One of the joys of being a traveling teacher is coming into these communities in yogic flow.

It’s different everywhere: Philippines, Spain, Egypt, Japan…Each is already flowing in its own special way–in a way that suits it, that suits the culture and the needs of the practitioners there, whether it’s swiftly or slowly, softly or intensely…

It’s been a process of discovery, understanding my role when I come into these Mysore spaces for two-three months, finding a balance between being authentic and respecting the the existing stream.

How to contribute to the stream of things flow, respecting that it is not my place to change the currents, to meddle with nature, to build dams and redirect the water. Instead: diving in, swimming with the locals, playing in the water.

It reminds me that practice has its own flow. That when we respect it, when we surrender to it, it opens up to us, and we start a process of recovery, discovery…understanding practice itself as much as understanding ourselves.

PHOTO: Water flowing. Arashimaya, Kyoto.