Namaste,  You’re probably wondering exactly who is behind The Yoga Tutor.  I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself … where I come from, and how I got to the point where I am now in yoga.

[By the way, that fella in the picture above?  Yes, that's me, Yogacharya, the same guy with the beard you saw on the homepage. :o)]

It all began ...

For starters, I was not born into a traditional yoga family. In fact, I never even heard the word yoga until I was a teenager.  I grew up, like many of you, in a typical Western family (in Canada), with a typical Western lifestyle.

When I was pretty young though, I started to develop a persistent feeling that somehow there was a lot that I was missing in life.  As I grew older, that feeling continued to intensify.  Perhaps you can relate to me on this one?  I know that some folks might just chalk it up to the restlessness of youth, but you know as well as I do that it’s more than just itchy feet I’m talking about here.

So when I was in my early twenties, I made a bold shift in my life.  I decided it was time to take a leap into the unknown – to go out and see the world!  Over the next decade I travelled to over 50 countries, experiencing cultures and traditions so foreign to me that it was inevitable that I would change profoundly as a person along the way.

... and I did.

Mother India welcomed me with open arms

Eventually my wanderings took me to that great land called India, which is where I first came into contact with yoga. Life has been an increasingly fascinating journey ever since.

The years have come and gone, and I continue to make India my second home, returning often to study yoga and to gain deeper insight into the culture and traditions of this amazing place. Yoga, and India itself, have become the foundation of a rich, healthy and fulfilling life for me.

Back home to share my yoga experiences ...

Now, as a teacher, I see that not everyone feels that same sense of fulfillment from the practice of yoga that I do.  It seems to me that as yoga becomes more popular, real understanding of it actually seems to be decreasing!  It is not only common for me to meet people who are confused about what yoga is and uncertain about how to practice it, but who are even frustrated because they don’t really understand what it is that they are trying to do with yoga in the first place.

This had been an increasing concern for me … so I decided to figure out what was going so wrong. 

Is Western Yoga on the right track?

I went to various yoga classes of different styles and approaches. [which, by the way, was quite foreign to me because my own yoga learning came in a more traditional gurukul, or residential Yoga Ashram in India. There I spent months on end immersed in the yoga teachings, learning all about living a yogic lifestyle, far removed from the distractions and concerns of the hectic, day to day modern life.]

In those classes I spoke with yoga teachers; I observed their teaching methods; I interacted with their students and listened to their comments as well … comments about what yoga means to them; about what yoga brings to their lives; and about their continued doubts and frustrations.

It didn’t take long for me to realize the root of the problem …

It was the Yoga Class itself.

Yes, the yoga class … that thing that has now become synonymous with the word yoga itself, is in fact the thing that is really getting in the way of learning yoga! There is more than just a touch of irony there, don’t you think?

Helping to clear up some confusions ...

If you read my countless articles and posts, if you’ve visited International Yogalayam, been to our blog, follow me on twitter, and if you subscribe to The Yoga News, the monthly yoga e-zine that I edit and publish, then you already know that I am working to help people understand this great flaw in the modern yoga approach … and how to overcome it.

So many people, perhaps yourself included, go to yoga classes over and over again, yet they cannot practice yoga on their own. Something is definitely wrong with that picture.

I want to help you to understand that yoga is not a class, to break out of the “Yoga Class Mentality” that surrounds yoga today!  

Knowing that yoga is such a powerful science for health, happiness and personal transformation, and watching so many people with keen interest in it consistently ending up frustrated and left unfulfilled … I decided it was time to take a different approach.

Sharing the wisdom of vast science of yoga ...

I wanted to teach people not only how to perform a few exercises, but to understand what those practices where all about and to know how yoga really works, so that they could become practicing yogis, and not perpetually paying students who are dependent on their teacher and the yoga class. 

Ancient teachings meet modern technology

That led me to develop International Yogalayam™, an online yoga educational center that provides comprehensive yoga information, unique and insightful yoga resources, practical yoga advice … and more importantly, quality step by step instruction in yoga.

The Yoga Tutor, a 21-lesson yoga home study program was born inside International Yogalayam, and I’m happy to say that through it, so many people like you are starting to snap out of that “yoga class mentality” and experience all the amazing benefits of really understanding yoga and having the confidence and ability to practice it on their own.

Making yoga relevant in today's fast-paced world

As a yoga teacher, I dedicate myself to spreading the teachings of yoga in a way that is both relevant and useful in this modern age. I don’t hide away in an Ashram in India, in an environment insulated from most of the stresses and strains of the modern world, and then try to tell you how you should live your life.  

As you can see, I’m as active in the modern technological world as you are, living and breathing all of the ups and downs of modern life, and well aware of all the stresses and challenges that you are facing every day.

And I know how to make yoga a part of the solution to your troubles.

Leading by example ...

I'm not someone who preaches one thing to my students and then does something different myself.  I’m living there with you, leading by example and practicing what I preach, every step of the way.

... and I’m not one of those Big Time Gurus (and I hope I never will be!) who is inaccessible to all but only a few chosen members in his inner circle; the front-man to a highly polished, slickly marketed system bearing my own name; unapproachable by the folks on the ground, the real reason for all this, the yoga students like you.  

Keeping it real ...

I make great efforts to make sure that I am available to anyone.  You’ll often catch me chipping in with comments on our Blog, responding to Tweets (I get a lot of them!), and posting comments to questions and articles all over the internet.  My students know very well that they can always expect my reply to their emails, usually within just a few hours!  And I make sure to respond personally to any and all messages sent to International Yogalayam, as well as to the The Yoga News. 

… and I do all this because yoga is my passion! I’d love to help make it yours as well. 

I hope you’ll take the time to have a look around here.  If you haven’t already done so, please collect the 3 FREE GIFTS below, my compliments, just for stopping by today.

Wishing you all the best on your journey through life, and much success along the incredible road to learning yoga!

Yours in Yoga,

 

For Yogacharya's Bio, click here ...

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