| I was born in Bombay to a family of lawyers. I started | | | | Ashtanga: I can't teach Viniyoga. But I can learn from |
| my yoga training with BKS Iyengar at age 7 and by | | | | them and see what is appropriate in my system. So |
| age 22 I was the youngest student to earn an | | | | that's what I do; I teach mostly physical yoga in the |
| Advanced Teacher Training Certificate. As a child I | | | | Iyengar method and the internal yoga is based on my |
| was taught the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the | | | | wife Mirra's meditation teaching and Sri Aurobindo and |
| Mother of Pondicherry, both of whom are my spiritual | | | | the Mother's teachings. |
| teachers, along with my wife Mirra, who teaches | | | | A consistent question I get is how I find time for my |
| Purna Yoga Meditation. I became a lawyer, certified | | | | own practice with such a busy schedule. There is just |
| naturopath, Ayurvedic practitioner, and a body worker. | | | | no option. Every morning I get up, do my basic rituals, |
| Mirra and I co-direct our studio, Yoga Centers, in | | | | and then go and practice. Practice is the first thing I do. |
| Bellevue, WA, and I run a food company called | | | | If I miss the practice in the morning, I never practice! So |
| Eastern Essence Organic Whole Foods. | | | | it just goes without saying: I always do my practice |
| I am often asked what it was like studying with Mr. | | | | first thing in the morning. People often ask me how my |
| Iyengar as a child. It was very intense. Iyengar is a | | | | background in so many vocations affects my teaching. |
| very strict teacher-though not as strict now as he was | | | | It really helps to have experience in different fields. |
| then! Since I wasn't exactly born supple, I had to work | | | | Then, when you are teaching, you can tap into the |
| really hard to get the movement he wanted. But he | | | | different experiences and use language that resonates |
| was more than just a teacher to me, he was also a | | | | with different people. For example, one of my greatest |
| friend. He would come over to our house, and we'd | | | | loves is poetry-and I'm talking about classical, gorgeous, |
| have breakfast and lunch and all that. Often he would | | | | romantic poetry from Browning, Milton, Keats, Byron. |
| stay at our house when he came to teach in Bombay | | | | And when I quote these, it makes a huge difference in |
| many weekends. So we got to know the other side of | | | | class. Similarly, if I use a legal term or an anatomical |
| him, which is one of the major reasons my family | | | | term, it resonates with certain people, and it makes the |
| stayed with yoga. Had we only known him as the | | | | class richer. The best advice I can offer beginning |
| powerful teacher, we may not have continued, | | | | yoga students is to find a teacher who truly knows the |
| because his other side is very beautiful-gentle, sweet, | | | | subject, which can be a tough thing because if you are |
| childlike, full of fun, and loves adventure. Obviously my | | | | a new student, you don't know if your teacher knows |
| asana teaching is based on the Iyengar method. | | | | the subject. This is the main pitfall and the main joy of |
| I have a very firm belief that yoga is very vast. I | | | | being a beginning student in yoga. It's a time to explore |
| cannot say this is my yoga and that is your yoga, | | | | and find somebody who truly knows their job. And |
| because I believe that yoga is so big that we all have | | | | then stick with that teacher for a good five to ten |
| to share what we know. I believe that the blending of | | | | years. And then, of course, yoga becomes one's |
| knowledge is very important without losing the | | | | life-long journey to internal revelation. |
| essence of what you are teaching. I can't teach | | | | |