Interview with Duncan peak
written on Thursday, 9 Nov 2017 by Duncan Peak
written on Thursday, 9 Nov 2017 by Duncan Peak
What was the inspiration for starting Power Living?
I was inspired to make Yoga less mystical and more accessible to people like
me who love to be still, practice asana and work on character development
but are not really interested in the 'religious' side or the guru worship side of
yoga.
Yoga helped me transcend a lot of stories i was telling myself, being a victim
etc and offered a way to explore myself without judgement resulting in greater
self awareness and joy. I wanted to share that with the everyday person in a
way i knew they would be able to receive it rather than be scared or confused
by the mysticism.
"Teach yoga not as it applies to yourself but as it applies to the other" Shri
Krishna Macharya
That quote always stayed with me, i thought Power Living was a way to teach
yoga as it applied to the general person.
Can you let us know what makes a ‘Modern Day Yogi’?
I think its simple, anyone who wants to expand their awareness of
themselves, be accountable for their internal state rather than blaming others.
Someone who is health conscious, has an interest in stilling their mind and
removing layers of stories they tell themselves that don't serve them.
I suppose i don't see the discipline around or time these days it takes to
practice yoga in such a traditional way. Maybe as a householder stage of
life? Modern Day Yogi is really what i see people. Can practice - being
healthy, conscious, developing compassion and runs business and do the
housework etc.
How can someone who practices yoga regularly make lasting change in their
lives?
I think it's about positive daily rituals. The vasana's (tendencies) that are often
negative, will always come up, its not really something we are going to finish
but rather a practice that removes patterns and replaces them with more
positive patterns so that suffering can be reduced and a deeper feeling of
connection to life can be felt.
A lasting change is a new pattern that you go to under stress, its instinctive, it
needs to be rewired but i believe this needs to be done by daily positive
rituals. That may be meditation, asana, journaling etc anything that keeps you
in a state of consciousness that stops you reconfirming the old vasana's that
cause so much suffering.
What is a typical day in Duncan’s Life?
My life is a lot of travel, up to 30 weeks a year so I'm not sure if there is a
typical day. When I'm at home i wake up 6am or 7am, walk to the beach,
meditate, swim or surf and then a little asana or some physical workout. I then
do a bit of 'CEO' style work, emails etc and try to get creative in the afternoon
with videos or other projects I'm working on that i enjoy.
In the evenings i usually just have quiet time chilling with my partner, cooking
and sometimes a movie or read a book. Life is pretty simple these days.
What the role of Social Media is in a ‘Modern Yogi’s Life?
I really resisted social media for so long but it became so obvious about 3
years ago that it was now the modern day database. As a business owner i
had to embrace it so i sought counsel from people who saw the creative side
of it and tried to evolve myself into seeing the creative way of running social
media rather than a chore or judging it as bad because of the obvious 'fame'
focus it has.
I think we have to be careful with social media though as its so much about
approval and reputation, which are quite contradictions to character
development and ways to evolve and experience a state of yoga.
I think many people struggle with it in the yoga industry because its so 'fake' in
one way. But its also a great platform to connect with people, so its a double
edge sword.
So the role of a modern day yogi is really to find a good relationship to it that
is creative but not drawn in by the 'tendencies towards fame and reputation.
It's sort of shocking how dominate in marketing as a yogi it has become so
quickly but it also helps evolve yoga to people who maybe wouldn't have tried
it? I have love/hate relationship to it but I'm very clear it is part of a modern
day yoga business. Over 30% of our sales for courses comes from social
media. Since I've started bringing it into my weekly focus I've been able to
touch people from all over the world & see them travel from Europe, America,
Africa etc to do my courses. Without social media i would never have had this
opportunity.
I think we need to let Yoga evolve in the main stream world and just be honest
with how its happening. I get the downsides of it but it is an awesome platform
to practice NOT seeking approval or comparing yourself with others and use it
as a creative endeavour.
Or if you don't like it, don't get involved with it but right/wrong thinking about it
really isn't going to serve you. See it for what it is - another form of a database
and way of connecting with a wider audience.
If your serious about building a following as a yoga teacher and want to travel
etc its just something you have to now embrace, it wasn't like that when i
started and yep, things were so much simpler.