I am Art Grigorian and I have practiced various styles of yoga for about 20 years, have taught for 10. I have practiced Yin, I have practiced Yang. I have practiced Vinyasa and Classical Hatha. I’ve practiced Ashtanga with Pranayama. I’ve read Light on Yoga, I’ve digested Yoga Mala. I’ve grounded with Iyengar and flown with Jois. I’ve meditated endless hours. I’ve energized my body and raised my energy up and down my spine. I’ve balanced my chakras and burned essential oils. I have twisted and turned. I've put my left leg behind my neck and grabbed my left ear with my right hand. I’ve uttered complete nonsense in classes, I’ve said some profound things. I’ve chanted in Sanskrit. I’ve made people feel great, I’ve made people feel bad. I’ve felt sorry for little puppies and stepped on ants at times. I have taken many shallow, deep, fearful, short, long, expansive, calming, conscious and unconscious breaths. I’ve read the good yoga books with their functional anatomies and I’ve read the bad ones with their dysfunctional rubbish. I have learned from many teachers, fellow practitioners, and students. I have learned to unlearn from a handful of sane teachers some of whom have never ever placed a foot on a yoga mat or been able to touch their toes. I have accumulated a wealth of knowledge. I have disposed of even more knowledge. I have done this and I have done that - an assortment of yoga styles and practices that anyone would dream of practicing. I’ve done it all
And then what…
It seems like we are building an unbreakable fortress for ourselves with all these years of practice; an immortal body, a better future maybe, a solid form, more experience, better looking body, shiny teeth, and flexible hamstrings, etc...but it's quite the opposite.
Real yoga practice has nothing to do with energy, left hamstring, solutions for lower back problems or a perfect looking handstand. Yoga should be a process of a gradual unlearning, a mental cleansing, a demolition of the false in us.
How you ask?
You just practice; you move, you breathe, you sweat, you listen, you observe. Then it starts happening by itself - the transformation begins. Your body changes and becomes healthy to endure the pains and limitations the false mind creates. Your thinking mind becomes strong and focused, your soul becomes robust.
But wait, this is just the beginning. Now you yourself start becoming a powerful tool of real piercing thought that has the power to dismantle and chew to pieces anything that is not real in you. You develop a pair of newly born bright, glowing, fearless eyes to see, locate, and illuminate the falseness in you and a brave strong heart to radiate into the world so that the rest of the world can be inspired by the truth of you to bring about any kind of change to itself.
Ludwig van Beethoven once said, “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.” It may seem like a random quote and it may very well be but I take that as a metaphor for becoming clear headed and true in this life. Only then life will be good and delicious with many ingredients like a good soup and we will have a great time living it.
Welcome to Yoga!
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