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Still, even with books like this, students should have a teacher available. The guru has gone the route. He or she knows the journey and is able to guide others. He or she will know which poses are good for you and which to avoid. As students grow spiritually and improve their mental patterns they’ll attract better teachers. Unfortunately there are many certified yoga instructors today who don’t know anything about yoga. But students needn’t worry — everything has a divine purpose. Instructors who don’t know anything attract students who don’t deserve the truth yet. There is a natural order in the world.

Yoga is beneficial to so many physical conditions, but the ultimate reason to practice it is to find the truth. Asanas are only one part of an eight-stage process in the search for enlightenment. They prepare the body for meditation. The great yoga master Iyengar said, “My body is my altar, and my postures are the prayers.” Only when you’ve learned the postures and the ways to control the mind, the breath, the senses, and the emotions, are you ready to enter the temple. Yoga means yoke, or union, with the spirit. Some people think, “I’m in this pose so I’ve achieved godliness.” They’re not even doing yoga yet. Unless you’ve surrendered to the Lord, or to the Divine Spirit, or to whomever you may call God, you’re only doing something for yourself. To find that

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