Yoga-Darshini : How it all began (2)

Overpacking my bags with too many clothes – because I had no clue how much clothes I would need and how frequently I would be able to wash them, too many books -because I had no clue how much time I will have on my hand and also lugging my laptop along (good grief, what was I even thinking) for a good measure, off I went to my Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre – Meenakshi Ashram in Madurai, to do my Teacher Training Course (TTC).

The serene and picturesque ashram with its spacious yoga / satsang halls, a divine temple, airy dorms and vast open space captivated my heart. I arrived 2 days earlier and took the first half of the day to settle down and complete all registration formalities. Everyday, at 8 am and 4 pm, open yoga class will be lead and I set off jauntily to my first ever Sivananda open class. I usually don’t do too much research before I embarking on any experience because I would like to experience it without any preconceived notions…and also am a little lazy to do intensive research.

So, in the first yoga class (before the teacher training started), imagine my shock when the very first asana that we had to do after pranayam and surya namaskar was the headstand! And all around me, I saw people effortlessly throwing their legs up and standing on their head – as if it was the most natural thing to do! To say I was flabbergasted is an understatement.

And it got progressively worse. Sitting forward bend – my hands barely reached my knees. Crow pose had me squatting and falling on my face. Standing forward bend hand me looking like a question mark with my hands nowhere in the vicinity of my toes, while I saw people around me having their nose pressed into their legs! Anyway, I somehow endured that 2 hour class and was glad to be out of it.

The next evening we had our initiation where we were given our course materials and two sets of uniform. We were told except for the Hatha yoga sessions, we were to wear our uniform for all other classes. Ha! I felt like all the clothes in my large suitcase were having a good laugh. We got a detail of our schedule, introduced to our teachers and also introduced ourselves to each other. We were a batch of 45 (approx) and we had students from all over the world, from different walks of life, across various age groups, with different reasons to do the TTC.

After the first TTC yoga class, I went to my teacher – one of the most kindest and inspiring persons – and told her that maybe I should drop out of the course as I felt I was not fit for this. I told her that most of my fellow batch mates are already so advanced in their practice while I know nothing about yoga and that my body is not flexible for this practice. She said, “Advanced means different things to different people. I would encourage you to stay because you have no unlearning to do in this process. Don’t worry about anything. Just stay and do the course.” And her words made me feel safer and gave me the confidence that I can indeed finish the course.

The schedule was packed. We started the day at 5.30 am, and it went on till 10 pm. Apart from yoga asanas, we were taught bhagvat gita, yoga philosophy, chanting and yoga anatomy. We had two meals a day – satvic (food that calms the mind and facilitates focus – less salt, very less spice, no onion, no garlic, freshly cooked) vegetarian food and we all were assigned duties around the ashram as a part of Karma yoga. I was assigned the cleaning of dining hall after morning meal. There was hardly any time to rest. Not to mention all the washing we had to do, what with wearing the uniform almost all through the day. But never for a moment we felt tired or exhausted. The atmosphere was such that we felt so energetic and charged all through the day.

The power of routine and discipline is just amazing. It works wonders in freeing us of our mental agitations, anxieties, idle, wasteful and useless thoughts and uplifts us. As my Pujya Guruji says, on a physical level, there is good health, mental level we enjoy purity of thoughts and on an intellectual there is sharp, clear and decisive thinking. The one month with rigorous asana and pranayama practice, vedantic studies, a strict satvic diet with regular sleep and wake up times gave an inkling of how effortless life can be if we can focus and channelize our energy.

Having prior exposure to vedanta was a big advantage for me. Asana and pranayama practice felt like practical session to all the vedantic theory. I could intuitively feel how the practice was working not just on the physical level but also on a mental and spiritual level too. Also, I could feel my body opening up with every single day of practice.

And when we had our teaching sessions, it felt like the most natural thing for me to do. That state of flow that I experienced while teaching was so humbling and gratifying at the same time. After so many wonderful experiences, new friends, better knowledge and understanding about my own body, mind and my own Self, we all successfully completed our examination, got certified as yoga teachers and bade farewell to our amazing teachers, to each other and to the wonderful ashram.

Armed with my certificate, carrying all my heavy luggage but with such lightness in my body and mind, I came back home…did I start teaching soon after? To be continued…