In conversation with Ali Hahlo for YOGA PORTAL website
YP: Hello Ali. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview.
AH: I’m delighted to be asked and it’s a very good opportunity for me to reflect on my own thoughts about yoga.
YP: There are so many definitions of yoga and everyone experiences yoga in a different way. In your opinion: What does the word ‘yoga’ stand for?
AH: For me it defines the relationship of the individual with the universe and implies a dissolving of our imagined separateness, into unresisting communion and connection with all elements of the universe – other people, the natural world and the universal spirit that infuses everything. Although in our western culture the world has become associated just with the practise of the yogic postures, ‘asanas’, they are just the beginning of the path to that union, the merging of the individual with the whole.
YP: Sometimes yoga is referred to as a journey where you start at your very own starting point. What was your starting point?
AH: At University 33 years ago as part of a Drama and French degree I did a term of yoga classes with a drama lecturer who had studied directly under BKS Iyengar in Pune and qualified at a time when all teachers were directly certified by him. It was a brief and formative experience that I felt greatly energised and uplifted by. It wasn’t until 15 years later, however, that I started classes again, at the age of 35, with a 2 yr old daughter. I came across a further education college in SE London, which offered Iyengar yoga classes, and a very friendly crèche, and the course of my life took a quietly happier turn in consequence. I enjoyed the posture classes immensely and felt immediate physical and mental benefits. It wasn’t until about 10 years later that I decided to train as a teacher when it dawned on me that the subject was infinitely larger and richer than I had realised, with a huge hinterland of ancient philosophy and with infinite possibilities to enrich the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds physically, mentally and spiritually.
YP: Living in a goal oriented society I cannot help, but ask: Did you find what you were looking for? Did yoga fulfil your expectations? And has your life changed since you started to practice yoga?
AH: I think in my early days of asana practise I just wanted to feel more supple and in better health – the benefits on that level were quickly apparent. Despite aches, pains and struggles en route ! I was utterly convinced that yoga made me feel stronger, more flexible and was transforming my posture. After a while it occurred to me that my breathing in classes was deeper, slower and more even and that my lung capacity was transforming. Having smoked, pre-pregnancy, for 10 years I was relieved to feel that my lungs were freer and fuller. The posture and breathing practise felt liberating and cleansing. The realisation that my mental health was also a beneficiary dawned on me later when I noted how cheerful I felt after class and what quiet pleasure I took in the expanding range of postures I was beginning to gain competence in. The extension of the poses and expansion in the body seems to dissipate and rinse the body clean of tension – a wonderful resource in this tense, rushed, goal-driven society. From those early, narrow, goals of wanting to stretch and move my body more easily I have come to appreciate with more subtlety the range of benefits which liberate and cleanse the body and mind and transform ones attitude to life. I am less anxious, nervous, wound up and worried than I used to be. Daily practise helps cultivate a calmer, kindlier, non-judgemental attitude – also a feeling of resilience. If I feel sad, grief stricken or unwell, or exhilarated and bursting with energy I can adjust my practise to feel steadier and centred. Yoga gives you a broad base of self-reliance – feelings of neediness disappear and it develops an attitude of quiet self-containment, equipoise and generosity of spirit to others. Without even realising I had them at the time, yoga has fulfilled many of the emerging quests and longings which kept me captive and dissatisfied in my early adulthood.
YP: Yoga is an ancient system and we live in a modern world. I wonder how the two combine... Why do you think yoga is relevant in modern society?
AH: I think its truths and treasures are universal and timeless. It is not a religion but its ethical codes for social and personal conduct are a steady reference point as to how to live wholesome, fulfilling, lives in peaceful co-existence with each other and the rest of the world. In a high-velocity, high tech, automated culture we can feel hectic and harried and distanced not only from each other but from our core selves. Tension and stress accumulate and store in the body, creating blocks and grips which lead to painful joints and tight muscles, bowed spines in slumped bodies, with squashed lungs and organs and exhausted nervous systems. Yoga postures extend and expand the body, lengthen muscles, open joints, free the spine and open the chest and trunk for better breath and organ function. Physical health improves, cheerfulness is gained and mental poise acquired providing a stable and benign outlook – all help to powerfully counteract the degenerative and depressive effects of modern society.
YP: My next question deals with the point in which you decided to become a yoga teacher; when was this and what was your motivation?
AH: Initially, I think my motivation was probably rather selfish!. I was aware of the benefits and delight of my yoga practise but frustrated that it was rather a marginal part of my life, with my personal practise outside of class sadly rather minimal!. I wanted the self-discipline that the training would bring and wanted to bring yoga further into the centre of my life. I also felt an impulse to penetrate much deeper into the subject and liked the idea of passing the ancient knowledge on to others. This commitment to sharing the joys and benefits of yoga and my sense of myself as one tiny link in a centuries-long chain of disciples grew stronger as I underwent the teacher training. I felt humbled by the immensity of the subject and privileged to be guided to a greater understanding of it.
YP: There are many great yoga traditions and styles that fulfil different needs for different people. You teach Iyengar Yoga. Why did you choose this particular tradition and when?
AH: I cant really say that I chose Iyengar yoga. My first teacher happened to be Iyengar trained and when I reconnected with yoga 15 years later that teacher also happened to be Iyengar trained. I have, however, always delighted in the clarity, vitality, precision and penetrating insights of the Iyengar method. The emphasis in the early years is very much on the practise of the postures and in creating extension and correct alignment in the poses. The physical benefits are palpable, rapid and irrefutable – you need no theoretical persuasion – you feel unarguably healthier and happier. The depth and subtlety of work on the postures in the Iyengar style has the unalienable benefit of absorbing the mind inwards, as you scan yourself from within for the sensory feedback from muscles, joints and skin from detailed work in the body. The careful sequencing, discriminate use of props and careful attention to safe practise makes it a style suitable for all ages, all physical types, for men and women, teens and children, youthful and elderly, sound and infirm. It is a beautifully democratic, cheerful and inclusive style. Iyengar classes can be tremendously varied. Whether they be brisk and dynamic, with lots of standings, jumpings and backbends, or quietly reflective with seated forward bends and supported supine postures, the feeling of having opened, stabilised and cleansed the body and steadied and pacified the mind is the same. The Iyengar training is extremely rigorous and ongoing professional development is essential even after qualifying to teach. Such an exacting level of teacher training means you feel well- equiped to respect and care for your students and to pass on clearly and honourably the accumulated experience of your teachers and guru.
Our beloved Guruji, BKS Iyengar, is himself an inspiring example of his art and practise – at 93 he still actively practises the postures many hours a day, teaches, tours, studies and writes – in later years the emphasis of his writing has been more on yoga philosophy, whereas when younger he wrote keystone works on the postural and pranayama practise. He lives a simple, modest, life and devotes much time to his charity to improve conditions in the impoverished village of his birth. He overcame tremendous disadvantages of birth, privations, lack of formal education, and poverty to penetrate this ancient wisdom, demystifying it and making it available to all, in doing so becoming a figure of global renown and regard.
YP: We have covered past and present as far as this interview is concerned. I am interested in what there is to come... How do you envisage your future as a yoga teacher and what are your plans for this year?
AH: Well I would like to continue to grow and develop my classes of course! I teach 5 classes a week and feel great affection and commitment to my students and a desire to do my very best for them. I also intend to take my training further so that I can extend the syllabus I can teach to include more difficult postures and to be able to teach pregnant women. I am hugely lucky to have a wonderful senior teacher living in Lewes, Sallie Sullivan, who continues to teach, support and guide me, amongst her many devoted students.
YP: Thank you very much for this interview!
AH: Its truly been a pleasure, and something of a revelation too!. Its nice to have a chance to take stock of what I do and why I do it! Thank you.
If you would like to find out about Ali’s classes or would like to contact her, please go directly to her website.
www.hahloyoga.co.uk
=============================================================================================================================
ARTICLE for VIVA LEWES – March 2016 on YOGA AND THE MIND
Yoga is defined in the Yoga Sutras as ‘the cessation of fluctuations in consciousness’. More simply put it means that it leads you towards a state of mental as well as physical health, of stability, serenity and imperturbability in the mind – where you can retain a sense of quietude and equanimity even in the face of life’s difficulties. The word ‘yoga’ comes from ‘union’, meaning that it unifies the individual with the universal. We are all a tiny microcosm of the infinitely greater whole. - in itself a soothing concept ! Yoga is rooted in Indian and originally Buddhist culture many thousands of years ago – ancient texts and carvings show it to be pre-Christian at least. What we know about the foundations of yoga come from these ancient texts. Whilst it is now widely practiced by many millions around the globe, and taught in a number of different styles. we all, whichever style we practise, borrow elements from these roots.
Iyengar is probably the most globally dispersed style of yoga – well established in USA and Europe but massively popular too in China and Russia, South America and Australia and almost every other corner of the globe.. It is a classical, precise, inclusive style, suitable for all – regardless of age and fitness. Many practitioners continue into advanced old age and it helps to maintain the body in the peak of fitness as well as developing a resilient and affirmative attitude to life. There is tremendous emphasis on alignment, extension of limbs and spine, opening of joints and re-shaping the posture and chest for smoother, deeper breath – the body is gently and safely challenged and the mental state is refreshed. It is not hot and sweaty and never competitive!. BKS Iyengar died just over a year ago, aged 95, and he was still teaching huge conventions right into his 90s!. He came to yoga as a young man, extremely poor and sickly during his childhood, and was taken to learn yoga by his brother-in-law who was a yogi. He was sent out first to teach in a small Indian town called Pune (now a vast sprawling city) and his teaching strategy became more and more popular, attracting many students from overseas. One of his students was Yehudi Menuhin, the famous violinist, who regarded Iyengar as his best violin teacher because of the way his posture improved.
Iyengar was extraordinarily generous with his teaching. His believed that yoga should be available to anybody, regardless of age, religion or gender, so he devised methods to teach people who were stiff, ill or elderly. He devised the use of yoga props like bricks, cushions and blankets, so he could enable students who were struggling or frail to get to as good a yogic posture as possible and make yoga more accessible, and safer. Whilst hugely popular, and widely recognised with medals, honorary titles etc he lived extremely simply with his family and devoted the last decades of his life to alleviating poverty and disadvantage in the desperately poor village he came from.
In the West we tend to focus on the visible condition. If you tell people you do yoga they tend to think it’s very athletic, very acrobatic - but that’s only one part of it. Very few people realise that the ultimate objective is towards the quietening of the mental state, freeing the mind from stress. It stills the vacillations of the mind, and takes you to a more stable mental state. You’re not preoccupied by the world, there’s a sense of quietness in yourself. Eventually, through special breathing techniques and taming of the mental processes it is supposed to take you to a blissful state.
It’s very hard to control the mind, so in yoga we start via the body. You can’t have a healthy mind if the body isn’t healthy; if the spine is collapsed or the breath is jagged and shallow. So we access the mind via the body and then via the breath. When we’re fearful our breath becomes shallow, jerky, but when we’re peaceful it becomes smoother and deeper. Through the physical work we transform the shape of the chest, and gradually, by way of the body and the breath, we begin to train the mind.
From your very first yoga class and your first yogic posture, your nervous system starts to throw out tensions from the muscles and the nervous system. Because you’re absorbing instructions from the teacher and you’re physically active, the breathing deepens and the mind gets naturally absorbed, focussed and tamed. You feel that the mind is quietened and the incessant chatter has stopped, but the body is pleasantly enlivened. We always end a class with relaxation and you usually leave a class feeling happier and more refreshed than when you went in. Sometimes almost magically so!
Ali teaches at the SUBUD Centre, 26a Station Street. hahloyoga.co.uk
YP: Hello Ali. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview.
AH: I’m delighted to be asked and it’s a very good opportunity for me to reflect on my own thoughts about yoga.
YP: There are so many definitions of yoga and everyone experiences yoga in a different way. In your opinion: What does the word ‘yoga’ stand for?
AH: For me it defines the relationship of the individual with the universe and implies a dissolving of our imagined separateness, into unresisting communion and connection with all elements of the universe – other people, the natural world and the universal spirit that infuses everything. Although in our western culture the world has become associated just with the practise of the yogic postures, ‘asanas’, they are just the beginning of the path to that union, the merging of the individual with the whole.
YP: Sometimes yoga is referred to as a journey where you start at your very own starting point. What was your starting point?
AH: At University 33 years ago as part of a Drama and French degree I did a term of yoga classes with a drama lecturer who had studied directly under BKS Iyengar in Pune and qualified at a time when all teachers were directly certified by him. It was a brief and formative experience that I felt greatly energised and uplifted by. It wasn’t until 15 years later, however, that I started classes again, at the age of 35, with a 2 yr old daughter. I came across a further education college in SE London, which offered Iyengar yoga classes, and a very friendly crèche, and the course of my life took a quietly happier turn in consequence. I enjoyed the posture classes immensely and felt immediate physical and mental benefits. It wasn’t until about 10 years later that I decided to train as a teacher when it dawned on me that the subject was infinitely larger and richer than I had realised, with a huge hinterland of ancient philosophy and with infinite possibilities to enrich the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds physically, mentally and spiritually.
YP: Living in a goal oriented society I cannot help, but ask: Did you find what you were looking for? Did yoga fulfil your expectations? And has your life changed since you started to practice yoga?
AH: I think in my early days of asana practise I just wanted to feel more supple and in better health – the benefits on that level were quickly apparent. Despite aches, pains and struggles en route ! I was utterly convinced that yoga made me feel stronger, more flexible and was transforming my posture. After a while it occurred to me that my breathing in classes was deeper, slower and more even and that my lung capacity was transforming. Having smoked, pre-pregnancy, for 10 years I was relieved to feel that my lungs were freer and fuller. The posture and breathing practise felt liberating and cleansing. The realisation that my mental health was also a beneficiary dawned on me later when I noted how cheerful I felt after class and what quiet pleasure I took in the expanding range of postures I was beginning to gain competence in. The extension of the poses and expansion in the body seems to dissipate and rinse the body clean of tension – a wonderful resource in this tense, rushed, goal-driven society. From those early, narrow, goals of wanting to stretch and move my body more easily I have come to appreciate with more subtlety the range of benefits which liberate and cleanse the body and mind and transform ones attitude to life. I am less anxious, nervous, wound up and worried than I used to be. Daily practise helps cultivate a calmer, kindlier, non-judgemental attitude – also a feeling of resilience. If I feel sad, grief stricken or unwell, or exhilarated and bursting with energy I can adjust my practise to feel steadier and centred. Yoga gives you a broad base of self-reliance – feelings of neediness disappear and it develops an attitude of quiet self-containment, equipoise and generosity of spirit to others. Without even realising I had them at the time, yoga has fulfilled many of the emerging quests and longings which kept me captive and dissatisfied in my early adulthood.
YP: Yoga is an ancient system and we live in a modern world. I wonder how the two combine... Why do you think yoga is relevant in modern society?
AH: I think its truths and treasures are universal and timeless. It is not a religion but its ethical codes for social and personal conduct are a steady reference point as to how to live wholesome, fulfilling, lives in peaceful co-existence with each other and the rest of the world. In a high-velocity, high tech, automated culture we can feel hectic and harried and distanced not only from each other but from our core selves. Tension and stress accumulate and store in the body, creating blocks and grips which lead to painful joints and tight muscles, bowed spines in slumped bodies, with squashed lungs and organs and exhausted nervous systems. Yoga postures extend and expand the body, lengthen muscles, open joints, free the spine and open the chest and trunk for better breath and organ function. Physical health improves, cheerfulness is gained and mental poise acquired providing a stable and benign outlook – all help to powerfully counteract the degenerative and depressive effects of modern society.
YP: My next question deals with the point in which you decided to become a yoga teacher; when was this and what was your motivation?
AH: Initially, I think my motivation was probably rather selfish!. I was aware of the benefits and delight of my yoga practise but frustrated that it was rather a marginal part of my life, with my personal practise outside of class sadly rather minimal!. I wanted the self-discipline that the training would bring and wanted to bring yoga further into the centre of my life. I also felt an impulse to penetrate much deeper into the subject and liked the idea of passing the ancient knowledge on to others. This commitment to sharing the joys and benefits of yoga and my sense of myself as one tiny link in a centuries-long chain of disciples grew stronger as I underwent the teacher training. I felt humbled by the immensity of the subject and privileged to be guided to a greater understanding of it.
YP: There are many great yoga traditions and styles that fulfil different needs for different people. You teach Iyengar Yoga. Why did you choose this particular tradition and when?
AH: I cant really say that I chose Iyengar yoga. My first teacher happened to be Iyengar trained and when I reconnected with yoga 15 years later that teacher also happened to be Iyengar trained. I have, however, always delighted in the clarity, vitality, precision and penetrating insights of the Iyengar method. The emphasis in the early years is very much on the practise of the postures and in creating extension and correct alignment in the poses. The physical benefits are palpable, rapid and irrefutable – you need no theoretical persuasion – you feel unarguably healthier and happier. The depth and subtlety of work on the postures in the Iyengar style has the unalienable benefit of absorbing the mind inwards, as you scan yourself from within for the sensory feedback from muscles, joints and skin from detailed work in the body. The careful sequencing, discriminate use of props and careful attention to safe practise makes it a style suitable for all ages, all physical types, for men and women, teens and children, youthful and elderly, sound and infirm. It is a beautifully democratic, cheerful and inclusive style. Iyengar classes can be tremendously varied. Whether they be brisk and dynamic, with lots of standings, jumpings and backbends, or quietly reflective with seated forward bends and supported supine postures, the feeling of having opened, stabilised and cleansed the body and steadied and pacified the mind is the same. The Iyengar training is extremely rigorous and ongoing professional development is essential even after qualifying to teach. Such an exacting level of teacher training means you feel well- equiped to respect and care for your students and to pass on clearly and honourably the accumulated experience of your teachers and guru.
Our beloved Guruji, BKS Iyengar, is himself an inspiring example of his art and practise – at 93 he still actively practises the postures many hours a day, teaches, tours, studies and writes – in later years the emphasis of his writing has been more on yoga philosophy, whereas when younger he wrote keystone works on the postural and pranayama practise. He lives a simple, modest, life and devotes much time to his charity to improve conditions in the impoverished village of his birth. He overcame tremendous disadvantages of birth, privations, lack of formal education, and poverty to penetrate this ancient wisdom, demystifying it and making it available to all, in doing so becoming a figure of global renown and regard.
YP: We have covered past and present as far as this interview is concerned. I am interested in what there is to come... How do you envisage your future as a yoga teacher and what are your plans for this year?
AH: Well I would like to continue to grow and develop my classes of course! I teach 5 classes a week and feel great affection and commitment to my students and a desire to do my very best for them. I also intend to take my training further so that I can extend the syllabus I can teach to include more difficult postures and to be able to teach pregnant women. I am hugely lucky to have a wonderful senior teacher living in Lewes, Sallie Sullivan, who continues to teach, support and guide me, amongst her many devoted students.
YP: Thank you very much for this interview!
AH: Its truly been a pleasure, and something of a revelation too!. Its nice to have a chance to take stock of what I do and why I do it! Thank you.
If you would like to find out about Ali’s classes or would like to contact her, please go directly to her website.
www.hahloyoga.co.uk
=============================================================================================================================
ARTICLE for VIVA LEWES – March 2016 on YOGA AND THE MIND
Yoga is defined in the Yoga Sutras as ‘the cessation of fluctuations in consciousness’. More simply put it means that it leads you towards a state of mental as well as physical health, of stability, serenity and imperturbability in the mind – where you can retain a sense of quietude and equanimity even in the face of life’s difficulties. The word ‘yoga’ comes from ‘union’, meaning that it unifies the individual with the universal. We are all a tiny microcosm of the infinitely greater whole. - in itself a soothing concept ! Yoga is rooted in Indian and originally Buddhist culture many thousands of years ago – ancient texts and carvings show it to be pre-Christian at least. What we know about the foundations of yoga come from these ancient texts. Whilst it is now widely practiced by many millions around the globe, and taught in a number of different styles. we all, whichever style we practise, borrow elements from these roots.
Iyengar is probably the most globally dispersed style of yoga – well established in USA and Europe but massively popular too in China and Russia, South America and Australia and almost every other corner of the globe.. It is a classical, precise, inclusive style, suitable for all – regardless of age and fitness. Many practitioners continue into advanced old age and it helps to maintain the body in the peak of fitness as well as developing a resilient and affirmative attitude to life. There is tremendous emphasis on alignment, extension of limbs and spine, opening of joints and re-shaping the posture and chest for smoother, deeper breath – the body is gently and safely challenged and the mental state is refreshed. It is not hot and sweaty and never competitive!. BKS Iyengar died just over a year ago, aged 95, and he was still teaching huge conventions right into his 90s!. He came to yoga as a young man, extremely poor and sickly during his childhood, and was taken to learn yoga by his brother-in-law who was a yogi. He was sent out first to teach in a small Indian town called Pune (now a vast sprawling city) and his teaching strategy became more and more popular, attracting many students from overseas. One of his students was Yehudi Menuhin, the famous violinist, who regarded Iyengar as his best violin teacher because of the way his posture improved.
Iyengar was extraordinarily generous with his teaching. His believed that yoga should be available to anybody, regardless of age, religion or gender, so he devised methods to teach people who were stiff, ill or elderly. He devised the use of yoga props like bricks, cushions and blankets, so he could enable students who were struggling or frail to get to as good a yogic posture as possible and make yoga more accessible, and safer. Whilst hugely popular, and widely recognised with medals, honorary titles etc he lived extremely simply with his family and devoted the last decades of his life to alleviating poverty and disadvantage in the desperately poor village he came from.
In the West we tend to focus on the visible condition. If you tell people you do yoga they tend to think it’s very athletic, very acrobatic - but that’s only one part of it. Very few people realise that the ultimate objective is towards the quietening of the mental state, freeing the mind from stress. It stills the vacillations of the mind, and takes you to a more stable mental state. You’re not preoccupied by the world, there’s a sense of quietness in yourself. Eventually, through special breathing techniques and taming of the mental processes it is supposed to take you to a blissful state.
It’s very hard to control the mind, so in yoga we start via the body. You can’t have a healthy mind if the body isn’t healthy; if the spine is collapsed or the breath is jagged and shallow. So we access the mind via the body and then via the breath. When we’re fearful our breath becomes shallow, jerky, but when we’re peaceful it becomes smoother and deeper. Through the physical work we transform the shape of the chest, and gradually, by way of the body and the breath, we begin to train the mind.
From your very first yoga class and your first yogic posture, your nervous system starts to throw out tensions from the muscles and the nervous system. Because you’re absorbing instructions from the teacher and you’re physically active, the breathing deepens and the mind gets naturally absorbed, focussed and tamed. You feel that the mind is quietened and the incessant chatter has stopped, but the body is pleasantly enlivened. We always end a class with relaxation and you usually leave a class feeling happier and more refreshed than when you went in. Sometimes almost magically so!
Ali teaches at the SUBUD Centre, 26a Station Street. hahloyoga.co.uk
