3.4 Guiding Principles to be Followed by the Practitioner

3.4 Guiding Principles to be Followed by the Practitioner

Syllabus item 1.9 is short — nine words — and candidates routinely under-prepare it, then find themselves facing two or three questions on it. The material is drawn from the Common Yoga Protocol issued by the Ministry of Ayush, which every YCB level is expected to know, and from the classical Hatha texts. It is also the section you will actually use most often as a teacher, because it is the safety brief you give every new student.

---

The three-phase framework

The Common Yoga Protocol organises its rules into before, during and after practice. Learn them in that order; questions are frequently framed as "which of the following is a rule before practice?"

Before practice (Purva Karma)

During practice (Pradhana Karma)

• Begin with a prayer or invocation; a calm mind is the actual starting posture.
• Yogic practices are performed slowly, with awareness of body and breath. Speed is not a virtue in this system.
• Breathe through the nostrils unless the practice specifically instructs otherwise, and do not hold the breath unless instructed.
• Never strain, jerk or force. Work to a comfortable limit and let the range grow with time.
• Do not compare yourself with other practitioners — every body has different proportions and different history.
• Contraindications must be respected, and any medical condition disclosed to the teacher before the class begins.
• Follow the classical sequence: Shatkarma → Sukshma/Sthula Vyayama or Surya Namaskara → Asana → Pranayama → Bandha/Mudra → Dhyana. Never place vigorous Pranayama before the body has been prepared.

After practice (Paschat Karma)

• Bath only after 20–30 minutes — practice raises body heat, and immediate bathing suppresses the effect.
• Food only after 20–30 minutes.
• End the session with Dhyana, Shanti Mantra and Shavasana so the body assimilates the practice.
• Maintain Sattvic, Mitahara eating (Section 12.5) and adequate sleep; a yogic practice supported by a non-yogic lifestyle produces very little.

---

The Common Yoga Protocol's own general guidelines

Beyond the three phases, the Protocol adds a set of general rules a Level 3 teacher is expected to be able to recite:

1. Practice requires regularity and continuity, not intensity. Fifteen minutes daily outperforms two hours on Sunday.
2. Shatkarmas are to be learnt and performed under expert supervision — never self-taught from a book or a video.
3. Restrictions apply to specific groups: children below a certain age for advanced Pranayama and Kumbhaka, the elderly for inversions and rapid movement, pregnant women for prone postures, abdominal compression, inversions and forceful breathing.
4. Yoga is not a substitute for medical treatment. A yoga teacher does not diagnose, does not prescribe, and does not tell a student to stop taking medication. This is both a safety rule and, at Level 3, an ethical one — see Section 13.6.
5. Practice should be discontinued and advice sought if pain, dizziness, breathlessness, palpitation or nausea occurs.

---

The classical framing: Sadhaka and Badhaka Tattvas

Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1.15–1.16 states the same guidance as two lists of six. This is the version examiners quote in Unit 2, so the two must be linked in your mind:

Note how neatly the two lists pair: Atyahara answers to Mitahara, Laulya to Nishchaya, and Jana-sanga to Jana-sanga-parityaga explicitly. The Gita's version of the same principle is Yuktahara-vihara (BG 6.16–6.17): moderation in eating, recreation, exertion and sleep — Yoga is for neither the glutton nor the ascetic who starves.

---

Applying this as an evaluator

At Level 3 you are not only following these rules but assessing whether a candidate teaches them. The specific things to look for in a practical examination:

• Does the candidate ask about medical conditions and recent meals before starting?
• Does the candidate sequence the session correctly, or drop Kapalabhati in before any warm-up?
• Does the candidate give contraindications aloud as each practice is introduced, or only when asked?
• Does the candidate close properly with relaxation and Shanti Mantra, or run out of time and skip it?
• Does the candidate avoid over-adjusting and avoid pushing a student past comfortable range?

A candidate who demonstrates flawlessly but skips the pre-class screening has failed the part of the practical that matters most for public safety.

---

Summary of Exam-Key Points

• Empty stomach: 3–4 hours after a heavy meal, 2 hours after a light one; bladder and bowels evacuated.
• Bath and food only 20–30 minutes after practice.
• Begin with prayer, end with Dhyana, Shanti Mantra and Shavasana.
• Shatkarmas require expert supervision.
• Six Badhaka Tattvas (HYP 1.15) and six Sadhaka Tattvas (HYP 1.16).
• Yuktahara-vihara (BG 6.16–6.17): Yoga is neither for the over-eater nor for one who fasts to excess.