Paradox of "Suffering" in Yoga Practice

I'd like to say,
yoga is not solution of suffering(duhkha).
not transition from the world where there is suffering to where there is not.
Yoga is not something you do in your room to feel better.

It is mere perception of whole life and being intimate with it.
It is not matter of contents (story) of your life.

You may feel "relief" or "relaxation" (in my case these are main) when you perceive whole aspect of life,
but it is also possible to feel  "weariness" ('oh, I have to live on in such a condition!') or
"hatred" ('AH, I discover such a ugly aspect of life!').

Even though it might be negative feeling, we can go through natural healing process as a result of participation in Life.
This healing begin by mere embracing of whole life, not by effort to change negative pattern to positive one.
There is no struggle to solve problems there, but
this entire participation can provide most powerful solution.

Therefore, for practitioners (who have already begun) suffering (duhkha) is not even what to perceive.
And this feature makes yogis/yoginis optimistic (sometimes too much).

Sadana, what you can do from now.
If you focus on this, you don't even need to know suffering, and you can just live your life as life.


So, what happens when someone starts yoga practice?
Each everyone has his/her purpose.
In short, I may say there are two points.

1. perception of suffering
2. expectation for becoming better

We feel suffering (duhkha; including pain, adoration for what you are not) and face it, and then we can initiate actual practicum.

As long as you avoid facing suffering, you cannot start embracing entire life.
(but I'm not sure if it is proper to make such people look the Life.)

So,  you feel suffering, then you feel desire to becoming better.
This desire is not what to suppress or control, but sincere motivation that makes us start practice.
At this single moment when student tries to start practicing, duality happens.
Duality between "student who hasn't begun yet" and  "someone who has already begun".
Teacher(acarya)'s role is to mediate this duality.

When you do something for benefit from it, there is a distance between you and the benefit inevitably.
For instance,

1, You do cleaning(practice) because you want reward(benefit).
2, You do cleaning(practice) because you want to feel better in a clean room(benefit).
3, You do cleaning(practice) because you enjoy it(benefit).

Describing practice and benefit in this way, these two seem to be apart.
For you before practice, the benefit seems not to be there (even at 3).

For sutudent before starting practice, benefits are absent and full of uncertainty.
It is teacher(acarya) that who can make student know benefit tangibly.
In Krishnamacharya's translation, acarya means who overcome their own difficulties.


Student can connect with acarya by love, trust, and friendship.
In this intimate relationship, acarya can suggest student to do practice.
"This practice is very good for me, will you try?"
Teacher can shows what student can start from here now(sadana) by consideration for student's health, age, cultural background...

By this intimacy,
student can start yoga practice as what he/she can enjoy his/her whole life,
not as dual-effort to solve problems.

Summary,
yoga is not solution of suffering,
but one can needs to perceive suffering when starting practice.
At this moment duality inevitably arises, and function of acarya can mediate it.

P.S.
I saw some "living evidence"of yoga when I visited Fiji last month.
It was really honor for me to meet them and live together for 2 weeks.
Special thanks for Mark Whitwell, Tamar Zick, and all yogis/yoginis who I met there!

However, if I choose "proper teacher for me", I'd say Japanese are better.
Fortunately, I met Yohsuke Ono who lives in Japan and understands our culture.

I'd like to help people who are in similar condition with me, while thinking as universal as possible.