Chapter 1.4 The First Session

Picture Escapade kindly provided by ξωαŋ ThΦt under CC

I pulled up a chapter on a book I started writing about last year, this is special because it started me believing that maybe I could write, Emeka was actually my Yoga teacher, a very unique individual, his classes were really something else, reality is blurred here between fact and fiction, I really loved writing this piece, maybe one day I will complete the book...Enjoy!

The next day started, I got out of bed half asleep, manage to get there on time, cursing him silently along the way, at least there was no traffic along the way, the road was free of traffic, sunlight was breaking, birds were singing, I enjoyed the scenic drive through the hills to his place.  After a while I realized that I could not remember the last time I got up at 4.00 am.  I got to his place a lot better mood that I was leaving the house.

I arrived at his home studio 15 minutes before 4.  A sign on the door said “Please leave your shoes and your wayward thoughts outside and repeat the word LOVE”

I open the door to find a young Algerian looking man, with short dreadlocks, sitting in deep meditation.  Seeing I was early, I thought I better not disturb his practice; I sat there repeating the world LOVE, and watching him.  He did not move for the whole time I was watching him, and it was difficult to describe, but it seem that a sense of calm was pulsating from the center of the room from him! I felt it almost immediately, and after 5 minutes was sitting with my eyes closed myself.  It was the deepest relaxation I had ever felt in the space of 15 minutes.

He tapped me on the back to stand up; upon standing up, he folded his hands together, bowed and closed his eyes and said “Namaste”.  He looked at me with his gentle eyes and said, “Welcome brother, I have been waiting for you, let’s have a cup of tea”

We went up stairs to his balcony, the view was breath-taking over the hills, and he poured me a cup of tea.  He asked me “Why do you want to do Yoga”

I answered “Well, tell you the truth, I don’t really want to do Yoga, I want to change my life around, something you have done with Carolyn”

He smiled and said:  “Changing your life around is only something you can do, Yoga is a means of achieving it, you already have what is needed, you need the key of Yoga to unlock it”

I replied “How does stretching on the mat, help me change my life around”

“It is not the stretching that achieves it.  It is the daily practice of self-control, self-awareness, self-direction, self-acceptance, self-respect, honest living and ethical behaviour on and off the Yoga mat that achieves self-transformation my friend. Life is a mirror, it simply reflects back to your internal condition through external results.  My work focus to direct you to work on yourself, all other external results follow automatically”

“That sounds absolutely amazing, does it really work” I said

“It all depends on how badly you want it, and how much faith you have in the Yogic process, to help you get there.  Initially you will only go by what others have told you, but if you stick with it, you will notice positive changes start happening around you as you start changing internally, this itself will translate to faith increasing in the Yogic process, more effort, self control and results with follow automatically”  Emeka said. “The external is a reflection of the internal, change the internal to change the external” he then said profoundly.

Silence filled the room, I thought about what he had said, tears welled in my eyes, I knew what he was saying was true, I look back in my life, and noticed that things really started going pear-shape, when the stress started hitting, I started taking on unwanted risk, getting distant from my family, started drinking, getting more and more irritated with people at work.  “Can you show me how to do this I said”, with tears then coming down my face.

“Of course my friend, he said as he handed me the tissues, everything will be AOK by the time we are finished, I can see it in your eyes that you want this, let this emotion drive you into making a permanent change”

“Why do you ask to repeat the word LOVE” I asked?

Emeka smiled as he said:  “One must always keep his mind focused in Yoga: in the Asana, breathing deeply, observing his body, or repeating something positive, this reins in the mind, and forces it to be in the present moment, the mind is restless, and gets easily distracted, this interferes with the Yogic process”

He paused then said “What better thought to repeat other than LOVE, GOD is LOVE, everyone can relate to it, even animals can express LOVE, because of the positive energy it carries, it helps you in your Asana in-directly in many ways”

Let me give you an example, “Put your arm out straight and resist my pressure”. I put it out; he put two fingers on my hand pushed it down without any effort. “Now let’s try again” Emeka said, but this time I want you to repeat the world LOVE for a minute before I do it. I put out my hand again, and applying the same amount of pressure, he was unable to push my hand down.

“That’s absolutely amazing!” I said, I must remember this one as a party trick I thought.

The hour was almost up.  “Are we not going to do any Yoga?” I questioned.

He smiled at me and said gently “Brother, we were doing Yoga for the last one hour, Yoga means to gain union with yourself and then the divine and we have plenty of time, by the end of one year you will be practicing every day”

“Sorry, I had some questions about the fees, is it true that I get a reduction based on every class I attend” I asked him as I was exiting the door.

“Yes that is correct brother” he replied.

“How do you make any money then? This is a bargain compared to others”

“True it is a bargain, but there is a reason why I do it, not all the classes are with me one on one, there is periods where you will need to do it by yourself and see me less often, as you get more proficient I have to see you less.  Also what happens, is a mental connection happens between the student, the disciple and the teachings if the right dedication is there, then time and space has no barrier, you start learning even when you are not on the Mat, and that's when learning really happens.  This also helps me avoid people who waste my time, and so they pay a price for it, at the end the whole thing works quite well for me in the end.

If you do your classes every time, I get a satisfaction out of it, and that to me is worth more than the money, also a lot of people give donations to help keeping the school running, though I never ask for it”

I thought to myself, he is a nice guy, maybe I will giving him a small tip as a donation, instead, sort of like in a restaurant, I was figuring out if 20% of what I owned him would be enough.

“I will see you tomorrow at the same time” he said with his arms folded together and bowing slightly

I left feeling very light, and thought to myself, I wish there were more people like him around.