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students due to their teacher training, but neither of the training programs involves an
initiation into to lineage. Participants know, to some degree, of the lineage of their style
of yoga, but like their views of the use of Sanskrit, they find it “nice” and “interesting”
but not essential. Within the Ashtanga and Iyengar studios, the titular guru of the style is
not explicitly spoken of during the class time. However, we can see that the guru is
evoked in other ways. The Ashtanga and Iyengar students‟ ideas about lineage reflect the
perspective of their respective gurus. We must recall here that parampara represents the
long chain of unbroken transmission of knowledge, thus honouring all the previous gurus
of one‟s lineage and not only one‟s own guru. Pattabhi Jois relied on the simple Indian
teaching technique of justifying everything he taught by saying that it is what his master
had taught him. Reflecting Jois‟ attitude toward his own master, the Ashtanga teachers all
spoke of Jois‟ guru, T. Krishnamacharya. On the other hand, all the Iyengar participants
spoke only about Mr. Iyengar himself and how his yoga was self-made, and this
orientation is mirrored by the pictorial tribute found on the walls of the Iyengar studio.
Again, this reflects Mr. Iyengar‟s own attitude toward his guru: Krishnamacharya “only
taught me a few asanas, and then my evolution came from my own practice”
(Summerbell 2004, p. 9). What of Moksha Yoga? The fairly recent and North American
born style has no direct links to India or to a guru of any kind. It is clear that this doesn‟t
matter in the least to the teachers and the countless students who pass through their doors
every week. Moksha Yoga does not feel any need to create or to attach itself to another
lineage. On the contrary, not having a lineage allows for greater freedom in the practice.
Ashtanga and Iyengar classes try to remain faithful to the style‟s method whereas
Moksha Yoga is free from any limitations.
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Many of the differences between teachers and students are a result of the training
undergone by the teachers. Likewise the differences among teachers are also determined
by the differences in their respective trainings. If we look at the content of the three styles
I have studied and at their training programs, we can see that most subjects are shared
among all three. What differentiates them is which topics are most emphasized. These
yoga teacher trainings programs have replaced the old model of guru (master) – shishya
(disciple) for passing on knowledge of yoga. The teachers who are giving the training and
those receiving it have not and are most likely not going to have a yoga guru. The
parampara system has been superseded by large teacher training programs, DVD classes,
online videos and best-selling books. The old model is no longer applicable in today‟s
world of yoga.
“Indian-ness” in Western yoga
One of things that separates teachers and students is their curiosity about and
research into the subject of yoga. Apart from MS1 and IS2, the other students (of all three
styles examined) had not read any books about yoga, traditional or contemporary, nor did
they display any interest in doing so in the future. The texts that came up most often and
that were usually connected with a teachers‟ training were the Bhagavad Gita and the
Yogasutras of Patanjali. Both are specifically Hindu Sanskrit texts. Among the students
only MS1 had read both texts but we must remember that she is also a Sivananda trained
teacher; AS2 also said she recently “picked up the Yogasutras”. Many of the teachers
mentioned these texts in connection with their training. However, they could not reveal to
me anything about the texts. Many of the teachers listed contemporary yoga and
spirituality titles when asked about their own reading interests in connection with their
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yoga practice. Even here, teachers often struggled to remember titles or authors of books
that they claimed had a significant influence on the way they practice or teach. With
regard to the books they mentioned, they did not explain to me what was useful or
inspirational about the book. This generally indicates that students and teachers are not
attracted to yoga as a form of intellectual pursuit, even to complement their physical
practice, specifically asanas. The contemporary focus on the physical practice is
reinforced by the fact that only a small percentage of teachers and students practice
pranayama, meditation or both.
The uses and attitudes toward Sanskrit among teachers are largely due to the
particular style‟s training. In both Iyengar and Ashtanga styles, the use of Sanskrit is
prescribed for the names of postures and the class‟ opening chant. Moksha, which does
not have any direct connection to India or an Indian teacher, does not place much
emphasis on Sanskrit. The Moksha teachers felt that Sanskrit was nice but unnecessary.
However, even with the other two styles, the use of Sanskrit by teachers does not
necessarily reflect their personal views. We give the example of AT3 who found that
learning Sanskrit in his teacher training “was a waste of time”. The teachers generally felt
it was important but were not sure why. Usually it was explained as informative and
respectful to yoga‟s origin. All the students enjoyed hearing Sanskrit in class but like the
teachers, their interest ends there. The opening chant is never explained in class and only
one among the Iyengar and Ashtanga students did an internet search to find an English
translation.
The knowledge that teachers and students have about yoga is quite general.
Among students, the two stock bits of information were that yoga was ancient (five
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