Integrating Old and New: A Yoga Lesson from Tokyo
Within a few hours of touching down on the runway in Tokyo, I was struck by the juxtaposition of old and new all around me. After taking the high-tech train through a picturesque farmland that had me feeling like I’d traveled back in time, I set out to explore the city. I ran a 5km loop around the Tokyo Imperial Palace, along the way noticing the old palace walls set against the backdrop of skyscrapers surrounding the area. At lunch one day, we left the office and crossed the famous Nihonbashi bridge, obscured by a freeway overpass. The city is dotted with temples and shrines – duck into the right alleyway and suddenly you’re in a different era. All of this history and tradition coexists peacefully with a very modern city, integrating seamlessly without a second thought from the locals.*
When I think about my yoga studies – where I focus my learning, the teachers I’m following, the courses I’m taking and what I’m reading – I see the same integration of old and new that I witnessed in Tokyo. I’m taking on a deeper study of yoga texts to more thoroughly understand the origin, intent, and evolution of yogic practices. At the same time, I’m learning as much as I can about anatomy and movement from a modern perspective, allowing what I know about asana to evolve into a healthier, more sustainable physical practice.
The historical understanding gives an important layer of context to our modern yoga practices. When I first started teaching, I used to say that the focus on the breath is what sets yoga apart from other forms of movement, but that was based on an incomplete understanding of yoga. The classical texts, not all of which have been translated and made available in English yet, outline an entire system of yoga, the goal of which can never be obtained through physical means alone. Asana practice is only a small fraction of that system. An understanding of yoga’s evolution through history (at least, the best possible understanding we can have with limited access to the hatha yoga texts) provides a necessary context for the practice that most modern Western yoga unfortunately chooses to ignore.
At the same time, yoga teachers are entrusted by their students to provide a safe physical practice. Modern yoga in the West has become synonymous with asana, and it is our responsibility as teachers to offer a movement practice that does not harm our students. (We can connect this to the classical texts as “ahimsa” or non-harming.) To effectively fulfill this responsibility, a basic understanding of the human body is not enough. Our understanding of movement must continue to evolve. What was considered “correct alignment” just a few short years ago may not be an optimal way for our students to practice asana. For this reason, I continue to pursue a deeper understanding of the body and the ways in which it can and should move. Preventing injury is the bare minimum requirement; sustainable, healthy movement is the goal.
Like the Imperial Palace and the skyscrapers of Tokyo, a historically accurate and complete system of yoga can live in harmony with a modern understanding of movement. I’m committed to a deep and thorough understanding of both yoga’s history and philosophy AND modern science and physical movement practices, and most importantly, to delivering an authentic and safe yoga practice to my students.
*This isn’t entirely true in the case of the Nihonbashi bridge. Many local residents don’t like the overpass and have asked the government to route the freeway underground instead.
