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This Article originally appeared in The Article contains and Interview
By Jill Satterfield Having practiced yoga since 1981, teaching for over 12 years, and meditating for over a decade, I was prompted to give a name to what I was doing by one of my Tibetan teachers. I had been teaching on his meditation retreats for many years, and he was thrilled that I wasn't only teaching the physical aspects of yoga. He felt that my understanding of the subtle body was pretty good for a Westerner and since I had no comparison I chose to believe him! Vajra: indestructible, multi-faceted My teacher suggested that I clarify the fact that this approach was not the typical yoga being taught in the West. My system of yoga, Vajra Yoga, emphasizes the body in a more traditionally Tantric way--as part of the mind, reflective of the mind, a short-term vehicle of the mind. I chose the name Vajra because of its Tibetan meanings: "diamond-like" and indestructible". Our true human spirit, too, is indestructible, clear and shining in a myriad of infinite directions (like a faceted diamond.) Seeing things as they are Our culture tends to identify with our physical body, which is merely an impermanent facet of our true self. This identification can be harmful, because the body changes, eventually gets old and dies. When we look at most magazines and television ads, we often get sucked into a perpetuation of the modern myth of eternal youthfulness: that we will stay dewy-young and healthy forever. That's not to say we shouldn't do our best to keep ourselves in the best physical and mental shape as possible, but personally I feel we are on a slippery slope. If we collectively don't wake up and see things as they are, we will be forever depressed about reality. Yoga and meditation does keep the body and mind in better condition, and can soften the worry lines on the face, but nothing is an elixir for youth. Cultivating compassion Vajra Yoga is an investigation into the fascinating interplay of body, mind, and heart as they interact and continually shape each other. We train to recognize and know ourselves more thoroughly. We practice yoga asana as a gateway to greater awareness and health, and meditate to see more clearly. We encourage reaching out to help others as a way to engage the heart and cultivate compassion. Basically we emphasize the body, the mind, and the heart as equal components of our practice. Being compassionate Feeling compassion towards ourselves frees us to release our conceit of being separate. We begin to see that our stories may be different from other people's, but our inner nature is not - we are all variations on the magnificent theme of being human. Once we become familiar with our own internal terrain, we can organically reach out to help others. And helping another helps everyone. My primary focus with Vajra Yoga is to train able bodies, minds, and hearts to go out into our communities and make a difference. The Vajra Yoga Teacher Training program is a mentoring program. I see each Individuals privately once a week for the duration of the training. Historically, this is how yoga and meditation has been taught. There are a lot of hours spent alone practicing, a lot of time reflecting, and also as importantly, a lot of time doing good in the world that you need not be praised for and no one else has to know about. So many people are discovering the endless benefits of knowing and opening both mind and body. But if we want to keep the enthusiasm going, we must begin to be more honest about what this means - continuous study, self-examination, and practice. Going to a class and moving to music is fine-fun actually-but there is so much more to it. Practice is continual, it's every moment of the day. We need to live our Yoga, not just think about it, or wear the clothes and the jewelry. You can tell a lot about someone's yoga practice by how they treat others, how willing they are to be a kind human being in the world. For more information visit www.vajrayoga.com
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I consider myself very fortunate to have Jill as my teacher. Her knowledge about the human body comes from her own life-long investigation, years of study with teachers like Rodney Yee, and an intrinsic understanding of form and function. On one of our recent mentoring sessions I asked her about some things I had been wondering about. - Rita Trieger RT: How is Vajra Yoga different from, let's say, Anusara or Jivamukti? JS: Vajra Yoga sees the body as a reflection of the mind. Our emphasis is on clearly seeing the mind and body as they are. We practice postures to open the body in order to create space for consciousness to reside, as well as to keep the body in the best possible condition to support the investigation of the mind. We are not practicing to block or deny what is, which sometimes isn't exactly what we would like to see. We are not that interested in just fabricating love and light, but also recognizing the shadow - the full spectrum. With this information we can create balance, understanding, and compassion. Keeping the body open, strong, and balanced provides more internal equilibrium for the energetic system. The energetic system represents consciousness, so our eyes are turned inward as well to develop inner vision and therefore, deeper awareness. With acute attention to anatomy and form, we can re-structure the physical and energetic body, as well as practice mindfulness in action. Hatha Yoga originally was meant to support a mediation practice but the emphasis has changed in the West to become primarily about the physical aspect of yoga. I can't compare Vajra with specific schools of yoga per se, but Vajra Yoga's philosophy is informed by Buddhist traditions (Tibetan and Therevadan), not from India and Pantanjali's Yoga Sutras. I have great respect for what John Friend, Sharon Gannon and David Life have created.I am happy that we have the freedom to create forms of yoga to provide more doorways to different minds and bodies. One size definitely doesn't suit us all! RT: Do you like the idea of yoga being brought to all people? JS: Yes, absolutely. When yoga practice changes your life for the better, it is wonderful to see others try it and experience the rich dimensions it has to offer. I wish everyone had the time, safety of home, political freedom, teachers nearby, money, exposure - any and all of it to practice yoga and meditation - the world would be a better place for sure. RT: Just about every gym has a yoga class and there are an abundance of yoga studios around...What do you think of the quality of instructors? JS: In general - and this is a bit risky to say - but not so much frankly! I cannot say that I believe most teacher trainings are very complete. Yoga is a science and eventually an art. The human body is beautifully complex. It takes a while to absorb the science, transform it from being conceptual to experiential. So personally I feel that too many new teachers are being taken out of the oven before they are fully baked. RT: What do you think is missing in a lot of today's yoga teacher trainings? JS: Time and in depth information. Most trainings are rushed. The students are cramming to get through, and it's like being in test mode. The amount of information we need to understand the body, mind and breath can't be ingested in a short period of time, it's just too much. It also pains me to see how large the trainings are. If there are 60 or more students and a small handful of teachers, the students cannot get the personal attention they deserve. And before these new "teachers" truly begin to fully understand themselves, the postures, the breath, anatomy etc. they are teaching others. I find it irresponsible and often dangerous. RT: What's the first thing you notice [or look for] when you look at a person[s] in yoga class? JS: Curiosity and a willingness to laugh. RT: As an instructor, what do you think is the most important thing you can teach a person? JS: To be kind and forgiving of themselves. Accept what is, work with what they have and use the word "yet" frequently (I can't do this asana, yet.). RT: How does a student begin to understand the difference between what they think they should be doing and what they really need to be doing? JS: Hopefully with good instruction and lots of understanding from the teacher. A teacher needs to be patient and have a good idea of pacing for each individual. Not everyone learns at the same rate, not everyone hears things and absorbs information the same way. So a teacher needs to be both patient and creative to work with a student's mind and body. Sometimes I think that being a yoga and meditation teacher is very similar to being a therapist! RT: Does it matter if they know what they need? Students still get a lot even if they're unaware, don't you think? What's the benefit of knowing this difference? JS: With each experience we grow, each time we absorb something there is change. Life is a continuum of experiences. It is not complete even after the last breath. Any "ah ha" is spectacular - something sinks in again with an entirely new or deeper understanding, then it's another "ah ha"!, and then another and another. None of us begins with complete understanding, if there is such a thing. But if we start with things as they are, there is only growth and enrichment. |
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The following series of poses was designed to open the root system of the body - the hips and legs, and bring energy into the pelvic bowl to calm and focus the mind. The series can be done on it's own, or you can easily add standing postures after it, or more hip openers, backbends, twists etc. it's up to you. Use the Vajra sequence as you would a sun salutation, but do it as slowly as you can, in order to synchronize the mind with the body and breath. Keep your mind occupied on your breath (slowing it down and allowing |
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1. Begin by standing in mountain and feel your feet rooting into the earth. Stand as evenly as possible on the right and left feet, and also on the triangles of the feet (under the ball of the big toe, little toe and center of the heels). Lift the arches upward, engage the legs, align the pelvis, lift the spine to the sky. |
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Extend into forward standing fold and hang (keep your knees slightly bent if you need to - think about pouring your torso over your legs). |
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| 3. Step or walk into down dog . Think of downward dog as liberating your spine - raise the sit bones to the sky and press the legs and hips as far from the roots of your hands as you can. Don't worry about getting your heels down, especially if your sit bones don't lift and your hamstrings are tight. |
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| 4. On an exhale, lunge your right foot forward towards the outside of your right hand, place the left knee on the ground. If your elbows can go to the floor - great - bring your hands together in prayer position and place the thumbs under your third eye and pull your shoulders back away from your ears. If your elbows don't touch the ground today - great - just stay up on your hands with your arms straight. Step back to dog, and lunge to the other side. |
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| 5. Bring the right leg forward as shown, and come into pigeon . If this causes any discomfort in your knee, bring the thigh and knee towards the mid-line of your body. Exhale to fold forward. If it's too deep to bring your forehead all the way down, no worries, stay up on your elbows. Step back to down dog and pedal the feet to bring circulation back into the knee then step the left foot forward and do pigeon on the left side. Step back into dog, pedal the feet and feel the difference in the dog pose after practicing pigeon. |
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6. Lunge the right foot forward towards the right hand, then turn the left foot out 40 degrees as you come into standing lunge . Balance evenly on the triangles of both feet - not just the front one! Activate the legs, straighten the right leg and fold as deeply from the right hip hinge as you can. If your hands don't touch the floor, hold onto your shin. Keep your breath slow, even though it may be uncomfortable...remember it's helping to loosen tight hamstrings which will help to free your back. Also, slowing the breath in times of physical discomfort trains the mind to slow the breath in times of emotional distress. Step back into dog: while in dog, notice the difference on the right side! If you keep your mind on the feelings of spaciousness, or just sensations in your body, it will wake the body up, bringing renewed consciousness to the entire body. (When the mind leaves the body, there's no one home to bring awareness in!) When you're ready repeat standing lunge on the left side
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Step back to dog then lunge the right foot forward and turn both feet to the left preparing for standing split. Align the outer edges of your feet to your mat. Press your inner ankles toward the outer ankles, activate the legs, lift the sit bones towards the sky, allow your spine to float freely out of the hips, align your hands and arms as closely to what you see in the photograph as you can. Bend your right knee, pulling it to the right as you firmly root the outside of the left foot. Switch sides and do the same, do this a few times to open your legs. Turn your right foot forward, then the left and lunge the right foot back to down dog |
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8. Walk or step your feet to your hands and hang for a minute before you roll up. As you stand in mountain, notice your feet again. Notice your body, breath, mind and heart. It doesn't take a lot to refresh and awaken - a few things done with presence of mind is far better than many things without the mind participating.
Stay tuned for more of this series. |
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Interview with