If you want to be a real yogi, the first question I want to ask is: “do you have a yoga teacher?” if we jump around among teachers without any consistent guidance, I don’t think we can have “serious” practice.
Each of us needs a teacher who will understand our personal situation, personality and mistakes, and hope to lead us on a road, which will help us open up our own path and develop with our personal development.
What does it take to be a “real yogi”? Now comes the next question: if we want to be “serious” about yoga, how often should we practice it? Before we had children, my wife Nicki Doane and I sometimes practiced six hours a day (I realized it was extreme).
Since we had children, we can have two hours a day, but in the first few years, we have experienced regular practice, which makes my body more profound, so that I can now practice shorter and achieve the same effect.
Regardless of the student’s interest in yoga (asana, chanting, meditation), I encourage the student to practice every day or at least regularly.
Malcolm Gladwell cites a theory in his book that it takes 10000 hours of practice (the law of 10000 hours) to become an expert in any field.
Even if a student practices yoga 12 hours a week, the total is only 624 hours a year, which means that it takes more than 16 years to become a Yoga expert (according to the theory).
Personally, I have practiced for more than 32 years, and most of the time I still feel like a beginner! Define your personal goals.
Whether you are trying to master more advanced postures or just starting to practice, my advice is: practice yoga as much as you can.
Everyone has different requirements.
I know you’ll be happy if you only need to practice for three minutes a day.
But that really doesn’t work.
Some people are born yogis, others need a lifetime.
Mastering a pose can take years.
When we try to put our body in an unprepared position, we get hurt.
It’s not that we can’t work hard for challenging postures…
But it’s a process: we start a pose, practice it, and finish it.
You can become a yoga master, not a master of one pose, or you can master multiple poses and never become a yoga master.
For me, yoga masters have achieved peace in life.
The smartest masters will tell you that they are still struggling.
If not, please be careful.
Those who say I have been enlightened remain vigilant…
