My jyotish teacher once told me "If you know something is supposed to happen, all you have to do is just... live." This was years ago when I was learning jyotish, meditation, and other vedic practices that he was opening me up to. According to jyotish there are several intensities of karma, with fixed karma, called "dridha", being the strongest. Dridha karma pretty much can't be be changed without some divine intervention, and is the one which most people would probably call "fate", as it is well... fixed. Over the years a lot of things did happen that he had predicted, but the prediction pertinent in this case is what he told me the very first time I met him. He said that I would be a teacher later in my life. Now I had graduated with a Masters Degree in Piano Performance, and had taught for seven years. I had enjoyed teaching piano and watching my students grow - I just did not want to teach or pursue any sort of career with my music. So of course, teaching piano is what immediately came to my mind, and it was an idea that I very strongly resisted. I thought, well I guess I could teach piano much later on - I mean who knows what we could be doing years from now, but I really didn't have any interest.
Well fast forward a number of years, and what do you think I'm doing? Teaching. But now I am teaching yoga. Yoga was not even in my consciousness back then, but once started, my yoga practice quickly became an integral part of my everyday life. The title of one of Krishnamurti's books is, "The Future is Now". My teacher explained to me, "The present is dependent on the past, and the future is the present modified, therefore the future is now." So from the time I started to practice yoga - every time I stepped on my mat - every breath, every asana - this has propelled me to this moment when I can now say that I am yoga teacher.
I knew I was starting to fulfill this karma when I eagerly signed up for the teacher training. Little did I know that this was also at a pivotal time in my yoga practice. As I was an intermediate series ashtangi, I was practicing a lot of backbends and was experiencing one of those breakthrough periods as the anahata chakra opens. But the heart is all about feelings, so it was an extremely emotional time, and without going into detail, the teacher training came when I needed it. Then the teaching kind of just happened and crept up on me as I do have a full time job, and really all I wanted to do was sub. But somehow, my subbing morphed into a weekly class as the regular teacher had a serious medical condition, and I have ended up with regular students who look forward to seeing me. Then a studio minutes from my home had an opening. Events seemed to almost effortlessly evolve on their own.
It is so interesting to see how life unfolds and where it takes you. It has also been so rewarding to share this knowledge with students and open them up to their own journey. Being present in our practice is what yoga is about - do they realize that their choice to come to a yoga class can shape their future even in the subtlest ways when they are off the mat? Pattabi Jois always said, "Do your practice. All is coming". He was right in so many ways.
Susan Jay
Yoga Teacher RYT200 | Sherman Oaks, CA
