After a few years, Aadil offered "Core Group," a class for committed students to meet with him once per month for two years to learn about the deeper aspects of yoga. It was in this group that I learned how to sequence poses for a home practice, how to practice pranayama (yogic breathing techniques) at home, and more about the philosophical underpinnings of yoga. I found that having a structure in which to understand how these all fit together was extremely helpful. At the end of core group, I joined Savitri's ongoing meditation class, and finally found the last major key to a complete experience of yoga.

Purna Yoga has four major elements: asana (poses) and pranayama (breathing techniques); meditation; applied philosophy; and nutrition and lifestyle. I have noticed over the years in myself and others that most of us tend to prefer one or two of these elements to the others. In the early years when I was just practicing asana, I eventually found I wanted something more. Asana alone was incomplete. I needed meditation. Now, I have found that if I don't do a proper meditation practice, I feel mentally and emotionally out of balance. Similarly, if I let my practice of the poses falter, I feel physically tired. If I neglect my diet, my energy drags and I can't make the progress I want to make. If I stop paying attention to the wisdom of the philosophy of yoga, things tend to go awry.

A car - the vehicle that represents moving forward in our society - also has four major parts: the engine, body, wheels/tires, and interior. All four of them are extremely important, and the car isn't a car without any one of the elements.  Imagine someone going to buy a car and saying, "I really only like the body. It's so shiny and pretty. I don't think I really need to buy the other elements." Or, "I love how powerful this engine is - I think that's all I really need." The first person will end up looking at a shiny body going nowhere, and the second person will end up with a fiery engine having nothing to move! Imagine someone only liking the wheels/tires - and ending up having to roll them down the street themselves -  or the interior - and sitting in a comfortable seat holding the steering wheel pretending they are moving forward!

The same is true with yoga; the four elements are all important if we truly want to have completeness in our lives.  Of course incorporating any one of these elements into one's life is beneficial, but the wholeness comes with the complete practice. 

P.S. Aurora is teaching a multi-day workshop, Taking Purna Yoga Home, which is designed to offer structure and support for Level 2 students who wish to develop a more complete practice of yoga.  For more information >