A true master or guru will possess, to an extraordinary degree, two qualities that distinguish them from others: exceptional energetic/spiritual presence and genuine humility. Once these qualities have been experienced by a student the difference from that moment on is obvious. After two years I developed a personal practice and took less and less formal classes. Now I am content with doing yoga on my own and checking in with my teacher for additional instruction and correction.

I pretty much feel the same way and find I can still learn a great deal even from inexperienced yoga teachers.

We can be profoundly influenced by what others tell us and by expectations, titles, notoriety, and by people who have gained large followings.

When I was a young whipper-snapper I spent time exploring and searching in the Himalayan foothills. I met one fellow, a lama, at a small monastery in a rather remote region. He was curious and kind and most hospitable and we spent a lot of time speaking and sharing ideas. As it turned out, he assisted me with one of my objectives. I liked him a great deal, though he was not a person I would have considered as a teacher - he just seemed like a nice person.

It was not until sometime later that I found out who he really was, someone I'm sure everyone reading this thread would know by name. Had I previously known, I'm certain the entire exchange between us would have been different - I would have most likely been very self-conscious, probably just melted into a puddle. What was interesting was that it clearly was not a priority for him to let me know who he was. In retrospect, I can now see that such behavior can tell a lot about a person.

Cool, thanks for all your input guys,

Estrella,

In terms of using hatha yoga to purify your body as a first step to attaining liberation, how would you think of Amma's programs, where there is all sorts of junk food being sold, etc?