Dissolving Into Tradition

Each morning before beginning my practice, I recite the following chant. It begins:

vande gurunam caranaravinde
sandarsita svatma sukhava bodhe

I bow to the lotus feet of the gurus
The awakening happiness of one’s own Self revealed

Why do I open my practice with these lines?  The clue lies in the concept of the "guru", or teacher.

I myself have a teacher—a guru from India named Sharath Jois. He’s about the same age as me and has a beautiful family, and besides a mild obsession with tigers, is by all definitions a normal person. Although Sharath would be the first to say that he is not enlightened, he is, nevertheless, the person who has been charged by his Guru, Sri K Pattabhi Jois, with carrying Ashtanga into the future.

What does such a responsibility imply? Parampara is a Sanskrit word that refers to the idea of lineage in teaching. In Ashtanga yoga, we consider tradition to be our primary teacher, which means that although our Guru embodies a specific tradition, it is ultimately the tradition that we bow to. When I bow to Sharath, I bow to his place or role in keeping the lineage of that tradition.

Surrendering to the concept of parampara is an important part of practicing Ashtanga Yoga. When we surrender to teaching as it has been passed down, we can begin to distinguish our own agenda from our practice. When we are confronted with the difficult rules and demands of the tradition, our fluctuations and preferences are revealed, and if we manage to surrender to the tradition rather than its challenges, it is then that real change can take place.  The concept of surrender is not popular here in the West because it opposes the perception we have about ourselves as strong individuals. We prefer to come up with our own remedies and inventions, instead of accepting the dictates of a higher authority, and, often, we choose to change teachers or systems when we come up against something that makes us uncomfortable.

It is our families, our friends, and our actions that make us all unique snowflakes—not our yoga practice. Yoga is about connecting to a deeper truth than our likes and dislikes. During the day I try to be the best teacher, father, and friend that I can be, and my practice does definitely help me with this. Ultimately though, my practice isn’t about who I am today, or what I have done, the mistakes I have made, or the accomplishments I have achieved. When I follow parampara I connect to a truth that is more eternal than my individuality. Every morning, for an hour and a half, I am carried by my Guru into a universal tradition so that I may encounter that deeper truth apart from myself.