The Practice

Primary & Secondary Practice

            The primary practice is the main practice one does. The secondary practice is the practice that is used to supplement the primary. Often times the secondary practice is merely adding what the primary is lacking.

             For those whose primary practice is weight training may use yoga as a secondary practice to increase the flexibility lost from weights. For those whose primary practice is yoga may use swimming or stepping as a secondary practice to yoga. The latter tends to really open up the breath. Dancers and martial artist find yoga to be a great secondary practice since yoga is the foundation to all their movements.

 Internal and External Practice

            External practice is the practice one does under the direct guidance of a teacher. This is the area of information gathering, acquisition, and assessment of technique. 

            Internal practice is practicing on ones own without the visible presence of a teacher. Here is where information and technique are assimilated and refined.

A student is to maintain an internal and external practice. The more advanced a student the stronger the internal (diagram below). Developing, maintaining, and growing with an internal practice allows one to achieve mastery of a system. Internalizing ones practice will allow one to create their own system.

It is the goal of the teacher to develop an internal practice within the student. Then the teacher merely adds to the growth of the student’s internal. Students going internal become independent of the teacher thus allowing the teacher to leave a legacy.

The more advanced the practitioner the greater the internal practice.

Student Teacher Relationships

Internal & External Teaching Styles

            External teaching styles are the most traditional and effective. The teacher is a mystery. Nobody knows anything about the teacher. Students do not ask personal questions of the teacher. Even in private the teacher speaks little to nothing of himself. This can be a highly authoritative form of teaching often-demanding formality. You are often told. The teacher will not fraternize with the students. This style is comparable to a stern yet distant father who expresses love through discipline. The teacher chooses to stand completely on the outside of the student’s life.

Internal teaching styles are comparable to friendships. But still the student’s teacher remains the teacher. Ritual may not be strictly practiced. Here the teacher will share more of a life lived. The surface of the teacher is soft and when needed it turns hard. Teachers practicing internal forms of teaching demand a high degree of self-sufficiency. The teacher can not have any void that needs to be fulfilled by the student. Here is where the roles often become confused on both sides.  It is up to the teacher to set the limits and stay within them. It is up to the student to recognize and follow limits set by the teacher.

            External teaching styles don’t have a long shelf life. They are referred to as yang in Chinese or male oriented styles. Such styles are hard and stiff. A classic external teacher is a military drill sergeant. Internal forms of teaching styles have a longer life. They are in Chinese referred to as yin or feminine oriented styles. Such styles are soft and gentle. External forms of teaching almost inevitably lead to internal. It is destructive/limited for both sides if the relationship stays overly external for a long period of time. For the purpose of longevity the teaching style must go internal.