The final stop on my travels was a month long 200 hour yoga teacher certification course in traditional Himalayan Yoga (hatha + ashtanga basically). The course was 5 and a quarter *** days a week and was taught by both Indians and foreigners. It was located in Goa, the main Indian beach hang out on the south western coast just above Kerala where I spent some time traveling earlier on. Here's the complete low down beginning with our schedule (which unlike that of the meditation course, and in keeping with Indian ways of doing, was far from rigid and often was revised with short notice or just running late):
6:30 meditation
7:30 tea
8:00 asana practice
10:00 breakfast
11:00 or 11:30 lecture
1:00 or 1:30 break
3:00 lecture
4:00 asana practice
6:00 free or a half hour of chanting some days
***saturdays we just had meditation and asana in the morning and sundays were free
Accommodation: Riva Resort. It has its strong points. I'd compare my hut to a child's drawing. At first sight, there's a wow factor; then you look in a bit closer and realize it's a bit crooked, the lines don't quite meet, it's not really colored in properly and the proportions are out of whack. I stayed in a beach bungalow which of course has immediate appeal--for one, I had a westward beach view so I got sunsets everyday (when we were off in time for them), and then there's the easy trip to the beach as well. However, none of the walls met each other really, or the roof for that matter, so it leaves the place pretty open to the elements. The elements being bugs, dirt and well, more bugs. I also had some mice who were living in my roof between the thatching but they only came down or shuffled around when it rained and luckily that was only a couple of times. But they do poop and so little droppings fell through the little holes in the woven ceiling and landed random places. So I guess that means it was raining shit in my room (scuze the french) which isn't the best. The hot water lasted about 1 week and stopped working. I gave up asking for it to be fixed after about 6 tries so I just had cold for the rest of the time. But there were clean sheets and towels and the sleeping was good so it served fine for the most part.
Riva is on Mandrem beach which is serene and peaceful if a bit isolated. We were basically close to nothing, but there were a few restaurants and shops 10-15 minutes walk one way and Arambol--a little touristy, hippy town was a half hours walk on the beach the other way so it was alright.
Food: Breakfast was provided and the first day I was elated at the spread--curd, fruit, toast, muesli, cornflakes, porridge, honey, butter, jelly, coffee and tea! But they soon took away the curd (25 people eat a lot of curd and I guess the 'resort' got stingy), we had to fight to get honey regularly, the porridge got soupy, the toast was sometimes just white bread and the jelly was some other jelly like thing which clearly did not make use of fruit in any way--after two weeks or so of the same thing over and over and over, it began to look less and less and less appealing. But it was free (or at least we had already paid for it so it felt free) so we ate. I wasn't much hungry for lunch usually (maybe just an apple and some nuts or banana chips). Dinner we started eating at Riva and exhausted that option thoroughly and then again. It was a pain to have to venture away every night but was well worth it. There were some good restaurants around and we had some tasty meals (at tourist prices unfortunately). Still, I was missing my morning dosa.
Instructors:
Lalit-the main squeeze. An Indian man of only about 28 or 29 years with a small stature and a bright and endearing smile full of perfectly crooked white teeth. He's a surprisingly normal(ish) guy for having spent most of his life (since 7 years old) in various yoga schools and ashrams. Mild mannered, caring , generous and positive, his silliness came out by degrees at first and then finally burst out of him in the form of impersonations (of us) and ridiculous flailing punjabi dancing. His goofy side only detracted from his credibility a minor amount and we all had a lot more fun.
Maeve- Eveanna, Lalit's Irish wife, was vacationing in Thailand fr most of the course, but her mother Maeve did the finances and picked up all the odds and ends where help was needed, keeping us all (including Lalit) in line when we started to stray.
Maeve- Eveanna, Lalit's Irish wife, was vacationing in Thailand fr most of the course, but her mother Maeve did the finances and picked up all the odds and ends where help was needed, keeping us all (including Lalit) in line when we started to stray.
Tiffany-31, Canadian and everything we aspire to when we think of our favorite yoga teachers. She's thoughtful, smart, fun and articulate. As a music therapist, she lead our extra chanting sessions with her beautiful voice and brightened our days with her infectious laugh.
Ram- When I first saw him dressed in the traditional yogi's all white tunic and floor length lungi (like a skirt), his raven hair cascading in waves down his back, full beard and bright eyes, two words came to mind- Indian Jesus. And actually, I wasn't to far off. He was introduced to us as our spiritual leader; I met the title with my usual skepticism, but Ram knocked down my walls with his wisdon and supernatural perception. Every word he spoke seemed to be the right one and in no time the lot of us were eating up his every utterance. There was just something about him--a certain glow, a certain energy. His prescence was calming and yet I felt a slight uneasiness as well, as though he could read my thoughts and I have a feeling he probably could (to some extent), but I know he'd never pass judgment. Despite his insightful and spirtitual ways, he managed to maintain normalcy--one of the reasons he earned my respect--swimming with us on the weekend, dancing punjabi style with Lalit anc craking jokes now and again. He left a week early and some of the group's peace followed him home. I was sorry to see him go, but I feel ut paths may cross again later in life, so until then...
Dr. Rohit-the Ayurvedic doctor who came in once for twice a week to teach us about "the science of living" is a young Indian man with a round face and a big smile and a loving personality. He came to class dressed unneccessarily well in a button down shirt and slacks (much too warm attire for the climate)and was ever patient with our questions and endlessly enthusiastic and kind.
Ken- 'Ken the rolfer' as he claims to be known in the countries he's previuosly visited, was our anatomy teacher. He seemed not to quite realize we were in India as he was always fussing with his fancy computer graphic program and his projector which sometimes managed to put up a wavvy image on the sheet rigged up in the shala. Of course we couldn't make out a darned thing n the wrinkled cloth with daylight streaming in through the openings in the makeshift walls (also sheets) and still he was dissapointed every time the power went out. But it's then we did our best learning--we had to resort to feeling eachother's bones and muscles and those in our own bodies and with Ken's maticulous directions on where and how to poke and prod, we witnessed the inner mechanics of bodies in motion with our hands. Cool.
Asana Yoga: this was the part that most surprized me. I had anticipated being really challenged in asana class and probably towards the lower end of the spectrum in terms of ability level. In fact, it was just the opposite. The classes were geared really towards beginners especially in the first week and then they built up as time progressed. Still, we mostly stuck to the basic poses and only a small handful of classes worked specifically on arm balances and backbending. As a result my own practice didn't improve in the way I'd hoped it would, but it was beneficial for me to go back to the basics and put the finishing touches on each pose there. And hey, 2 classes of yoga every day (1.5-2 hrs each) is still a lot of yoga with or without more advanced postures. In the 3rd week, we started practicum in which we rotated teaching bits of each class. This slowed progress in our personal practices even more, but the cost was well worth it. I loved every minute of teaching. It feels natural and fun to step into the teaching role--I can't wait to have a class of my own! (I still crave deeper and more challenging poses, but rarely does one teacher training suffice, so the next will be for that.)
Course Material: We covered a huge range of topics in our lectures: ayurvedic medicine, chakras, yoga philosophy, mudras, ethics, kryias, anatomy and more. I loved ayurveda--fascinating and fun--we got to figure out our doshas (energy makeup) which dictate the lifestyle and diet that will be best for optimum health. I'd be happy to do yours when I get back :) Ken's teaching was shaky but I still adore anatomy and last semester's ostelogy course put me ahead of the game there which was great--I'll use the info I got from the workshops in my own classes for sure. Chakras and mudras were both short and sweet--there are lots of interesting tidbits there-colors and symbols and sunds etc. Yoga philosophy mostly became nap time, however, and ethics and business were somewhere in between. Kryias were ...neat (some more feasible than others), they're basically cleansing techniques and we tried out a few including the neti pot. You pour warm salt water in one nostril and it comes out the other--wanna try? (actually it is a pretty nice sensation if you do it correctly and your breath feels cool and clean afterwards)
Free Time: Didn't seem like we had a ton of time to work on out tans, but what time we did have, I spent in unexciting ways for the most part--naps (at least until Dr. Rohit told me someone who's a Pitta-Vatha (me) shouldn't sleep during the day because it makes 'em lazy--he's right by the way), internet, reading, homework, beaching, goin to Arambol--the town down the beach--to shop or eat or whatever. There are a few specific things worth mentioning though:
- My friends from Mysore Kate and Melina from were staying in Arambol and came to meet me for dinner. It was so fun to see then again and trade stories and tell them my initial impression of the prgram. Hard for all of us to believe, but it was their last night when we had dinner so we had a coctail and dessert to send them back to real life in style.
-The first weekend there, me and 3 other girls went uot on a fishing boat early Sunday morning for dolphin watching. For the first hour, we saw nothing but sun and sea and then when out spirits were starting to drop, suddenly a fin appeared and then a few more and then lots! For the next hour, we saw tons of the majestic creatures, some light and some dark, all beautiful and graceful.
-The next weekend we all visited an ayurvedic center and it was sorta neat and sorta repetitive form class, but the best part was the delicious and fresh satvvic (tanslation: super healthy veg) lunch.
-Not wanting to miss out on the festivities f Oct. 31, I organized a haloween soiree for us, encouraged everyone to be creative and dress up and got some candy to make it official. I was superwoman (undies over pants of course), some gypsies, a cat and a Hindu demon were among the other outfits.
-Divali, one of the biggest festivals in India came during the course. It selebrates different things depending on who you ask, but essentially it's a few days set aside to honor the divine light in each of us--nice huh? Lalit and the gang had us all over for a puja (candel lit ceremony), sweets and punjabi dancing. We got bindis, forehead smudges, and red stirngs around our wrists. We lit sparklers and firecrakers and went to a big buffet dinner around a beaside bonfire. In some ways, I would've liked to be in a bigger city to see more of the local action, but out little hoorah was special too. AND I've been lugging around ne pair of nice slacks in the bottom of my suitcase for months and I finally had an occasion to sport them! Thank you Divali!
Fellow Company: 20 women and one man (the spouse of one of the 20 women--poor Burte). I was shocked at the imbalance and my initial reaction was tinged with dismay. I love wmen, but let's be honest, we tend to clash when spending prolonged amounts of time with only each other and no testosterone to break up our girl power--I figured we were done for. The group actually meshed surprizingly well and I'd say caddiness did not even show its ugly face until after the thrid week (right around the time Ram left actually which is kinda a curious coincidence). This is all the more impressive because there were so many strong (and slightly spastic) personalities in the mix. the women were from all over the world (France, Italy, England, Turkey, Japan, Scotland, Slovinia, Holland...) and most were 30 years and up--only one younger than myself at an old 19. though it wasn't always easy, being with just women for a month was a blessing. We all agreed that we progressed at a quicker pace and were more true to ourselves for the lack of self-consciousness and empathetic environment. I was in the ocmpany f some really stong and amazing women with a bit more life under thier belts and I learned many lessons form their stories and sturggles and lifestyles. they showed me it is possible to step outside the cookie cutter and turn out better for it once there. they gave me laughter, inspiration and compassion. A short anecdote to illustrate the nature of this family we formed: After the visit to the ayruvedic center, we toodled around Calengutt--the nearby seaside town (not much to see) and I broke out in an inexpicable rash all over my torso. Corina took me to buy steroid cream before dinner that night, Beatrice comforted me while I itched and burned waiting for the group to get into cabs (a long ordeal), Lalit gave me ayurvedic soap, Jan smeared one cream on my front and lavender oil on my back and gave me oral drops to take (homeopathic stuff that tasted like vodka--it was totally unpalatable), Ram took me to the doctor where I got an anti-histamine shot in my upper thigh and a cream and a powder, Ester suggested I put yogurt on it (multiple times that week I could be found in my room covered in curd--worked amazingly well to fight the inflamation), Georgina gave me a Reiki session on the beach (also provided temporary relief) and everyne else had various theories of origin and remedies to offer. Unfortunately none of these remedies seemed to rid me of the irritation; the worst of it subsided after a few horribly uncomfortable days, but traces and patchs lingered stubbornly for over 2 weeks! And still the cause is unknown, but that's beside the point. I was touched by the enthusiasm with which each and every one of them approached the solving of my skin issues. I'm so grateful to have met these women who are so caring and bright, and I hope to keep in touch with the handful who have really touched my heart fr many years to come.
As I finish writing the entry I find myself with only a couple hours to go before out graduation puja and final party. My feelings are all over the place and seem to cancel eachother out; right now I feel calm (maybe there's a storm coming?). The course has been challenging in ways I didn't expect to be challenged. I now realize, it was those aspects outside the physical that needed a push--my spirituality, patience, compassion and capacity to connect with others despite their differences from myself have all grown over the past month. I take comfort in knowing this will likely not be my last teacher training, nor will it be my only visit to India. I can see it written in the stars--no astro reading needed.
Ram- When I first saw him dressed in the traditional yogi's all white tunic and floor length lungi (like a skirt), his raven hair cascading in waves down his back, full beard and bright eyes, two words came to mind- Indian Jesus. And actually, I wasn't to far off. He was introduced to us as our spiritual leader; I met the title with my usual skepticism, but Ram knocked down my walls with his wisdon and supernatural perception. Every word he spoke seemed to be the right one and in no time the lot of us were eating up his every utterance. There was just something about him--a certain glow, a certain energy. His prescence was calming and yet I felt a slight uneasiness as well, as though he could read my thoughts and I have a feeling he probably could (to some extent), but I know he'd never pass judgment. Despite his insightful and spirtitual ways, he managed to maintain normalcy--one of the reasons he earned my respect--swimming with us on the weekend, dancing punjabi style with Lalit anc craking jokes now and again. He left a week early and some of the group's peace followed him home. I was sorry to see him go, but I feel ut paths may cross again later in life, so until then...
Dr. Rohit-the Ayurvedic doctor who came in once for twice a week to teach us about "the science of living" is a young Indian man with a round face and a big smile and a loving personality. He came to class dressed unneccessarily well in a button down shirt and slacks (much too warm attire for the climate)and was ever patient with our questions and endlessly enthusiastic and kind.
Ken- 'Ken the rolfer' as he claims to be known in the countries he's previuosly visited, was our anatomy teacher. He seemed not to quite realize we were in India as he was always fussing with his fancy computer graphic program and his projector which sometimes managed to put up a wavvy image on the sheet rigged up in the shala. Of course we couldn't make out a darned thing n the wrinkled cloth with daylight streaming in through the openings in the makeshift walls (also sheets) and still he was dissapointed every time the power went out. But it's then we did our best learning--we had to resort to feeling eachother's bones and muscles and those in our own bodies and with Ken's maticulous directions on where and how to poke and prod, we witnessed the inner mechanics of bodies in motion with our hands. Cool.
Asana Yoga: this was the part that most surprized me. I had anticipated being really challenged in asana class and probably towards the lower end of the spectrum in terms of ability level. In fact, it was just the opposite. The classes were geared really towards beginners especially in the first week and then they built up as time progressed. Still, we mostly stuck to the basic poses and only a small handful of classes worked specifically on arm balances and backbending. As a result my own practice didn't improve in the way I'd hoped it would, but it was beneficial for me to go back to the basics and put the finishing touches on each pose there. And hey, 2 classes of yoga every day (1.5-2 hrs each) is still a lot of yoga with or without more advanced postures. In the 3rd week, we started practicum in which we rotated teaching bits of each class. This slowed progress in our personal practices even more, but the cost was well worth it. I loved every minute of teaching. It feels natural and fun to step into the teaching role--I can't wait to have a class of my own! (I still crave deeper and more challenging poses, but rarely does one teacher training suffice, so the next will be for that.)
Course Material: We covered a huge range of topics in our lectures: ayurvedic medicine, chakras, yoga philosophy, mudras, ethics, kryias, anatomy and more. I loved ayurveda--fascinating and fun--we got to figure out our doshas (energy makeup) which dictate the lifestyle and diet that will be best for optimum health. I'd be happy to do yours when I get back :) Ken's teaching was shaky but I still adore anatomy and last semester's ostelogy course put me ahead of the game there which was great--I'll use the info I got from the workshops in my own classes for sure. Chakras and mudras were both short and sweet--there are lots of interesting tidbits there-colors and symbols and sunds etc. Yoga philosophy mostly became nap time, however, and ethics and business were somewhere in between. Kryias were ...neat (some more feasible than others), they're basically cleansing techniques and we tried out a few including the neti pot. You pour warm salt water in one nostril and it comes out the other--wanna try? (actually it is a pretty nice sensation if you do it correctly and your breath feels cool and clean afterwards)
Free Time: Didn't seem like we had a ton of time to work on out tans, but what time we did have, I spent in unexciting ways for the most part--naps (at least until Dr. Rohit told me someone who's a Pitta-Vatha (me) shouldn't sleep during the day because it makes 'em lazy--he's right by the way), internet, reading, homework, beaching, goin to Arambol--the town down the beach--to shop or eat or whatever. There are a few specific things worth mentioning though:
- My friends from Mysore Kate and Melina from were staying in Arambol and came to meet me for dinner. It was so fun to see then again and trade stories and tell them my initial impression of the prgram. Hard for all of us to believe, but it was their last night when we had dinner so we had a coctail and dessert to send them back to real life in style.
-The first weekend there, me and 3 other girls went uot on a fishing boat early Sunday morning for dolphin watching. For the first hour, we saw nothing but sun and sea and then when out spirits were starting to drop, suddenly a fin appeared and then a few more and then lots! For the next hour, we saw tons of the majestic creatures, some light and some dark, all beautiful and graceful.
-The next weekend we all visited an ayurvedic center and it was sorta neat and sorta repetitive form class, but the best part was the delicious and fresh satvvic (tanslation: super healthy veg) lunch.
-Not wanting to miss out on the festivities f Oct. 31, I organized a haloween soiree for us, encouraged everyone to be creative and dress up and got some candy to make it official. I was superwoman (undies over pants of course), some gypsies, a cat and a Hindu demon were among the other outfits.
-Divali, one of the biggest festivals in India came during the course. It selebrates different things depending on who you ask, but essentially it's a few days set aside to honor the divine light in each of us--nice huh? Lalit and the gang had us all over for a puja (candel lit ceremony), sweets and punjabi dancing. We got bindis, forehead smudges, and red stirngs around our wrists. We lit sparklers and firecrakers and went to a big buffet dinner around a beaside bonfire. In some ways, I would've liked to be in a bigger city to see more of the local action, but out little hoorah was special too. AND I've been lugging around ne pair of nice slacks in the bottom of my suitcase for months and I finally had an occasion to sport them! Thank you Divali!
Fellow Company: 20 women and one man (the spouse of one of the 20 women--poor Burte). I was shocked at the imbalance and my initial reaction was tinged with dismay. I love wmen, but let's be honest, we tend to clash when spending prolonged amounts of time with only each other and no testosterone to break up our girl power--I figured we were done for. The group actually meshed surprizingly well and I'd say caddiness did not even show its ugly face until after the thrid week (right around the time Ram left actually which is kinda a curious coincidence). This is all the more impressive because there were so many strong (and slightly spastic) personalities in the mix. the women were from all over the world (France, Italy, England, Turkey, Japan, Scotland, Slovinia, Holland...) and most were 30 years and up--only one younger than myself at an old 19. though it wasn't always easy, being with just women for a month was a blessing. We all agreed that we progressed at a quicker pace and were more true to ourselves for the lack of self-consciousness and empathetic environment. I was in the ocmpany f some really stong and amazing women with a bit more life under thier belts and I learned many lessons form their stories and sturggles and lifestyles. they showed me it is possible to step outside the cookie cutter and turn out better for it once there. they gave me laughter, inspiration and compassion. A short anecdote to illustrate the nature of this family we formed: After the visit to the ayruvedic center, we toodled around Calengutt--the nearby seaside town (not much to see) and I broke out in an inexpicable rash all over my torso. Corina took me to buy steroid cream before dinner that night, Beatrice comforted me while I itched and burned waiting for the group to get into cabs (a long ordeal), Lalit gave me ayurvedic soap, Jan smeared one cream on my front and lavender oil on my back and gave me oral drops to take (homeopathic stuff that tasted like vodka--it was totally unpalatable), Ram took me to the doctor where I got an anti-histamine shot in my upper thigh and a cream and a powder, Ester suggested I put yogurt on it (multiple times that week I could be found in my room covered in curd--worked amazingly well to fight the inflamation), Georgina gave me a Reiki session on the beach (also provided temporary relief) and everyne else had various theories of origin and remedies to offer. Unfortunately none of these remedies seemed to rid me of the irritation; the worst of it subsided after a few horribly uncomfortable days, but traces and patchs lingered stubbornly for over 2 weeks! And still the cause is unknown, but that's beside the point. I was touched by the enthusiasm with which each and every one of them approached the solving of my skin issues. I'm so grateful to have met these women who are so caring and bright, and I hope to keep in touch with the handful who have really touched my heart fr many years to come.
As I finish writing the entry I find myself with only a couple hours to go before out graduation puja and final party. My feelings are all over the place and seem to cancel eachother out; right now I feel calm (maybe there's a storm coming?). The course has been challenging in ways I didn't expect to be challenged. I now realize, it was those aspects outside the physical that needed a push--my spirituality, patience, compassion and capacity to connect with others despite their differences from myself have all grown over the past month. I take comfort in knowing this will likely not be my last teacher training, nor will it be my only visit to India. I can see it written in the stars--no astro reading needed.
No comments:
Post a Comment