The Tree of Yoga

As part of the certification process with Shiva Rea, I am required to read 8 books from a sacred reading list and respond in various ways. For one of my essays, I have chosen to reflect on a passage from each chapter in BKS Iyengar's classic, The Tree of Yoga.

I'll spare you the six pages of reflection that came from reading this book (eventually, you'll hear it all in a yoga class...). But I did want to offer a few of the statements from his book for you to reflect upon for yourself.

• Yoga means union
• Individual growth is a must, and yoga develops each individual
• A beginner must work hard and sweat in order to learn
• Anything done spasmodically has only a spasmodic effect
• On one side, the mind is making you and on the other side it is destroying you
• There is a tremendous difference between belief and faith
• The asana has to enshrine the entire being of the doer with splendor and beauty
• Experience is real; words are not real
• The vitamins we need to maintain in yoga are faith, courage, boldness, absorption, and tremendous memory - with uninterrupted awareness
• To be a yoga teacher is very difficult
• You do not know what time grace will fall on you, so you must prepare everything so that you can accept grace when it comes
• There is a vivid vibrancy which enables each of us to live in the field of the soul
• The teacher should be clear, clever, confident, challenging, caring, constructive, creative, completely devoted, considerate, critical, committed, and cheerful

namaste ~ love love love ~ and back to the books!