From INTELLECTUAL
UNDERSTANDING to DIRECT
EXPERIENCE
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that going
to classes is useless. When we initially listen to
the instructions and try to copy the asanas, we
get an intellectual understanding. And it’s
great if someone can explain things that we
are new to.
Think of a dictionary. We check with it when
we’re not sure about the meaning of a word,
or how it’s pronounced, or we need to find
synonyms to make our speech more eloquent.
The same way yoga group classes are highly
beneficial when we treat them as a point of
reference. They help us learn the technical
aspects of asanas, we get corrected on asana
alignment, we can pick up new ideas and bring
them into our regular practice. Dictionaries
don’t eliminate the need for live conversations,
and group classes shouldn’t substitute self-
practice.
Experienced teachers know what they’re
talking about, only because they took time to