Monday, February 13, 2006

Note to Dear Readers

In talking with some of you in recent days, I've become more aware of how much the esoterica of yoga is getting in the way of communication here. The problem with esoterica, is not its difficulty per se -- lots of things are difficult or complex, but still worth considering. The problem with esoterica its tendency to become a kind of shorthand or abbreviation (or, in some perverse instances, intentional obfuscation). Lawyers indulge such bad manners frequently in their own profession, and I seem to have done so here, too. My apologies.

If you choose to continue reading here, please know that in the posts that are not labeled "Xth Class" materials, I'll work harder to avoid jargon and esoterica -- or at least I'll try to define my terms when I think that the esoteric terms or ideas are the best vehicles for conveying meaning. Those posts may be of greater interest to some of you.

The posts that are labeled "Xth Class" probably will continue to be filled with esoterica and jargon, as that is the way much of the subject matter is presented in class, and those posts do nothing more than capture and present my class notes. I do this in part for my own benefit, as the exercise of restating my notes helps me internalize what I've learned, and I do it in part for the benefit of other students, in the class or elsewhere, who might find the notes to be of some use.