves, meditating, and experimenting. This means that the knowledge of Yoga can, in principle, also be obtained synchronically by every human being, irrespective of their origin, culture, and education. This method of acquiring knowledge does not require a teacher or a school: in fact, it does not require anything, except a conscious mind.
The ability to discern.
This peculiarity of Yoga, a science that can be studied both through diachronic and synchronic methods, has important consequences. Because every man and woman can, in principle, access synchronically to the wisdom of Yoga, then it is not so easy to dismiss someone as a “false teacher” just because they are not part of any lineage, or because they are Western, and so on. How do we know, in fact, that that person hasn’t accessed some pure and profound yogic knowledge just by sitting in deep meditation? We can check her lineage and find nothing, discover that she’s never been to India, note that she doesn’t know any word of Sanskrit and hasn’t read any of the ancient scriptures. But all this might not mean anything: we might still be in the presence of a wise being who has synchronically accessed more knowledge than we have been able to accumulate in years.
At this point, you are probably more confused than when you started reading. If this is the state of things, then how are we supposed to identify true, valuable teachers and schools of Yoga? The situation is not so dire as it seems, though. First of all, the option of following a respected lineage of Yoga teachers is still valid: an established lineage is often a guarantee of a high level of teaching. This is certainly not an exact rule, since in modern times lineages and “brands” of Yoga have flourished and often mingled with each other, generating another layer of confusion. Secondly, if Yoga can be learned “synchronically”, it’s because it is a science of the inner world, something each one of us has access to. But this same characteristic allows anyone to experimentally verify anything the teachings of Yoga. Actually, each technique (be it an asana, a pranayama, a meditation technique, a kriya, or anything else) is meant to be tried, practiced and verified by the practitioner. As soon as you dedicate some weeks to steadily practicing a technique of Yoga, you will see the results – or not. You don’t need any laboratory to conduct these experiments: the laboratory is your own body, mind, and soul.
This means that, at least in theory, it should not be so easy to fool anyone into studying “false Yoga”. Okay, you have found a nice school and teacher, and you have been practicing their style of Yoga for some weeks. Now stop for a minute and think: are you getting any results? Is any of the things that they have told you would happen (energetic movements, emotional shifts, physical reactions) actually happening? Are you experimenting the effects of your practice, and are these effects in accordance to what your teacher has told you? By answering these questions, you will understand if this school and teacher are transmitting you something valuable or not. Remember that Yoga, at its core, is an experimental and practical science. A good Yoga teacher will never ask you to blindly believe in some technique or concept – he will just ask you to give yourself the time to try it and observe the results. Contrary to what many people think, Yoga is not a religion and it does not require faith. It just requires patience, commitment, and the willingness to experiment and observe yourself with an open mind.
Conclusions.
Summing up, if you are looking for a Yoga teacher, my suggestion is: follow your intuition, and listen to yourself. Maybe start with the school nearest to you, or, if you feel inspired to travel, just go wherever your heart takes you and start looking there. Then, keep your eyes and ears open, and be ready to experiment rather than judge. As soon as you find a teacher, if your intuition does not say otherwise, try to follow her instructions and practice the way she teaches you. After a relatively short time, two or three weeks at most, you have to see noticeable results. If you don’t, then probably that teacher isn’t right for you in this moment: it’s better to move on. You are not supposed to wait for months or years before seeing the results of your practice: at the beginning of your journey into Yoga, the changes in your body and mind should manifest themselves quite quickly. If this is not the case, don’t be frustrated – just keep searching, and eventually you will find your teacher. As a famous Theosophical saying goes:
photo credit: IMG_1637 via photopin (license)
When the pupil is ready, the Master appears.
Good luck in your journey into Yoga!