Since starting with Ashtanga Yoga in 2008, there has always been two people I would like to have practiced with: Pattabhi Jois and John Scott. But on both counts I missed my chance. Pattabhi passed away the next year, and John Scott? Well John Scott is no more. He who was once John Scott is now Johnny, and was Johhny before he was John Scott, it was just that Pattabhi had trouble pronouncing ‘Johnny’ and simply called him John Scott and John Scott went on to become a legend of Ashtanga Yoga, which Johnny was content to be. All this I found out last week on retreat in Purple Valley, Tenerife with the man himself. “but the Yoga has worked” says Johnny, “it has returned me to who I always have been”. Good old Johnny!

 During the week I spent with Johnny in Purple Valley Tenerife, being oneself was the theme. Despite his grand status, Johnny had a way of putting everyone at ease. No sooner had I met him than he asked me “Well Simon, what is your story?”, and then listened as though I was telling him the most important thing in the world. Here, meeting my Ashtanga idol, within 5 minutes I felt like I was talking to an old friend. Our goals, Johnny let the group know from the outset, was full participation and having an experience together.

Ease, playfulness, experimentation and sharing were apt keywords for our days in Purple Valley. The Ashtanga practice, so often treated as a rigid and exact prescription felt more like a daily experiment. Somedays we did the standing sequence following the ‘Counted Method’, numbering each Vinyasa in a Sanskrit whisper, adding a mantra like layer to the practice. Another day we were blindfolded for the whole sequence – an experience indeed, largely of a meditative nature. Unable to challenge myself in vinyasa, I was amazed at how little physical energy I used, and how deep the focus on the breath.

For me the purpose of Ashtanga Vinyasa is to enhance life experience, and as such it was treated on this retreat. Outside the formal classes, there was much heartfelt storytelling (often in a circle around the bonfire) and many spontaneous music sessions. Indeed, music and sound healing were big themes, imparted mostly by Julia Scott. Julia with her magical instruments and frequent talk of plant medicines brought an unexpected shamanistic element to everything. It felt like we were being worked on from all angles.

In the spirit of being authentic to oneself, in the final ‘philosophy’ workshop, Johnny talked about reversible vasectomies, of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, of being pressured into ayahuasca with a famous musician and of resultant bowel consequences, of my bansuri and of how he just wanted to live from the land now, that there was really no need to be “John Scott” anymore, there was just a longing to be. All and all not what I had expected in a ‘philosophy’ discourse. But for me it couldn’t have been better, what philosophy is there after all? Johnny was just sharing his human self, and as such was setting the example.

The third Yoga Sutra states that Yoga is what brings us back to our true nature. To live according to our true nature is the goal. To go deeper into definition and philosophy is not necessary, after all, who can tell you who you are? Johnny, Ashtanga’s elder statesman, certainly does not claim to. You can only forget, and Yoga is the reminder. 99% practice as the Ashtangi’s say.

After Johnny’s talk, there was nothing left to say –  we danced instead, danced ecstatic thanks to Julia’s inspiration. Liberated from the chains of our concerns and image, danced as ourselves, wild and free. It was beautiful.

As is the way when people come together as themselves, I met so many amazing souls in Purple Valley. I could write a blog about every one! The last night of the retreat we drank pretend Coca Cola together and were high and laughing for an hour. There were no chemicals or plants involved, we just had a shared experience. Human Beings together. As Johnny says, the Yoga works.