My Yoga Instructor's Course

Hi Folks !

It was GREAT to go and it is wonderful to come back!

Let me tell you all about the place where I had been - which answers 'FastBilla's' question too!

I had been looking for a Yoga camp or a residential course which would be of atleast 15 days or more.

I had been searching for nearly 2 years.

For various reasons, Munger, Kerala etc were not happening.

Those in Himalayas did not seem to be for my pocket.

Basically, I wanted self-discipline!

A strict way of life with lots of learning.

Then I came to know about this place.

S VYASA.

Google it!

Why it is such a well - kept secret, I have no idea!

It is a deemed University 32 kms away from Bangalore, in a 100-acre campus with proper courses for graduate, post graduate and doctoral studies in Yoga Therapy, Naturopathy, Vedic Culture etc!

The course runs from the 1st day to the last day of the month - be it of 28 days or 30 or 31.

Check which months it is on.

To me, all these years, Yoga was Asanas - the Postures.

And the definition to which I did not pay much attention - the word comes from the root 'yuj', which means to join or yoke together.

What?

The Inner mind with the Universal!

Yep. Okay.

I was satisfied with the postures.

They were good to keep the glands working properly, keep the body flexible.

The rest, I used to pass.

Very easily too, because there was no structured, quick, interesting teaching which I could relate to, though I am interested in Yoga.

Or I was looking at wrong places or just being lazy.

Possibly, all 3!

This place - S VYASA or Prashantee Kuteer, puts not just Yoga but a whole lot of other stuff in perspective with great clarity.

Let me tell you about it, I benefitted a lot-

Now where do I -?

Aaaaah, yes ofcourse, my Maria! - never lets me down!

So lets start at the very beginning!

A very good place to start!

Indian Philosophy has 6 schools of thought-

1. Sankhya 2. Yoga 3. Nyay 4.Vaisheshika 5. Mimansa and 6.Vedanta.

Among these, Yoga has 2 parts -

1. HathYoga

2.Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga.

What we learnt, what we all learn all over the country in the thousands of Yoga Classes, is Sage Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, based on his aphorisms, and this Yoga truly goes much beyond empty postures.

This has 8 parts as the name suggests-

1. A set of 'Dont's' - - Yama

2.A set of 'Do's - Niyama

3.The Postures - Asana

4.The Breathing - Pranayama

5.Withdrawal of the sesnes - Pratyahara

6.Focussing - Dharana

7.Defocussing - Dhyan

8.Super - Consciousness - Samadhi

This itself was quite enlightening for me!

There is a 2-hour practical session of postures from 5 to 7 am every morning.

They take it step by step and keep it challenging.

You want to do better than yesterday because you start to feel the results almost immediately.

There is another similar session from 11.30am to 1.00 after which we go for a very Sattvik lunch.

At other times, from 10.30 to 11.30, 3.00 to 4.00 and 6.30 to 7.30 pm, there are lectures which cover the other 7 limbs - Yama, Niyama etc.

There are Kriya or cleansing practicals 4 times in the month (the 4th is our practical exam!) at 6 in the morning.

In the afternoon from 4 to 5 pm, they teach various meditation techniques and Pranayama with Mudras.

Apart from these classes, there is a Prayer Hall we visit twice a day.

In the morning from 7.15 to 7.30, there is a 'Lead and follow' chanting of 18 verses of the Gita, selected from one of the 4 Yogas - Karma, Gyan, Bhakti and Raja.

From7.30 to 8.00 am, there is a talk based on the chanting or some other related topic.

On most Sundays, the chanting used to be led by one of the 2 school - going 6-7 year old girls residing in the campus with their parents who are doing long courses.

Oh - the clarity of their Sanskrit pronunciation and the sweetness of their voice!

In the evenings, from 6.00 to 6.30 pm, there are Bhajans and devotional songs in the same manner.

Someone sings a line, others repeat.

It was wonderful!

Some of the songs have awesome meaning, and I learnt a couple of them.

Some other time, I shall translate a couple of them for you.

They are a classic example of why the Bhakti or Devotional Path remained so very powerful in our culture for so many centuries.

They gently, unobtrusively take you from the known to unknown and back to you, showing you the path and tempting you enough to move on it, maybe at your own pace, but move, nonetheless.

The lectures on Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga threw light on a lot of phrases I use or hear in every day life without clearly understanding the depth of its meaning.

By the end of the course, we also had to submit a proper Report on a topic chosen by us from the list given by them!

They are very serious about the whole thing, not just this.

I chose 'Yoga and Spiritual Development'! and enjoyed going through many books in their library.

It has all kinds of gems, from all versions of the Gita and the Puranas etc. to Paul Brunton!

I think I need to go there for a week just to read some of those books!

I came across some nice stories during my seach for material and will share my Report next time.

So long for now!

Pray for those who died in the Tsunami and the quakes.

They had no warning and many may still be struggling to understand where they are and why.

Pray directly to them to 'Please become aware of those angels who have come to receive you. Please go with them. Go in peace and love'.

Take care -