Acharya Shree, what are your thoughts on yoga teachers today?
Modern yoga teachers are not yoga teachers at all. Because, what is the system of the yoga philosophy, they don't follow it.
Because they the yoga philosophy is, first, they have to straighten out their own diet - eating habits.
If it is a yoga teacher, like, modern yoga teacher they say that, "We teach yoga," they say, "Namaste," or they try to imitate the Indian yoga system, but they don't follow it.
They still drink alcohol. They still eat meat. And they still go to the parties.
They still wear the animal or leather product, which is decorating their own body, their shoes. The purses they carry, and they, they're very proud to say they are a yoga teacher.
How, it seems like it is contradictory, because a yoga teacher is, they follow the system. First thing is non-violence.
They have to learn non-violence; not to kill anyone, or not to put in their stomach which is, like, animal, birds, and if they drink alcohol it means their system is fully messed up.
Alcohol doesn't go with it. The yoga teacher supposed to be simple living and high thinking. That's what yoga teacher means.
Simple living and high thinking. If they have that, simple living, not like they have to buy, like, "I am yoga teacher," and he or she is driving a very luxurious car.
And they want it. They want to be millionaire. It means yoga become their profession.
And profession, it doesn't belong to the real yogic system. Yogic system is you have to straighten out yourself.
You, more or less, you become spiritual, or you follow the spiritual path. Then, the 'namaste' what they say, or, 'aum shanti' what they say, it has meaning. Otherwise it is just merely exercise.
And if they're teaching you posture, they're not supposed to call themselves yoga teacher at all. Maybe they are posture teachers.
They're not yoga teacher at all. Yoga teacher is, is a big system. Eight steps. One by one you have to learn. The first thing is non-violence.
Non-violence is a big concept. If they follow the, even one step, they can straighten out their life fully. But I don't see in the modern yoga teacher what they are doing it. It seems like they are misguiding people.
I am happy that, because of the yoga has a good name, so because of that good name maybe the other people, they become vegetarian. Maybe other people they become non-violent by learning it. Or, they become healthier.
Or, maybe they drop alcohol, maybe they drop vegetarianism, no, sorry, they drop meat and they become vegetarian.
So that is the way, like, it is a benefit if they are teaching, because the name of yoga is a good name, and the teacher, they're supposed to spread that idea.
And they have to become a symbol, like a model for the other people, that, "Look.. I don't drink alcohol. I am vegetarian. And I live a simple life. I'm not having the luxurious car or bigger houses. No, I am just simple,"
And that's the way to spread the philosophy of yoga. Yoga philosophy is very good. More or less, the yoga teacher supposed to be like a yogi, and yogi means fully vegetarian. Simple food. Lightest food. Sattvic food.
Sattvic food makes your mind sattvic, your thoughts sattvic, your body sattvic. Very light, and then you can do other postures. But it doesn't mean that postures, only postures, yoga teacher has to teach that.
They have to follow the whole system. Maybe pranayama. Maybe the pratyahara. Maybe the dharana. Maybe the dhyana. Maybe the samadhi.
It is a step-by-step. It is the whole system they have to cooperative with it, otherwise, if they just teach merely postures they're not supposed to call themselves yoga teacher at all.
It doesn't go with them, this title. I will tell, yoga is very good to learn. It makes you healthy, it makes you very much balanced, but it's still you have to follow the system. System is first principle, non-violence,
become non-violent. Drop these leather product. Drop meat, drop alcohol. And then you are a real yoga teacher, otherwise you are misguiding people, misguiding yourself, too. Just think about it. Jai Siddhatma.