Fall Cleanse ... Energy Levels .... Walking the 'Way" or 'Path'

As the sun rises and sets during this fall season, the amount of light we experience during the day begins to diminish.  The leaves turn vibrant colours and will begin to fall soon.

As we experience changes in the seasons (which is obviously different depending on where we live in the world), we also can reflect on the inner shifts and changes in our lives during these specific times.


We reap the benefits of all we have harvested and it is a wonderful time to cleanse our system again to prepare for the winter months when many people tend to crave heavier foods; sometimes slow down more or experience energy shifts due to busy schedules and little "down time" ... or time for themselves... I'll talk more about our changing 'physical energy levels' at the end of this entry.

Some people spend less time outdoors in the winter, and we do all experience less light.   Many factors can affect our energy levels when we don't do anything to balance out. 

Many people tell me that their schedules get busier - or feel busier and heavier in the fall and winter.  In many ways we do not ebb and flow with the natural rhythms around us.  If you do notice lowering shifts in your energy levels over the fall and into the winter, there are things you can do:



1.     Spend more time outdoors this fall - when the weather permits, get out and enjoy the fresh air, changing scents and vibrant colours.  BREATHE

When you can, go barefoot on the earth for awhile to enjoy the grounding and clearing effects before it's too cold.  There are many benefits to doing this.  We have had a very hot, dry and humid summer here; if the fall brings cooler yet calm weather, getting outside will refresh you.  


2.    Fall is also a good time to boost your movement practices.  Movement and breathwork will  assist you in clearing out your entire system and give your immune system a boost ... remember that to allow these benefits to work, your emotional/mental state is also vital.  Check in with yourself and ask:

What have I harvested in my inner and outer world this year as a result of all my thoughts, words, and actions?

Where might I place my attention and energy in my life now in order to cultivate a richer 'harvest' next year?

What's working well for me right now?

What isn't working so well for me in my life right now?  Name some steps you can take to address this area.



 

3.   Eat food which will contribute to cleansing your system.... many local organic farmers will still be providing fresh greens and veggies into the late fall and early winter at your local market.
                                                                                   

 

 

4.   Make changes in your schedule when you can ... as the light diminishes and winter sets in, rest a bit more in order not to exhaust your inner resources.  Even the animals shift their activities when there is less light - they rest more.  

 

 

 

5.   Include energy-building activities into your life ... if you already do, continue them.  Movement Arts with breathwork are great for energy-building.  Avoid stressful situations by learning how to engage in less dramatic and more calm and focussed ways. Energy-building is an Art in itself.

 

 

A little more about energy gains and losses and the seasons:

 

So what do our energy levels and the seasons have in common?  Why do some people have 'more energy' than others during various times of the year?  

 

Energy (general physical and mental/emotional) levels depend on many things.  We have to consider our lifestyles, relationships, drama patterns, health and energy blockages, our personal perspectives, food and drink, local environmental factors, household and work environments, personal 'types and constitutions' etc..

 

Soooo....  in the spring, for example, with no other factors considered, someone may feel a general surge in energy.    Many people do ... for various reasons ... perhaps they are happy to know spring will bring more light, colour, outdoor time and better weather; perhaps they personally enjoy spring more than winter.   It is easier to work outdoors in more moderate weather too.   If they overdo it and expend more energy in the spring than they are building up, they may find themselves going into a 'summer exhaustion.'   With no other factors considered (which one ought to consider as well - in order to be more thorough), one could say that they have exhausted energy supplies by 'overdoing' and not 'refilling' and remaining more balanced.

 

This is the same now... in the early fall (particularly after a very hot, dry and humid summer).  Many people report a surge in energy in the early fall.  Refreshed by cooler breezes, more moderate temperatures and the lovely colours and scents, they may engage in a real increase in activity.   If they 'over-do' they may find that they get more flus that winter and may go into a 'winter exhaustion.'

 

So, once again, our friend BALANCE comes up.  When we balance activity ... physical ... mental/emotional etc. with rest and regenerative activities, our 'batteries' will remain charged and we will have the inner resources we need to go through the extremes we often find in the winter .... cold, wind, ice, less light and so on.

 

 

As I mentioned before in one of my blog topics, wellness and balance ... personal and spiritual development and evolution have keys... many of these keys are very simple ... others require dedicated real Work over time.  We do have all the keys available to us ... once we seek them out and find them, we have to use them in order to 'open those doors.'

 

 

My Tai Chi teacher once said:  "Now that you Know, you must Do."    Another teacher once said to me "The clothes do not make the monk." 

 

Knowledge or 'keeping up appearances' alone is not the real WAY ... we may say we already 'know' this ... until we examine our lives and find that there is plenty we 'know' which we may not apply directly to our own lives.  Isn't that the real point of all this Work?  My favourite example is the 'study and knowledge of things' ... a favourite in our world ... without the direct experience of doing and applying the things we can philosophize about, talk about and 'apparently know' to our lives in real and meaningful ways.    Examine this for yourself.  

 

 

 

Here are some steps along the  'Way' ....we may find ourselves on ...0r may eventually experience:

 

We feel the 'Call' ... a deep feeling that there is more to Life and to who or what we are than what we have known or have been experiencing or living.

 

 

We find a True Path or a Way ...  ... a genuine teaching 

 

We engage with it ... it truly becomes a 'Path with Heart' to us ... we commit

 

We 'Walk this Path' ... experience challenges (some call tests)

 

We work through these challenges and steps along our 'Path' or Way ...  grow and evolve

 

We walk our talk ... or as one of my teacher said ... "We become a Wise One who follows the Path'

 

We master ourselves and dedicate to walking the Path always in Life ... our abilities are developed and refined ... we continue to Work and develop as we come to realize that once the door is opened, the things we can discover and learn continue .....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 



Things are not always as they appear to be

We know this too... right?  How many of us have heard this expression:  "Things are not always as they appear to be."

Our perceptions are dependent upon our 'level of being' or 'personal and spiritual development' ...
perception is clouded by distortion, illusion, traumas, expectations, denial,
'internal buffers' ... and so on.    We first have to be willing
to see a clear reflection of ourselves as we really are.
 

One of my teachers told me this story many years ago:  A man was searching for a spiritual path.  He had struggled with many challenges over his life and told my teacher that he knew there was more to life than what he had been experiencing on many levels.  He was already a person who had an interest in this style of movement art as well as spiritual approaches to enlightenment, healing and personal/soul development.  This Art, then, seemed to be exactly what he was looking for - at least according to what he said.  His story shows how this can also mean very little when it comes to the truth of how one really is inside.

My teacher's style was a combination of internal and external practices (of course philosophy and other teachings were taught over time) - which externally presents itself as a body-centered approach to spiritual development and evolution.   The student expressed his enthusiasm at finding my teacher and a path of this sort and began to attend classes.  After some time, my teacher said that he observed this man one day and had a sense that something had changed in his attitude and approach to the classes.  Flinging his legs up in the air, he examined his muscles and looked around the room ... obviously not engaged nor inside himself in the least.  Later, this person said he was looking for something more 'spiritual'!  He also started to put down the Art in the change room and some of the students complained. 

My teacher told me how many other people he had taught over the years, with similar stories to his - some even worse, had obtained amazing results while others had not.  Why?  He stressed that first of all, not everyone is interested in this type of a spiritual path, and there is nothing wrong with that.  Also, some students were ready and some were not - though they may have claimed to be.  My teacher taught me how to learn to See the deeper aspects of what he was teaching by doing my own Work in reflection, study and going deeper within myself over time... nothing would be 'given to me' ... I had to Work for it and attain it myself ... a path walked for a lifetime ... I 'Knew' it was a true 'spiritual path' due to the personal results I got over time.   He gave me nothing but the keys ... I walked up to the doors and worked the keys until I could get in ... and I continue to work and walk along this path today.

There are many examples of misconceptions of walking on a spiritual path.  Some people mistake Kung fu to be an ego-promoting art where people come to learn how to be tough fighters with big muscles and that practitioners can develop aggressive personalities.  While this can be true, it depends on the style of art and teacher ... but MORE SO on the personality and approach of the student.  One can be taught or shown the ''Way'; it is up to one to personally make the required efforts to learn the Way and then 'Walk the Way'. 

There are other students who imagine something will simply magically be 'given' to them by the teacher because they are the 'chosen one' or because they show up for a while!!  When it comes down to the real Work, teachers of these sort of arts find out what people are really made of inside.   I recently came across a saying that fits here: "You can lead a person to the door of Knowledge, but you can't make them think.''   This saying is similar to: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink."  It's faulty thinking that leads people to illusions when it comes to spiritual development ... enlightenment ... or shamanic/magical paths of study.  The water is there ... it always has been.

Ego is a huge word with many meanings attached to it.  While it is true that many schools focus on the fighting aspects of the 'martial arts', or the 'physical prowess and external look of the movements and postures', it is also true that traditional spiritual teachings still exist today, where the benefits of training focus more on the spiritual development of the student ... with side benefits which include health, fitness, emotional/mental balance, philosophy and natural approaches to healing etc.

The media does no justice to the Arts of Kung fu or Karate when the story lines are so focussed on the combat applications.  This can also be due to the fact that one can train and study on one of these paths without it being taught as a spiritual path.  Some teachers' lineages are more 'martial' - meaning military and others are more fitness oriented, health oriented or spiritual.  While it is true that combat applications lie within the Art (as I was taught it), taught spiritually, they are like a fringe benefit!  We do not talk about a punch in order to punch someone ... we talk about how it is closing a channel of energy ... this is only one example. 

Many people have trained in Yoga, Karate, Kung fu etc... never learning about energy through their own experience of it at all (and there are many levels of this).  One reason is that these days many people become teachers of these arts prior to their own development reaching a high enough level for them to experience these things ... now they are teaching others ... how deep will that go?   People will get some benefits from doing these things; however,  if they are looking for something more, they will have to look deeper.   If one was not taught in this way, how can one bring others to this place?

My teacher told me that he was not surprised when the man we mention above never returned to class because he could not see the Art for what it was, and that this was OK.  One of my teacher's sayings was: "This Art is for everyone, but not everyone is for this Art."   Regardless of who comes, who leaves, and who gets 'what' out of it all, it will always be a personal thing.

While these arts are for everyone, not all people are ready to Work in the same way as we are on different levels of Being, and so we will only see what we are ready, willing and able to see.  This is one reason teachers of traditional arts would often pick their students personally and would be VERY picky.  One must be prepared to do the inner Work along with the aspects of the Art one is more inclined to enjoy; the foundation crumbles if one does not. 


 In any genuine path, internal Work is necessary in order to move forward - too many times people have developed other aspects of their being too soon only to become imbalanced and then what will they attract and create out in the world and inside themselves?  Avoid skipping over this point lightly.


Remember the saying: "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear?"   Well, ever wonder where this teacher magically appears from?  They were, perhaps, there all the time!!  Well ... they were always somewhere!  You can be sure that many 'teachers' are walking around day to day doing quite 'ordinary' things ... people who can walk you up to the door you are searching for ... question is, do YOU see them?

This is the meaning of the old story in which someone is seeking for a teacher ... seeing and feeling that there must be more to life, this person goes out seeking for a place in which to learn ... to discover what healing potential and enlightenment is all about.  While out one day, this person crosses the path of a genuine teacher out in the daily world, doing daily things and not hopping about that they are special and important.  Over time, this person walks by this teacher many times ... one who can offer them exactly what they claim to be looking for ... never seeing this teacher for who they really are.  It can only be this way, due to the fact that we can only see where we are at ... to be able to see something higher or sense something higher ... requires us to BE higher. 

Things are not always as they appear to be to us.  We can all be in the same room and yet see things differently.  We call this 'point of perception' in some circles ... it is also called 'level of Being' in others.  The point being, once again, that we can only see what our current level of Being IS.  While this can shift a bit moment to moment or day to day, we have an average level we are at consistently.  This only changes with consistent Work over time.  In order to be new or to see, hear and feel newly, one must BE NEW. 


Be willing to see things as they really are.   Then ask yourself, are you really ready and able to do so?

Four Simple Keys For Kickstarting Personal Wellness

Don't we already know what to do?

Consider simple tools you can apply into your life in a practical way.  Everywhere I go, I see people looking for keys to wellness.  I am willing to bet that most of them already know these things!  Read the four keys below and ask yourself if you already know these things.

Often, we know exactly what to do; however, we lack the application of doing it... there are many factors that can contribute to this (ex. if I know what to do, why don't I simply do it?), but perhaps I will write about that another time ... it is also something you can read a little more about in my book (when it's ready, I'll let you know ... it's in a final edit). 

When we discover that we know things which we seem unable to apply ... or we are searching for a deeper understanding of ourselves during our personal and spiritual journeys and transitions in life, we can always seek out assistance.

Four Simple Keys for Wellness:





 

1.  Any and all impressions we receive on the inside and from all around us will impact us in various ways.  These 'impressions' take many forms... what we look at, touch, smell, experience ... most importantly, it also represents any and all mental/emotional experiences ... reactions etc.

 

Mental/Emotional personal reflection ... most of what plagues us on many levels originates in this realm, so honest self-reflection is a huge practical key to understanding our wellness ... or lack of

 

 

2.  ANYTHING we put into or on our bodies .... food, beverage, clothing, beauty products, soaps, laundry detergent, chemicals we are exposed to etc. etc.

 

 

3.  AIR   ... What is the quality of the air we are breathing in our everyday lives?   What are our breathing patterns like?  Do we breathe properly and do we know what that means?

 

 

4.  Proper movement ... Proper movement means I am moving in a way which liberates me from my chronic holding patterns, armouring and tensions .... it means I use certain moving arts which move my body in way that gets into and loosens up all the various 'dark places' in my form ... proper movement can heal and rejuvenate.  It can assist us in releasing traumas and we can experience more freedom in our bodies.

So... I am guessing that this is NOT new... most people know that each of these things I have mentioned makes sense ... and most people have heard of these things before.  The things to consider is ... how are we applying these things in our lives today?



 

Spring Cleanse and Practice Boost

 

 

 

We are in the midst of Spring.  Spring is a great time to cleanse our bodies and increase our levels of activity - especially if we have been more sedentary during the winter months.  

 

 

Sometimes, during a really harsh winter, we may hardly get much sunlight or time outdoors at all.   This past winter was fairy mild, so I am not talking about that one!   Regardless, spring is here, and we have an opportunity to cleanse deeper and to renew ourselves (on multiple levels) once again along with the return of the light in these warmer seasons.

 

 

In this region, given that we can often experience very cold and sometimes harsh winter conditions, many of us may feel that need to eat heavier root veggies in the colder months and maybe even a little more meat ... as well as teas and herbs which are more warming to our systems.  Now that the warmer weather is coming, it is a great time to cleanse from these heavier foods ... and lighten our loads on our digestive system. 

 

 

This is very individual, so I can't tell you how much to alter your diet ... or what, exactly, you 'should' be eating.  These days we have so many people with various allergies and different tolerances to so many foods ... and there are many different diet plans etc. out there.   I do feel that we over-do things like sugar, wheat, processed dairy products, processed foods, meat, pastas etc., but you likely know this if you have been looking into altering your diet and increasing your levels of wellness and energy levels. 

 

 

 

As we work in the moving Arts and on our own inner development, we can develop a higher level of sensitivity to our whole system ... we feel and sense what our bodies require, and so we become our own best advisor.  Rather than following a strict system of one sort or another (which is not necessarily 'bad' for you ... if that works for you), we can also listen to what our own body is telling us.  One of the best ways to develop this to a higher degree, is to cleanse enough to be able to sense exactly how you feel (and where you feel it), right after you eat or drink something.  The next step is actually listen to our inner wisdom!  We often know exactly what we need to be doing to get to that place we desire: higher level of wellness and energy ... but doing what we really know we could do is often the greater challenge.  Ask yourself:  What do I feel drawn to eat or drink and how/what am I feeling just before I feel that pull to do so?  You will learn something in that moment.

 

 

Most of us feel a natural increase in energy during the spring ... we feel like moving more and going out to do new things after the more inward-moving period of winter.  We also can gauge ourselves and listen to our bodies there too.  When active in your life in various ways (or in practice), engage fully and do your best.  When you feel tired, listen to the body and rest well too.  Allow your senses time to relax and let go of all the impressions they receive during the day.  Once again, you can find your own inner wisdom advising you by listening and feeling inside yourself when it's time to 'shut down'.  Balance and harmony is attainable.

 

 

 

End Your Spring with a Boost in Your Practice





 

From now until the Summer Solstice ... June 21 ... if you are not already doing so, make a commitment to yourself that you will end this Spring with a boost in your practice.  Practice every day until the arrival of Summer Solstice.  If you are not taking any formal classes, and you have some experience with a form of practice, do your own at home. 

 

 

 

 

If you feel tired ... or have not been practicing every day ... or are new to practice ... or have been away from it for some time, practice every day anyway.  Create a routine for yourself that challenges yourself ... wherever you are currently at.  You do not need to measure yourself against anyone else and what they may be doing.  Push yourself to your own edge of growth.  If you have a routine you like to do... do it... especially if it challenges you enough personally.

 

I am fond of saying that true growth and evolution ... on whatever level it might be: personally, spiritually, mentally/emotionally ... even financially, politically etc. ... usually occurs on the edge - not in 'status quo' or stagnant 'maintaining comfort and bliss.'  But this is for those who desire it ... it is not a judgment.  You do not 'have to grow or evolve' ... it's not a 'should', here.  Simply ask yourself:  Do I desire to grow from where or how I am right now in my life ... in any way?   It is a great question to ask in the spring during the time of renewal all around us ... just look at the new growth in the Natural World all around us.

 

If you DESIRE growth and evolving from where you are currently, then, it is a reminder that in order to do so, it comes from a place of 'being on the edge of your comfort zone'!

 

I encourage you to get 'curious about this edge' ... explore a 'willingness to engage with this edge' ... adopt an attitude of 'openness to learn new things'... new things about yourself.  While growth on the edge can come with its own set of challenges, we can learn to see this as a part of the path of a warrior ... and to be more at ease with the shifts and changes we experience inside and all around us. 

 

And ... please ... avoid extremes ... you do not have to hurt yourself to do what I am talking about!   Push... yes ... hurt yourself?   No! 

 

 

 



 

 



Spiritual Arts ... Paths to Spiritual Enlightenment and Mainstream Schools and Studios

Kung fu, Chi Kung and Yoga are traditionally spiritual arts.  Taken away from the trophies, popular magazines, tournaments, commercial businesses 'body shows' and 'bliss talks' of many studios today (where some individuals can do amazing things but be far from attaining personal/spiritual development), they were also taught as a way to enlightenment and personal as well as spiritual development.  



There is nothing wrong with individuals pursuing things like physical mastery, relaxation, health benefits and tournament trophies ... we are simply pointing out that this is very different than engaging in these Arts for personal/spiritual development ... Mastery or Enlightenment. 



Unfortunately, though these arts are gaining in popularity (Yoga and Karate esp. and even Chi Kung these days), they suffer the result of mainstream exposure - dilution and distortion.  This is fine if we are aware that it is so ... but is the general population aware of exactly what they are seeking and where to find it?



We could benefit from asking ourselves: what is it I truly seek by coming here?  If the place you are engaged with offers you what you want, then that's great.  When you know what you really are looking for, it will assist you in determining the place to look for.  Many mainstream studios gaining in popularity are becoming more like gyms: physically oriented with some basic 'feel good principles ... positive thinking and so on...' and basic therapeutic results.   In many studios, Yoga is beginning to resemble 'physical therapy' ... or what people also call physiotherapy.  This is not a judgment ... it's a reality.  This is also perfectly fine - if that is what someone is looking for!



Personal and spiritual growth involves deeper work ... it's different but can look the same on the surface.  This is how distortion originally occurred.  For example, in older times, 'Masters' only taught after having done their own Work and having walked a spiritual path for many years.  Gaining wisdom and 'Knowing' (experience and wisdom) over time, they were then ready to share with younger students ... drawing from their own inner knowing ... having mastered themselves.  These days, anyone can teach Karate or Yoga or Reiki ... after only so many hours of certifications and teaching.  We are certificate oriented - not experience, time and wisdom oriented as much.  



Where is the depth and Mastery obtained ... over time?  Where is the personal and spiritual growth ... which goes on for a lifetime ... reflected in the one who is teaching us?  We have young people or older individuals who are only now beginning to study and gain certification who have yet to truly meet themselves face to face (or experience the Essence of who they really are)... or travel through life with its many challenges - leading others who are lost, ill and seeking. We have individuals assisting us with our personal and spiritual growth who have stopped working on themselves ... or who have not done their own 'Work'.  Can they really guide others with their knowledge (not true Knowing from mastery over time and experience)?  Rather than judge or insult, I truly seek to share clarity on this growing reality.   If you feel insulted, that is not my intention ... ask yourself why you would feel so.   Be honest with yourself.  Also, ask ... what is it I seek?




Traditional arts demand a certain level of stress placed on the body, mind/emotions and spirit of the individual... particularly if one has not been on the journey since childhood ... even then many students are often also dealing with having to do a great amount of inner and outer 'Work' before they are even ready to tap into their true potential.  Though we can have fun and work gently at times, true growth is not always blissful!  It also involves challenging work - something many places and studios don't talk about these days - or skim over it as if it's just a physical effort.  With the proper attitude and approach ... as well as understanding, we can learn to engage with this challenging work in a lighthearted and yet serious manner.



Often, when our Work moves deep enough, we may be surprised to find that buried traumas or difficult memories emerge.  Some people are not prepared for these things, and either bury them once again, or resist moving into these places to bring more light and healing.  I do not promote extremes ... in general, there does need to be a certain balance of intensity and gentleness ... action and receptivity ... yin and yang!   Eventually, we learn to seek out this unique personal balance for ourselves according to our own nature, but this takes time to develop within ourselves.  See the picture above and reflect on its many meanings.  Also, we are at different phases at different points in our lives. 

Why would personal/spiritual development and Work involve real challenging work and intensity at times?  Why would it sometimes feel like it is leading us to a deep discomfort or lead us into our darker places of inner pain?  

We tend to seek to avoid pain or discomfort and move towards anything which brings us ease, bliss and comfort.  While this is not bad in the 'idea of it', it does not assist us with transmutation: the art of transforming one thing into another.  During the process of transformation we may encounter difficult experiences.  We may have to 'go into the dark cave' in order to bring more light in our lives.  The only way is in ... we tend to avoid that for many reasons: fear, illusions and ignorance are three of these major reasons.




Most of us are but a shadow of our innate potential.  We are asleep to our true nature, and neither feel, see or hear the energies inside and around us.  When we begin to see ourselves as we really are, there is often periods of inner challenge, as many of us have buried traumas and fragmented parts of ourselves which we have banished to a place deep within - away from our consciousness and awareness.   When we access these deeper places, we may find that we are facing things we would rather not and that it is difficult - the benefit is what we gain access to once we transform these buried experiences and energies.   




Most of us live from the neck up - out of touch with our breath and bodies as well as our inner wisdom.   We have learned to dissociate from our bodies and experiences, and so relearning how to be authentic, present, aware and to experience life as it is may feel awkward ... even unnerving.  Even if we can breathe well, we tend to stop at the 'physical', ethical or 'mental ideas' of what the common used of the phrase 'spiritual evolution or development' can potentially represent. Again, we have to ask: What is it, I truly seek?  The path of personal and spiritual growth and evolution I speak of is for everyone; however, not everyone seeks out this sort of path and there is no judgement in that either.   We naturally seek this out when we are ready for it.  That is one meaning of the phrase "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear."  The truth is always around us ... it is we who transform and eventually come to see it or to seek it.

Many paths, studios and teachers today speak so much about the opening of the heart area (... or 'chakra' ... which is vital, and we do tend to need that so much these days), but fail to stress the importance of the entire human's energy system.  

This can lead to misunderstanding and imbalance in the individual's psyche, energy and body.  We are not walking hearts only ... we have an entire matrix of energies and qualities as a human being ... a balanced human is in touch with all of his/her aspects ... from the lower 'chakras' to the higher.  There are as many people who are cut off from their heart down as there are people who are cut off from their neck up (because we stress the mental and rational so much)! 

While we certainly require work in our heart area in order to experience a deeper connection to all things, it is not at the exclusion of the rest of who and what we are!  Overemphasis on higher 'chakras' (though not always spoken of in that way) is seen everywhere.  I cannot stress this point enough.





More on mainstream schools:

Generally speaking, in most schools, a person can attain a black belt in Karate (depending on the school), in less than 5 years of full time participation.  Some black belt students then go on to open their own schools ... with very little of their own experience and work in the art.  

Traditionally, a black belt meant that a student was now 'teachable' in the art and has a basic foundation in the art ... the black belt meant that the real life-long training has now begun.  In some schools, traditionally, in various martial arts, a student was not even given their first sash or belt until they were observed and noted for certain inner qualities ... and finally accepted as a student. 

We can observe a similar trend in Yoga in modern times. 


We can ask ourselves ...

What do these certificates, degrees, belts, sashes, trainings and so on really mean? 

What is the real value of these things?

What is it we are truly seeking?

Will we have the potential to attain that in the place we are engaged with?  

Without judgment or insult to anyone else, seek out what you truly desire and you will find the right place for you.   It may be in a mainstream school or it may be in a more traditional school focussed on personal/spiritual growth and Mastery.  Only you can decide what it is you desire for yourself right now.  The important point is to see your self, things, people and places for what and how they really are.