The Quiet Work of Yoga with Manish Pole

This conversation with Manish Pole took place at Usada on 24 January 2026, following the first yoga session held at the space.

Beginning at Usada

The morning marked the beginning of yoga practice at Usada. Eight people gathered for the first session, a number that felt intimate and well balanced. The space itself could comfortably hold up to eighteen, allowing room for both collective energy and individual presence.

Finding Yoga

Manish’s path into yoga did not begin as a spiritual pursuit. He was a writer, drawn to the practice in search of focus and clarity. What started as a practical exploration quickly became a devotion. Under the guidance of his teacher, Manish moved into a period of deep study, living and training with him from the age of twenty-two. Practice gradually evolved into teaching.

Free Will and Destiny

When asked whether such turning points are a matter of chance or destiny, Manish remains open to uncertainty. The tension between free will and fate, he reflects, is ever present. He speaks of an early enjoyment of physicality, of reading, of engaging the mind. Not being religious, yoga revealed itself to him as something different. A system that holds body, mind, and spirit together, supported by a long and living history.

Roots and Universality

Yoga, for Manish, is both universal and deeply grounded. While it reaches beyond borders, it is also rooted in culture and lived experience. Indian culture, he explains, is shaped by yoga as both foundation and process. Understanding its origins allows for a deeper grasp of its meaning. He notes that while many modern systems are liberal in thought, they often remain closed in matters of spirituality, where judgment and evaluation persist.

India’s idea of unity in diversity resonates strongly with him, echoing Indonesia’s own national ethos.

Karma and Intention

Karma, in this context, is not punishment or reward, but intention. Every action carries an intent, and that intent binds us to its outcome. Action and consequence form a cycle, one shaped by desire. As you sow, so shall you reap is only a fragment of a much larger understanding. In the Indic view, desire is fundamental. Until desire is transcended, its results must be experienced. The soul carries its own individual tendencies, its own momentum. Whether there is a collective soul remains, for Manish, an open question.

Yoga places emphasis on individual experience. Identity, birthplace, and culture are facts of embodiment, not divisions. There is no real distinction between East and West here, only lived reality.

Prana and Livingness

At the heart of practice is prana. Life force. Livingness itself. Though unseen, it is felt. Through pranayama, the breath becomes a means of expanding and refining this energy, reconnecting the practitioner with the subtle movement of life within.

Why Bali

Bali has become an important place for this work. Manish teaches retreats and teacher trainings here, drawn by the island’s ability to gather people from across the world into shared practice and learning. For the past nine years, Bali has offered a space where living, studying, and teaching can unfold together.

Join Manish Pole at Usada