Next in my series on what I love about India is
Yoga
I was called to yoga long before it was mainstream but fell away from it not being able to find a teacher I connected with. Decades later I met this friend who was a yoga teacher. Her energy was contagious and I adored spending time with her, one day when we were discussing me taking up a practice again she told me "you are yoga." I had no idea what she meant but I knew it was something I was eager to discover.
My first trip to India was for three months, the first month was to be spent at an ashram for a yoga retreat. I bragged to all my friends at home about the kind of shape I was going to be in when I returned. I day dreamed about cool postures I had seen in pictures and wondered how long it would take before I would be able to touch my toes, nose to knees. We got on our mats one day. Yup you read that right, we did Asana which is the physical postures one time. Turned out yoga was a lot more then what I was a aware of.
I spent far more time quieting the voices in my head through meditation which I also learnt was not about not thinking, it was more about becoming aware of the thoughts, and choosing the thoughts consciously you want to spend time with.
It was not easy! My mind whirled and I realized how much I obsessed and over thought almost everything; I thought about the past and the future, I thought up great status updates for social media or had songs on repeat in my head. When I gained a bit of control over that I had work to do around fear. Fear of never really being able to live before life is over and when I came to terms with this I discovered some shocking truths about the life I was living and changes that needed to occur if I wanted to truly be happy. It felt like someone shut the AC off one day when my head went quiet. Often in our lives their is background noise or chatter that we are not even aware of until it goes silent. I remember it rained that day and I felt an overwhelming urge that I acted on and danced in the courtyard of the ashram, I felt cleansed inside and out.
Aside from the physical asana or Hatha practice and the mental aspect we know as meditation or in yoga it is referred to as Raja yoga, true yogis observe diet restrictions which I to began observing. No caffeine, no alcohol or any mind altering substance, no garlic, onions or red chillies as these increase fire in the body which can lead to anger and jealousy.
That's the thing to, here in India very few people would ever call themselves a Yogi or Yoginni those titles are revered and used only in the utmost respect of true masters. I have met incredible yoga teachers here who only refer to themselves as a friend not a teacher for feeling unqualified despite surpassing any conditions we apply in the west for a 'qualified' yoga teacher.
And while Hatha and Raja are pretty well understood in the west little is discussed about the other relams: Kriya Yoga has everything to do with our breath, different breathing techniques and learning about our prana (life force) and where it is flowing. Gyan or (Jnana) is about knowledge, it is learning the ancient texts and utilizing them in daily life. According to the Bhagavad Gita Karma yoga is the most effective way to achieve spiritual oneness, understanding our karmic bonds and working through them. Doing our part to serve our neighbors and the earth without needing anything in return is the truest form of selfless love. And then their is Bhakti yoga which my little holy town is famous for, this is the yoga of devotion, of divine love. It is the recognition that there is only love, and everything around us and within us is of divine nature.
In India it is understood that all forms of yoga need to addressed and assimilated into daily life to truly achieve that which we are searching for...the point of yoga is to connect us back to us. To that divine part of ourselves we have forgotten, to the authentic part of ourselves we have muted. And although I often miss my yoga classes back in the west I am grateful to be among people who understand the depth and enjoyment of this path.
Here is a funny video a girlfriend sent me I want to share with you, fortunately the beautiful classes I have attended in the west do not reflect this teacher but there is some truth here, Enjoy and stay tuned for number five in What I love about India
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Yoga
I was called to yoga long before it was mainstream but fell away from it not being able to find a teacher I connected with. Decades later I met this friend who was a yoga teacher. Her energy was contagious and I adored spending time with her, one day when we were discussing me taking up a practice again she told me "you are yoga." I had no idea what she meant but I knew it was something I was eager to discover.
My first trip to India was for three months, the first month was to be spent at an ashram for a yoga retreat. I bragged to all my friends at home about the kind of shape I was going to be in when I returned. I day dreamed about cool postures I had seen in pictures and wondered how long it would take before I would be able to touch my toes, nose to knees. We got on our mats one day. Yup you read that right, we did Asana which is the physical postures one time. Turned out yoga was a lot more then what I was a aware of.I spent far more time quieting the voices in my head through meditation which I also learnt was not about not thinking, it was more about becoming aware of the thoughts, and choosing the thoughts consciously you want to spend time with.It was not easy! My mind whirled and I realized how much I obsessed and over thought almost everything; I thought about the past and the future, I thought up great status updates for social media or had songs on repeat in my head. When I gained a bit of control over that I had work to do around fear. Fear of never really being able to live before life is over and when I came to terms with this I discovered some shocking truths about the life I was living and changes that needed to occur if I wanted to truly be happy. It felt like someone shut the AC off one day when my head went quiet. Often in our lives their is background noise or chatter that we are not even aware of until it goes silent. I remember it rained that day and I felt an overwhelming urge that I acted on and danced in the courtyard of the ashram, I felt cleansed inside and out.
Aside from the physical asana or Hatha practice and the mental aspect we know as meditation or in yoga it is referred to as Raja yoga, true yogis observe diet restrictions which I to began observing. No caffeine, no alcohol or any mind altering substance, no garlic, onions or red chillies as these increase fire in the body which can lead to anger and jealousy.
That's the thing to, here in India very few people would ever call themselves a Yogi or Yoginni those titles are revered and used only in the utmost respect of true masters. I have met incredible yoga teachers here who only refer to themselves as a friend not a teacher for feeling unqualified despite surpassing any conditions we apply in the west for a 'qualified' yoga teacher.
And while Hatha and Raja are pretty well understood in the west little is discussed about the other relams: Kriya Yoga has everything to do with our breath, different breathing techniques and learning about our prana (life force) and where it is flowing. Gyan or (Jnana) is about knowledge, it is learning the ancient texts and utilizing them in daily life. According to the Bhagavad Gita Karma yoga is the most effective way to achieve spiritual oneness, understanding our karmic bonds and working through them. Doing our part to serve our neighbors and the earth without needing anything in return is the truest form of selfless love. And then their is Bhakti yoga which my little holy town is famous for, this is the yoga of devotion, of divine love. It is the recognition that there is only love, and everything around us and within us is of divine nature.
In India it is understood that all forms of yoga need to addressed and assimilated into daily life to truly achieve that which we are searching for...the point of yoga is to connect us back to us. To that divine part of ourselves we have forgotten, to the authentic part of ourselves we have muted. And although I often miss my yoga classes back in the west I am grateful to be among people who understand the depth and enjoyment of this path.
Here is a funny video a girlfriend sent me I want to share with you, fortunately the beautiful classes I have attended in the west do not reflect this teacher but there is some truth here, Enjoy and stay tuned for number five in What I love about India
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