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Life and Work with P. Casey Maples

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Today we’d like to introduce you to P. Casey Maples.

P. Casey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began my personal exploration of yoga, 40 years ago in my teens, by way of two very old books, Raja-Yoga or Occultism by H.P. Blavatsky and Yoga for Today by Clara Spring and Madeleine Goss. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s when I met my most influential teacher of yoga, Girish Jha, that I truly began an authentic relationship with yoga.

At that time, I had three wellness studios in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. These were places of “restoration and enlightenment” where students could learn and practice many different modalities and lineages of movement and healing. Girish and I met in the Hopewell, NJ studio and immediately began working together. At first, I am certain my ego said, “I can help this guy help others.” That is wrong thinking but I was ignorant at the time of yoga’s true teachings and hadn’t a teacher to guide me. I cannot stress enough the importance of a good teacher, someone to navigate for you as you explore the most important territory of human existence – “Who am I and why am I here?”

The country’s economy and my mother’s health here in Phoenix began a slow tailspin and I made the difficult decision to move back, for what I thought would be a year or two, to my roots of Maryvale and aid my brother and my mom in her care while preparing myself for a life without “my greatest fan”. I had no idea what economic change awaited.

Thankfully, I was able to find work as a yoga instructor right away. There were quite a few hardships, I suppose. I don’t see them that way now but I am certain I put my worries in many peoples ears as I waded my way through change. You see, even though my teacher, Girish, was keeping a watchful eye over me from afar, I had succumbed to the nature of the mind and was wallowing a lot of times in the states of anxiety, fear, worry – because I hadn’t enough “stuff” i.e. security, money, clarity of direction. I hadn’t stayed with yoga’s work of learning from a teacher, contemplating and living in the knowledge of yoga.

Flash forward 10 years and much growth and experience in between, Girish and his family live here now in Gilbert and we are once again working together to bring authentic yoga to those who seek. How fortunate am I?!?

One of the brightest stars of our work together is the new organizations, The One Acre Foundation, a 5013C (pending) and its program, Yoga Youth Teacher Training™ (or Y2T2 for short). This program is unique in we created it for the adolescent mind, brain, body, and lifestyle. It is a Yoga Alliance registered, 200-hour certification program. Our first aim is to provide 12 – 17 years olds with authentic yoga principles and practices for them to use themselves while riding the waves of what can be the most challenging time in life. Secondly, we prepare them for working in the real world of yoga guiding others, privately and in classes. Granted, there is only so much teaching can be taught in 200 hours but the change happens quickly in these students as professed by them, their parents and their mentors in the program. Right knowledge, right thinking, right action is our mantra.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The mind thinks in dualities, is the teaching of the ancient texts of yoga. If we follow what has been laid before us, we understand that there is no smooth or rocky road. It is simply a road, a path to get from here to there. The mind experiences an event and then the intellect gets to work and starts attaching reason, logic and asks “how do you feel about this experience?” Yoga tells us we can be liberated from this cycle of mind-stuff (vritti) if we follow the teachings of the many masters of yoga philosophy. (Yes, yoga existed well before religion so we should look upon it as a philosophy that we can choose to study, learn or apply or, not).

My greatest advice to anyone seeking to secure something other than what they have is “Surround yourself with those who specialize, who are passionate about, what it is you are working toward”. If it is brain surgery, you need to study with a surgeon in the field of your choice. If it is business, you need to hire or find mentorship from those who have achieved what you want to achieve. If it is yoga, you need a true teacher in the path that you are drawn toward. They are there. Do not hesitate or struggle or postpone. Get to work!

Secondly, always be grateful and humble. The smallest actions of others is an awesome offering. I know there were those who simply thought of me and wished me ease. This has never been forgotten or taken for granted.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Yoga Youth Teacher Training (Y2T2) & The One Acre Foundation – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Nothing sets me apart from others. I am here to be of service through the experiences I have had, the knowledge I have gained and, thank goodness, through the sound teachings of thousands of years, yoga makes my life of service a true joy! Girish and I believe, as do many in our valley’s community, that reaching the youth early on with yoga practices and principles is a very good way to mitigate the growing up experience. We have many years of working with youth between us. Our training program, Y2T2, has an impressive board of expert teachers who all currently work or have worked regularly with youth through yoga and psychology. Yoga Youth Teacher Training™ is an ongoing certification program that brings real skill and real tools into the hands and minds of youth. Our hope is that, through the One Acre Foundations (5013c pending), we will be able to reach more youth in challenging environments and bring them into the program. The 5013c status, once designated by the federal government, enables us to receive donations and apply for grants so that we may bring the word of our training program to more youth facilities, schools and so on. It has been a challenge getting the word out about our program without this designation. We are working on more programs for specialized groups that would truly grasp and benefit from yoga’s teachings and hopefully bring it back into their homes, places of work and worship, and communities at large. Our next two programs are for those in the medical and healing worlds, one, and the younger youth, ages 8 – 11, who show a strong interest in learning more about yoga, number two. This year is quite an exciting one!

Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
For those that feel there are barriers, I would ask that you ponder “Wherein lies the truth” in that statement. In yoga, we are taught the necessity of contemplation. If we stop blaming and complaining, we get out of our own way and begin moving in the direction of “positivity”. Remember what I mentioned before about the right knowledge, right thinking, right action? My teacher gives me good “crumbs” I hang on to every so often and one of my favorites is “ What does this have to do with me? ” When I find my ire is getting tweaked, I ask myself this question. None of this, what we do, is everlasting. Yoga teaches everything changes but our true nature. Peace, truth, wisdom, happiness, bliss – these we are taught are always and forever. You don’t go in search of them when they are what you are made of. So, what if someone gets a job I don’t get or another gets paid more than I do for the same work? Is this lasting? Does anger last? No. Can I make myself angry, anxious, sad – any emotion you choose – will pass. If an event outside causes me unrest, “go inside” is the teaching of yoga. If there is a storm outside, you go to your house. Yoga teaches the same. What do any of these alliances have to do with me, really? Do the work you are good at, committed to, passionate about, dependent upon. It is necessary for life to do certain things to maintain certain things. In the end, nothing you do or anyone else does affect your peace within. I am not perfect but I continue to do the work. Having a go-to saying like “ What does this have to do with me? ” brings me back to the present most times.

Let others see barriers. I see life differently and am ok with this view.

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