The Hardest Part of Yoga Teacher Training Isn't The Poses

THE BIGGEST teacher training challenge is to address and challenge people's philosophy on what yoga is. There is a significant difference between what modern physical yoga is and what people think it is [video below]

Often people say to me that their teacher told them that yoga poses should be steady and comfortable, as is stated in the yoga sutras of Patanjali. But taken out of context, this interpretation misses the deeper meaning, and teachers sometimes use that sutra from Patanjali to avoid pushing beyond their comfort zones.

The Sword Must Be Forged in Fire

Think of Shiva's tandava - his cosmic dance of creation and destruction. Before new worlds can be created, old ones must be destroyed. The same is true in our practice. We cannot birth our steadiest, most comfortable selves without first dancing through the flames of challenge and discomfort.

Image Credit - Akram Yoga Ltd / Zahir Akram

If you look at that line as a stand-alone quote, it is just that: yoga poses should be steady and comfortable (Sutra 2.46). But a more complete understanding of yoga and the sutras is needed to really grasp its meaning. Patanjali starts his yoga sutras with "atha yoga anushasanam" - "now the instruction in yoga". It's a curious way to start a book. But when you understand the broader cultural framework, you understand that Patanjali is saying that now you are ready for yoga.

There's a Zen parable about a student who came to a master seeking enlightenment. The master poured tea into the student's cup, and kept pouring even as it overflowed. "Stop!" cried the student. "The cup is full!" The master replied, "Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and assumptions. How can I teach you unless you first empty your cup?"

Image Credit - Lewis Calloch. Used with licence.

Patanjali's "atha" means you have scratched and clawed your way through life. That life has challenged you and tested you, and at that point of transformation, you are ready to understand yoga. You can't truly understand the depth of Patanjali's sutras without having been tested. And that context needs to be understood before you read that line that asana (the poses) should be steady and comfortable (Sutra 2.46).

Perhaps that means they should be steady and comfortable after you have genuinely challenged yourself to reach this point. Because how can you know what steady really is without experiencing unsteadiness? How can you know comfort without discomfort?

Parvati's Tapas: The Power of Disciplined Practice

Consider the story of Parvati's devotion to Shiva. To win his attention, she didn't simply sit in gentle meditation. She performed intense tapas. Standing on one leg for years, enduring scorching heat and freezing cold, pushing through every conceivable discomfort. Only through this crucible of challenge did she transform herself and discover her own true nature.

Image Credit - Akram Yoga Ltd / Zahir Akram

A teacher trainee cannot approach warrior 2 half-heartedly. That is not acceptable for someone learning the deeper aspects of yoga teacher training. You have to sweat and grimace and fall out of the pose and feel challenged and tired and humbled, and only then are you really understanding the pose. From that point, you can then find a genuine place of steadiness.

In many ways it's understandable for a teacher trainee to practice within their comfort zone - to think yoga poses should be all gentle and easy. For them as an individual that may be fine. But what can happen once they teach is that they may unintentionally limit the potential of their students. Their own fears and limitations get projected onto others, which prevents growth. Both theirs and their students'.

So as a teacher trainee, you don't have to perfect your handstand. But you do need to practice it so you understand the physical and mental challenge. You don't have to perfect your peacock pose, but you do need to explore your edges and meet your limitations to understand why working through resistance is such an important part of the practice.

Arjuna on the Battlefield

Remember Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, standing on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, paralysed by doubt and fear. He wanted to retreat to the comfort of inaction. But Krishna didn't tell him to find his "steady and comfortable" place on the sidelines. Krishna challenged him to fulfill his dharma, to step into the fire of his purpose, to understand that true yoga happens precisely in those moments when we must act despite our trembling hearts.

Image Credit - Akram Yoga Ltd / Zahir Akram

A teaching institute like ours does not ask for perfection. But we do ask for genuine effort and willingness to be challenged. Go beyond the limitations of your comfort zone and you as a student will become a teacher who can help so many others do the same thing. Safely, mindfully, and with true understanding.

Namaskar

Zahir 👳🏾‍♂️

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