Going Fast, Getting Nowhere

There is a Zen story about an avid seeker, who sat for meditation throughout the day, foregoing food or sleep. As time passed, his body weakened. The master advised him to slow down and take better care of himself, but the student persisted.

“What makes you think,” asked the master, “that enlightenment is in front of you, so that you have to rush to catch up to it? Perhaps it is behind you, and if you just stayed still, you would experience it. Maybe, you are running away from it!”

Years ago, I was invited to serve as a presenter at a major Yoga conference. It was held at a beautiful hotel; over a thousand people participated. There were many sessions throughout the day, numerous offerings in each time slot. As a workshop drew to a close, the students would quickly gather their mats and cushions, and then dash to the next class. Between sessions, the Yoga bazaar was the place to go, filled with books, tapes, props, clothing, jewelry, and all sorts of yoga-related accessories.

The conference, itself, seemed to reflect and reinforce the hectic, outer-oriented pace of modern life. There was little time or space provided for the participants to rest in the peace, which is the goal of the practices. Afterward, in a large, metropolitan airport, awaiting my return flight, there was an atmosphere of greater calm and focus than I had felt at the conference.

In the West, we know how to achieve. We pride ourselves on our ability to multi-task. We “do lunch” with business associates, frequent fast-food vendors, and quaff energy booster drinks on the run. We even organize and schedule our children’s playtime. We know that stress is a major factor in disease, yet our lives are laced with it. We know how to achieve; our challenge is to learn how to relax. Yoga is ideally suited to enable us to meet that challenge with resounding success—that is, of course, if in the name of Yoga, we don’t create similar conditions to the ones we are trying to overcome.

The science of Yoga can be traced to ancient roots and simpler times, to a traditional culture in India. In the last century, this science was transplanted to the West. Whenever you have a cultural transplant, it is inevitable that after some time, the values and methods of the host begin to impact and influence the new arrival. That is what we are seeing today.

On the positive side, we can see a genuine integration. In the West, we are making Yoga our own. It has gone mainstream. It can be found everywhere—in books, CDs, television, newsstands, clothing catalogs, gyms and studios. In the midst of this great popularity, we need to consider if some of the high-pressure, materialistic, competitive ethos of our society has begun to seep into our approach to Yoga as well.

In 1970, I attended my first Yoga retreat, along with several hundred other novices, at a simple resort in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. Yoga was still seen as quite exotic back then. Many were experimenting with it as a natural “high.” There were those who were trying out the new fad, following the lead of the Beatles and other pop culture icons. Others were just drifting, disillusioned by the politics that had produced the Vietnam War, and the corruption and greed they saw elsewhere in society, and they embraced it as an alternative lifestyle.

We came from many places for diverse reasons, but together, we plunged into five days of intensive practice, the highlight being talks every morning and evening by Sri Swami Satchidananda. In an outdoor venue, in the cool, brisk mountain air, our souls were stirred and our yearning ignited. No matter what our intention in coming, we left filled with the prospect of new possibilities—another way of seeing, thinking, acting, living, being.

I clearly remember Sri Gurudev’s message to us on the last day of the retreat. In a very simple manner, he told us that we had lived in India in our past birth and had heard about all the material and technological advances that were being made in the West. We were eager to experience that, and the desire to do so, brought us to take birth here. The first part of our lives had been spent fulfilling that desire, and now, seeing the benefits and limitations of that way of life, we were ready to return to our former knowledge and the pursuit of the higher truth.

The effect of his words was electric, all the more so, because in his former lectures, he was always very practical and grounded, focusing on the ethical precepts of yama and niyama, and how to establish a practice, rather than exciting our fancy with tales of the esoteric and mystical. In his parting words, he confirmed our readiness to delve into the practice of Yoga and held high the standard we should remember on our journey.

The challenge before us today is how to retain the spirit, fullness and purity of the teachings, while adapting to modern times and needs. This requires distinguishing between what can change, and what should remain the same.

Traditionally, Yoga was learned in the context of the Guru-disciple relationship. The disciple served the Guru. The Guru, in turn, instructed and transmitted the teachings to the worthy student. The teachings came with the authority of the Guru, backed by the lineage that he or she represented. From ancient times, the spiritual teachings were passed down in this way in an unbroken line of succession.

Today, many of the great Yoga masters who came to the West no longer walk in our midst. The torch has been passed to our generation, and it is our sacred task to tend that flame, so it can shine brightly for generations yet to come. In our diverse and fluid culture, with instant communication powered by the Internet, a global repository of information is available at a keystroke. We can watch a Yoga class on Youtube, or attend a webinar offering spiritual instruction. We have come to value the quick and convenient, and sometimes pass over that which requires more time and effort. Whereas in the “old days,” one would have to slowly build a fire to gently cook food, nowadays we pop it in the microwave and impatiently wait for it to be “zapped” to readiness. With respect to spiritual growth, Sri Swami Satchidananda used to say, “The slower path is the safer one. Slow and steady wins the race.” It can be hard to keep that sentiment in the forefront, when all other aspects of our lives seem to be rushing ahead at great speed.

With so much information readily available, many Yoga teachers opt to offer a more eclectic approach, rather than stick to one lineage. While each tradition has wonderful knowledge to share, consider the following. When we begin to pick and choose from various schools for our practice, we may gravitate toward that which feels good, rather than what is truly good for us, thus reinforcing our strengths and never fully addressing our weaknesses. We may adroitly avoid that which we most need. Or as teachers, we could unwittingly design a class skewed to our own needs and not really optimal for the general population.

I believe that all the great masters included proper checks and balances in their systems. Some of these built-in protective measures may have been directly articulated; others may have been subtly threaded throughout the whole body of teaching. They could take the form of lifestyle guidelines to be observed, or sequences to be followed, or directions as to when to practice, or how to develop the practice, or contraindications to be noted, or any number of factors. When we pick and choose, we may unknowingly overlook some of these crucial pointers.

So, what changes and what remains the same here? We can only teach with passion and authority when it is informed with our own experience. But if we adulterate and complicate the original transmission, we stand the risk of diluting the benefits and diverging from the true goal. We need to stick to our path, go deep in our practice, and thus realize the Source from which all the great rivers flow.

The world is our village now. We can utilize the extraordinary technology available today to connect with fellow seekers, to get our questions answered, and to support one another on our journey. But in so doing, let’s not overlook the value of taking the time to actually come together, face to face, in the spirit of sangha, true spiritual community. In such a setting, a look, a touch, a word—a moment shared—can be the impetus for profound spiritual insight and growth. The Holy Bible states, “When two or three are gathered in My name, I am there among them.” Even if the great masters are not physically present, their spirit remains to guide us always. And just like in a family, where the older children help the younger ones, so, too, amongst spiritual seekers, those further along on the path will guide the newer members. Instead of going fast and getting nowhere, together, we can find our way to true peace and happiness, and rest in the “now-here.”

Swami Karunananda's love and compassion combine with her strong presentations and vast knowledge to make her a favorite teacher of Yoga philosophy and meditation. She has taught Yoga in hospitals, businesses, prisons, schools, and colleges, and she has led workshops, retreats, and Yoga Teacher Training programs throughout the United States and worldwide. Her sharp intellect and ability to move from practical to mystical topics in one easy leap show her background in science and philosophy, as well as her many years of deep study with Yoga master, Sri Swami Satchidananda. Her teaching is very accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. She can make the most difficult philosophical concepts clear and easy to understand and uses a variety of teaching techniques, such as demonstrations and interactive exercises to deepen the experience of her students.

Swami Karunananda has had over 35 years experience teaching all aspects of Yoga. Today, she specializes in programs that focus on the science of meditation, the philosophy and psychology of Yoga, yogic breathing techniques for better health and healing, personal transformation, and attuning to Divine guidance. In 1989 she developed a Raja Yoga Teacher Training program and in 1991, a Meditation Teacher Training program and has since conducted many courses training students to skillfully impart these teachings.