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The essence of yoga lies in friendliness, compassion, delight and equanimity — all things we could use a little more of here in Jakarta. While the city may seem far from the essence of anything, guys like Canadian Dylan Haddock, a 29-year-old Bikram instructor at Yoga @42 degrees in Kemang, feel like it’s up to us to seek the positive around us and realize that what we may find frustrating is actually just a test of our resolve.

Your passion has also doubled as a passport, with yoga taking you around the world. Where have you been so far?

I went to Hong Kong first. From Hong Kong I took a year off and traveled around Canada and the United States and then I spent six months working as a volunteer at an orphanage in Thailand.

In total, I spent about four years in Thailand. I taught for two weeks in New Zealand. And a week in Hawaii.

Then I was back in Hong Kong before going on to Taiwan and Singapore before I came here, seven months ago.

How old were you when you took your first Bikram class?

I started yoga when I was 14 but had my first Bikram yoga class when I was 18.

Then after a year and a half of doing Bikram yoga, I took a two-month teacher training class in Las Vegas. Then I moved up to Vancouver and started teaching Bikram.

A few months later I was in Hong Kong.

What’s the training to become a Bikram instructor like?

It takes nine weeks, 11 classes a week. Lots of lectures and lots of work — learning how to get across the instructions.

There’s a set of instructions you have to basically memorize to teach people and the class.

Sports writers hate to tell people they’re sports writers because sports is all anyone wants to talk to them about. Is the same true for you? Ever get tired of talking about yoga?

No, not really. With yoga, there’s a lot of stuff that goes on outside the class. Inside, we’re pretty focused on what we’re doing, but outside the class there are discussions about the yoga philosophy.

I could talk to people for hours about yoga. The only thing I ever worry about is that maybe I’m boring them [laughs].

Do you have a favorite yoga quote? Something to think about in traffic?

I like the image of the beautiful lotus flower blossoming out of the dirtiest waters. One of the themes of yoga is changing that adversity. Being equanimous.

You know, changing that adversity into liberation.

I really like that idea — the notion that when you’re experiencing something negative you can change it into something positive with a simple shift in consciousness. You’re the one in control of your own mind.

Has living in Jakarta put a strain on your ability to find inner peace?

If anything, I think it’s a healthy challenge.

But anywhere can be like that no matter where you are. It’s like a test of one’s resolve.

If you can find your inner peace in challenging situations, then you’ll be able to keep it with you forever.

You’ve been here seven months now, do you get out of the city much?

I haven’t really gotten out of Jakarta yet, but sometimes just getting out and going to the market, riding down the small side streets, already meets some of my need for connecting with nature.

Coming out here is an adjustment, but at the same time it’s been really positive. The people have been really cool.

In your short time here, what have you learned about the city?

It’s really cheap to buy a second-hand bicycle here and, if anything, it’s probably safer than riding a motorcycle.

And you get a good workout.

When I first came here, I was walking a lot and taking the bus around Kemang but I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere.

It’s just nice to pedal around and you feel like you’re getting to your destination quicker.

What’s your favorite word in Indonesian?

The first one that comes to mind is the word suka [to like] . I like it because it connects Indonesian, English, Thai and Sanskrit, and other languages like French.

 But the word originally comes from Sanskrit, and in Sanskrit suka means ‘happy.’ I really like seeing a connection — seeing a common thread through things. Language is so much a part of who we are.

What’s the longest you’ve gone without doing yoga?

This reminds me of a teacher called Krishmamacharya. He lived to be 100 years old. He said if you can breathe, you can do yoga. If you can move your little finger, you can do yoga.

Now, I don’t always do Bikram yoga regularly — I go through phases where I’m doing it a lot and then sometimes I’m not doing the physical practice of it at all.

But rarely does a day go by where I’m not stretching my body or spending some time breathing or studying a text.

Yoga is not limited to physical postures.

There’s always a balance and everyone finds their own balance in yoga.

If you want to take it deeper, yoga is on an every-moment basis. It’s a practice of surrendering and letting go. I’ve never kept track of how many days I’ve practiced.

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