| Copyright 2006 Alanna Kaivalya
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| | the west and truly adroit western yogis
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| Many people ask me if I can recommend
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| | at their respective helms.
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| where they should study yoga on their
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| | Yoga came into my life in a fairly
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| travels to the birthplace of this ancient
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| | traditional (American) way. I started
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| Indian philosophy. I humbly admit to
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| | going to classes during college simply
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| them that I have never been to India. My
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| | for health reasons, which is the way most
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| gurus are in New York-and they are
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| | people enter into a yoga practice.
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| American.
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| | Something very strong took hold, and I've
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| Most people are surprised at this
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| | been an avid practitioner since. A
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| admission. They question me regarding
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| | nagging desire sent me to study with
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| this. After all, if I am a yogi,
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| | Sharon Gannon and David Life, and my
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| shouldn't my guru be an Indian man?
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| | whole world turned upside down. In their
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| Well, the gurus of my gurus are Indian
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| | presence, I learned what the term "guru"
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| men, but in my case, I look into the soft
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| | meant. In short, I learned to surrender
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| brown eyes and pale skin of my gurus when
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| | to another being who could show me my
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| I bow before them.
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| | true Light.
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| It's funny. yoga has taken such a hold in
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| | I know what you're thinking, Wow, that's
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| America, yet some misconceptions are
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| | some pretty esoteric, frou frou talk for
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| still etched in the practice. For
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| | a western girl! Believe me, I would have
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| example, we think yoga is practiced in
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| | thought so myself before I stood in their
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| hot rooms just because it is hot in
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| | presence, but something in me shifted as
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| India; we have this image in our minds of
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| | I listened to them talk at my teacher
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| ancient yogis practicing warrior two and
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| | training. I felt that strong sense of
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| sun salutations, and we think that in
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| | individuality that Americans prize so
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| order to be a true guru, your nationality
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| | highly start to slip away. Suddenly,
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| matters.
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| | life wasn't all about me anymore, and for
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| In this day and age of yoga, its
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| | the first time, I didn't feel alone. To
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| evolution has taken a major turn, one
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| | put it bluntly, loneliness is nasty. A
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| towards the west. More westerners are
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| | study by the National Institute of Aging
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| doing yoga today, at least the practice
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| | says that, "People who feel lonely have
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| we define as yoga, than Indians. There
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| | more health problems and a shorter life
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| is a saying now that there is more yoga
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| | expectancy than those who do not feel
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| on the lower east side of Manhattan than
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| | lonely." Loneliness plagues Americans;
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| there is in all of India. Westerners
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| | it causes stress, shortens our lives,
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| have taken yoga to the next level-a level
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| | and, in general, makes us a despondent
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| of fitness, industry, and fashion-yet
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| | and sorrowful lot.
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| many yogis still try to remain close to
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| | Well, I've found the cure for this common
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| the roots of yoga.
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| | American disease called loneliness, and
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| One of the ways that yogis strive to
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| | it's a guru. Yes, finding someone who
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| remain closely tied to the true purpose
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| | will 'ru' (remove) your 'gu' (darkness or
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| of the practice is by tightening their
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| | muck) is a surefire way to find peace and
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| grip on what they think is most
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| | a release from the ills that plague you.
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| "classical," the finding of a guru. This
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| | You see, we are all like tiny drops of
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| is, in my opinion, the most important
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| | the ocean wandering around, and until we
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| piece of yogic philosophical principles.
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| | get back, we don't have the great vast
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| While the west has shaped yoga and turned
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| | sea of knowledge or bliss from which to
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| it into an amazing practice that many
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| | draw. One of the quickest ways to get
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| people need right now, the one thing that
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| | back to the ocean is to find yourself a
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| hasn't seemed to catch up with this tidal
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| | guru, a person or group of people, who
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| wave is the idea of a guru.
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| | can teach you life's greatest lessons
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| Many practitioners think that it's not
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| | without your protest and without your ego
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| important. In truth, some think that guru
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| | saying, "I'm going to do it my way."
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| is a bad word, and those who get over the
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| | Some people think that surrender to a
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| stigma of what a guru tends to represent
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| | guru makes you bland and uninteresting,
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| think a practitioner has to go to India
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| | but by adding your drop of the ocean back
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| to find one. This is simply not true.
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| | into the voluminous sea, you actually
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| Yoga, as we know it, is largely a western
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| | have more to draw from and can become a
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| phenomenon, and it is western yogis who
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| | much more rich and vibrant individual.
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| have created it and helped it to evolve
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| | You don't have to travel to India; you
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| into the practice we know today. It is
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| | don't even have to be Indian. You don't
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| they who have crafted the practical
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| | even have to practice yoga very much to
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| application of yoga for modern day
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| | find a guru. The great thing is about
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| living, so why should we not turn to them
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| | this tradition is that "when the student
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| to learn all we can of their designs?
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| | is ready, the teacher will appear," so,
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| Whether it is Ashtanga, Iyengar, Kripalu,
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| | sit back, relax, be receptive to all the
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| Jivamukti, Viniyoga, Power yoga, or any
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| | lessons life brings to you, and get ready
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| of the other multitudinous options, all
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| | to discover yoga's untapped resource-the
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| these practices have very strong roots in
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| | tremendous power of surrender to a guru.
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