Soul-binding path of enlightenment

I had traveled to India twice before.  Once to Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna and the second time to Varanasi, the holiest city in Hindu Mythology.  I have always been very curious about the Hindu religion.  Being the oldest continuous school of faith says a lot about the inherent adaptable nature of its edicts and people who practice it.  In Varanasi, I stayed at an ashram, where I was introduced to the mystical world of Vedic chants, pranayama, and yoga.  Now I had practiced yoga many times in my home town of Toronto.  Of course, it was a hip and trendy thing among my group of people.  But, in India, I saw the real thing. Studying yoga in India, the birthplace of the art is a totally different thing. That is why it is on the top of the list of yoga practitioners worldwide.  In India, practicing yoga with gurus, with Sanskrit hymns in the background is very different from the choreographed sessions in the air-conditioned aerobics halls in the west. 

I can empathize with the North Americans view of India as a place filled with con artists, filth, and miles of red tape.  I understand why it can be a dangerous place for a western woman.  But that's where I found the beauty of it.  The moment you step off the plane, you start developing a heightened sense of surrounding and become more conscious.  The land forces you too!!  The daily Indian lifestyle, interspersed with statues of mystic goods, puja rituals, the scent of incense mixed with the pungency of urine, the lot!!  The country is rooted in the deep devotion to its goods and tradition.  If you watch the throngs of Hindu people gathered on the banks of holy Ganges, at dusk, for Aarti, you will forget the troubles you had with your case of Delhi Belly.  You have to work through the physical challenges of a hot and humid country towards your goal of learning and education.  Isn't that the first lesson of the yoga school of thought? 

In India, you will find yoga gurus everywhere, some fraudulent and some no different than the ones you find in the west.  The key is to find a reputable institute that really follows the traditional yoga principles.  I was lucky to have a friend in India, whom I first met in Toronto eighteen years ago when she was an Exchange student in my school.  She told me about Yoga Bhawna Mission in her hometown of Uttarkashi, India.  She told me that it is a venture of Ujjain Yoga Life Society, a prestigious trust in her country.  And that it is also a certified as well as registered yoga school from YAUSA. We talked at length about her experiences there and I decided to give it a serious thought.  I did some research and found that, since it is an internationally recognized RYS for teachers, your certificate will also be recognized globally.  This institute offers many yoga teacher training courses to yoga students as well.  I opted for RYS200, a 200-hour yoga teacher training course.  I reckoned, it must be a step ahead of the student courses and must delve deeper into the sutras of Yoga.  And boy, was I right!!

How is it different

Most western people consider learning yoga in India as a hip and cool thing to do, something that can be bragged about to our non- traveling compatriots.  On the other hand, there are some who view it as a quest to learn the true art from its original masters.  Frankly, I was a bit of both.  I wanted to be cool and at the same time, I wanted to experience the true art form.  I wanted to see how far I could take my body and whether I could really elevate my mind and spirit towards oneness with nature.  At any rate, I believed it would be an enriching experience.  Being a better practitioner of yoga was the least I could expect from this sojourn. 

The institute is located on the banks of the holy river of Bhagirathi.  It is quite some way from the town of Uttarkashi and situated at an elevation of 1158 meters from the sea level.  It is in the lap of nature and one can sometimes spot the animals from the nearby jungle in the campus grounds.  No carnivores though!  The entire campus is one big building. It consists of a prayer hall. A practice hall, classrooms, kitchen, living area and living quarters.  There are separate dormitories for male and female students and each room is twin shared.  Rooms are well equipped with modern amenities with windows of each room facing the river.  It is a delightful place to stay.  

Practicing yoga in India is very different than the west.  In our countries, we put a commercial spin on everything.  We have limited yoga to ninety minutes gym memberships, where we practice flexibility, burn calories and say a few mispronounced mantras and feel we have become enlightened. 

In India, it is all about a disciplined life.  Yoga is not merely about twisting your body like a contortionist into various asanas.  That is only the physiological part of it.  The goal of yoga is to attain a perfect harmony with the universe, a spiritual and metaphysical quest.  It is to attain the true control of the mind.  And controlling one's body is only how you start the journey.  Asana practice is only one branch of the yoga tree.  The main bodywork of yoga works on the mind.  It includes a study of its edicts, written down centuries ago by sage Patañjali and added on to by numerous others.  The yoga as we see in the west was only a stretching practice for yogis so that their bodies remained in top condition while they pursued loftier goals of the metaphysical. 

Our days started early at Yoga Bhawna Mission.  At five in the morning, the practice hall was full.  The learned ERYTs conducted a pranayama session.  Prana means the air we breathe and Ayama means dimension.  So literally pranayama means the various aspects of breathing.  A good control of one's breathing is of vital importance for a yogi.  At very advanced levels, yogis can perform some astonishing feats.  We learned from the basic ones like Kapalabhati, Bhasrika, and anuloma-viloma.  Kapalabhati improves the blood flow to diaphragm, spleen, liver, and kidneys.  It also builds up the stamina of lungs.  This simple exercise for ten minutes daily starts to show results as soon as within a week.  My bowel movements became much better and I felt light throughout the day.  Bhasrika requires a minimum level of strength in the lungs, which is to be first developed by Kapalabhati.  It is basically a workout for your lungs and targets to reach towards one hundred percent use of one's lung capacity.  Anuloma viloma, while also acting as a cool down, improves the balance of the breath and is particularly beneficial for sinuses. 

A twenty-minute meditation session followed, which by the completion of the course stretched towards one hour.  It is more than just sitting upright in silence.  One learns to shut down all the senses one by one and focus on the body's energy alone.  It takes decades of practice but at least I know the true goal and form of meditation.  At its most advanced form, it requires a complete control of one senses and metabolic rate.  There are certain examples, where yogis reached an almost hibernated state and performed some extraordinary tasks by channeling the Shakti - the omnipresent energy of the universe.  And that is why the body needs to be in a particular condition before the true benefits of the meditation can be reaped.  And that is the true purpose of asanas and pranayama. 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner, I must mention were holistic vegetarian affairs prepared from locally procured organic produce.  Students were encouraged to take part in the preparation.  A very strict rule was never to waste any item.  Kitchen garbage went to animals and what animals left went to the manure chamber to be used in the gardens.  We said a prayer before every meal.

Asana sessions followed breakfast.  This part is well known to us westerns.  We started with simpler poses and gradually progressed towards more advanced ones.  What the course differed in, was the theory classes after lunch.  We were told about the origins and purpose of yoga.  How it is the gaming of mind more than the training of the body.  We were explained the human anatomy and how various parts are affected by various postures.  If a particular organ or muscle group or joint is weaker than it should be, what asanas can remedy?  I now see a huge role of yoga in sports and rehabilitation. 

 We were encouraged to take nature walks and take part in the chores.  It was a very cathartic experience.

After finishing this 200 hour ttc course, I can definitely say that I feel like a different person and I have an even stronger appreciation of Indian culture.  Though the strict discipline of Indian yoga learning might not be for everyone, if one can look past a slight discomfort, it will prove to be a most enriching experience.

Yoga: liberation of body and soul

Yoga, a collection of techniques to attain control of body and mind, is a disciplined method of attaining the ultimate goal of oneness with the Universe.  Not only does it have tremendous effects on the body and psychology of a practitioner, it helps in understanding the nature and ones relation with it. The effect Yoga has on ones personality cannot be described in words. At a personal level I have experienced its blissful effects in the initial days of self-practice. It was during the Yoga Training courses, India that I experienced a complete makeover of my soul and health both. What follows is my journey from a casual practitioner to my transformation into a totally different human being at Yoga Bhawna Mission.

My Ignorant beginnings

Before getting trained at Yoga Teacher training India center I believed that Yoga is just another way that keeps healthy. It was after my practice sessions that I realized the Yoga is much more than good health, its more about blissful health.  I started practicing yoga during my college days.  I learned a few basic postures and that was it.  Life went on; I graduated and joined a law firm.  I worked hard, partied harder and got completely immersed in the vicious routine of the capitalist lifestyle. I picked up the unhealthy habits of smoking and drinking along the way.   After a decade of this abuse, I had started feeling stiffness in my cervical and lumbar joints.  My digestion was a wreck; I started to have frequent headaches and forgot what a good night’s sleep felt like. That is when I picked up yoga again.  I started practicing in fifteen minute sessions every morning before work.  Soon, these sessions grew to half hour and for the first time, a sense of contentment started to fill my days.  As my body was getting suppler, my mind was yearning to learn more about this wonderful art. 

The search

I wanted to learn yoga at a place where you not only could get a professional guidance, but also a deeper understanding of its principles. I searched on the internet and visited a couple of places in my home town of Warwick, but all I found was commercialized versions where the trainers lacked in skill as well as purpose.  I knew that if I wanted to learn, it had to be at the place of its origin - India.  I firmly believed that for taking up a Yoga teacher training course India was the best place to go. The idea seemed so farfetched that I didn’t dare give it much fuel. 

I kept on going about the daily routine with this preoccupation gnawing at the back of my mind without finding any respite.  One afternoon as I was polishing the drafts of one of my apprentices, from India, inquired about my forlorn disposition. 

As we talked, she told me about this wonderful place called Yoga Bhawna Mission in her hometown of Uttarkashi, India.  She told me that it is a venture of Ujjain Yoga Life Society, a prestigious trust in her country.  And that it is also a certified as well as registered yoga school from YAUSA. We talked at length about her experiences there and I decided to give it a serious thought.  I did some research and found that, since it is an internationally recognized RYS for teachers, your certificate will also be recognized globally.

Place that changed my life

Uttarkashi is a picturesque town in the Himalayan foothills situated at a height of 1158 meters from sea level.  The school itself is situated quite some way away from the city din on the banks of holy river Bhagirathi.  As my lungs filled up on the air sweetened by the pine cones, I stepped across the gate into the place that was to be my home for three months. 

I joined a group of new students and we were given an orientation. The building accommodates classrooms, yoga hall, kitchen, living rooms and living quarters.  All living rooms are twin shared and face the river.  Rooms are well appointed with all modern amenities and indeed proved to be a comfortable and delightful stay. . As soon as I entered the premises, the serenity of the place filled my mind with the confidence that I had landed at the best place.

Our itinerary at Yoga Bhawna Mission

Learning Yoga here was a life changing experience. I had opted for the RYS500 course.  It is the most comprehensive program that spans five hundred hours of training and broadly covers the physical, theoretical, physiological as well as spiritual branches of yoga. It is structured so as to train the students into yoga teaching professionals.

Our day started as early as 4:00 am with the Pranayam session in the main training hall.  Under the watchful guidance of ERYTs we learned the various techniques of the breath manipulation.

Afterwards, we went for our morning yoga sessions.  Here we learned the finer nuances of various asanas or postures.  The teaching staff was well versed in all the techniques and was very helpful in our learning process.

This was followed by the breakfast session.  It consisted of locally grown seasonal organic produce and was prepared in a most holistic way.  After breakfast, we gathered for the theory classes. These classes concentrated on the history and chronological development of the art of yoga as well as the human anatomy.  We were taught about the various physiological and spiritual aspects of Yoga.

This was followed by a lunch and then a two hour rest, we gathered again in the practice hall for our evening yoga sessions.

After three months of this strict regimen, I found myself at harmony with the nature. It also gave me a new appreciation of the human body and I realize now how lucky we are to be born in this form. Yoga paves way of self-realization and instigates in us a high-spirit that plays a pivotal role in our good health for the entire life.  Though, my journey towards the true oneness with the universe has just begun, I feel I am trained enough to share my learning’s with the aspiring yogis in my home country. 

Source:

https://medium.com/@yogateachertraining80/yoga-liberation-of-body-and-soul-8d70c876c24f

My Experience with Yoga

Yoga is the science that adds zeal to your spirits. The positive energy imbibed by practicing Yoga every day is commendable. I have been witness to the immense change Yoga brings, not only does it spark up your spirits but alleviates many health issues. Yoga teacher training in India helped me realize the best things Yoga can do for us.

Doing Yoga changed my persona:

I was never an athletic person. Since childhood, I never excelled in any sports neither at school or in my neighborhood. When we played gully cricket, I was always the last person to be picked in the team. I couldn’t run fast for long, and neither had I the strength to hit or throw the cricket ball far. I tried to compensate it by applying myself academically. Around the time I turned sixteen, I tried to change how I was. I took up running. I started doing laps of my gymkhana ground in the morning. I started with a couple of laps, but even after a year, I could do only three or four. My knees hurt. I couldn’t do it regularly. I joined a gym, but that wasn’t for me either. Doing repetitive exercises could never hold my interest. I didn’t renew my membership after one month.

Life went on, I got enrolled in the prestigious Delhi School of Arts, got myself immersed in studies and started working full time at an advertising studio. I picked up the bad habits of smoking and drinking and working late nights. After a few years of this lifestyle, I started to feel fatigue. My digestion went haywire and I started to have frequent acid reflexes. I couldn’t sleep properly and always woke up tired. I no longer felt energetic. It affected my work. It almost seemed like I was drained empty of my creative juices.

New intentions to stay healthy!

I made a lifestyle decision. I made a genuine effort to lead a healthy lifestyle. I quit smoking and cut down big time on my drinking. I joined a gym again near my building. I started going to bed early and getting up at four am. I really became watchful of what I ate and when I ate. At the gymnasium, I felt so out of place. Picking up weights was never my thing and no matter how strongly I resolved, I wasn’t making any real progress. One thing I thought I would excel at, the treadmill, it also proved to be a thing of the past. I was no longer a sixteen year old. My knees weren’t what they used to be and my stamina had seen better days. So, I huffed and puffed, sweated like a pig, and kept repeating in my head, no pain — no gain. It turned to a point that I no longer looked forward to the mornings; it was a tortured time for me that I dreaded.

Something had to be changed. A new outlook was required to attain the goal I set for myself. And the journey didn’t necessarily have to be a punishment on the body. That is when I picked up the brochure of yoga classes at the reception desk of my gym. I immediately enrolled and gave it a try. Yoga isn’t about taming your body with harsh discipline and painful training. It is about worshiping it, understanding it, and gently coaxing it towards what our body was made to achieve.

I started practicing yoga daily. I learned a few basic postures. I started practicing in fifteen-minute sessions every morning before work at the gym. Soon, these sessions grew to a half hour and for the first time; a sense of accomplishment filled me. My arms grew really strong, my waistline became taut, and I began to breathe so much better. As my body became lithe, my mind ached to learn more about this wonderful art. I became really interested in this ancient discipline. I felt so stupid that I had this plethora of knowledge in my culture, yet, all my life, I ran towards western ways to condition my body.

The place where I was reborn:

As luck would have it, I got an assignment in Uttarkashi. I had to shoot some stock footage to be used later. I shot one day in the town, then, on the next day, I went up the river Bhagirathi to take some nature shots. And places of places, I found myself face to face with Yoga Bhawna Mission. Little did I know then, that moment would change my life?

Uttarkashi in the Himalayas is a canvas of stunning landscapes. The place is a marvel that imbibes in it a serenity and soul-binding peace. The ambience of the place adds to yoga learning experience here. The scenic landscapes and tranquil atmosphere boost your spirits and furnish immeasurable happiness and peace to do Yoga. While doing a yoga teacher training in India you get a chance to probe into several aspects of Yoga with every passing moment and tranquil atmosphere around the place of learning can play an eminent role in the learning process. Learning Yoga in Uttarkashi gave me the dual benefit of good health and peaceful atmosphere. Since while learning Yoga teacher training Course, it is eminent that you aptly concentrate on the latest chapter, tranquility is of paramount importance, and Uttarakashi being amidst the magnificent Himalayas makes a perfect place for the same. Moreover, the homely yet disciplined environs of Yoga Bhawna Mission empower yoga learning process with blissful accomplishments that hardly part from you throughout life.

I went in and inquired about the various courses the institute offered. I gathered that it is a venture of Ujjain Yoga Life Society, a prestigious trust in her country. And that it is also a certified as well as registered yoga school from YAUSA. We talked at length about the experiences there and I decided to give it a serious thought. I was given an orientation. The building accommodates classrooms, yoga hall, kitchen, living rooms and living quarters. All living rooms are twin shared and face the river. Rooms are well appointed with all modern amenities and looked quite comfortable. That evening I did some research and found that, since it is an internationally recognized RYS for teachers, your certificate will also be recognized globally.

My discourse with Yoga

I made a decision right there. I opted for the RYS200 course. This program offers two hundred hours of training and broadly covers the physical, theoretical, physiological as well as spiritual branches of yoga. It is structured so as to train the students into yoga teaching professionals. At the end of the course, one gets the RYS certificate. A certified course helps an individual to take up Yoga as a profession in any part of the world.

I came back to Delhi and arranged with my company to work as a freelance for two months. It went smoothly. And I came to Yoga Bhawna Mission on the appointed date.

I had the most extraordinary time at the institute. It was like getting reborn. A life of discipline and a quest of inner self-filled my days. I really saw myself for the first time. From 4:00 am in the morning with pranayama sessions under the caring eyes of ERYTs, we were on this wonderful journey every day. A succulent breakfast followed and we gathered again to learn new asanas and hone our bodies. There is a flat sand bank just outside the campus. Sometimes when the weather permitted, we practiced on that spot. Such fun activities added to my treasured life of Yoga learning.

Source :- Click Here