It’s been a few days since I have left the ashram where I spent the entire month of February to live the “yogic lifestyle” by learning and applying the essence of this science that is yoga.

Here I am in possession of a certificate attesting that I have “successfully undergone the Teacher Training Course – Hatha Yoga Therapy (300 hrs)” in an ashram of the Swami Sivananda lineage.

How do I feel and what does this certificate represent to me? This is what I have been thinking about since the end of the course. Reflections that I wanted to share with you to give you an idea of what a yoga training can look like in an ashram in India.

My intentions at the beginning were clear.  I wanted to add new skills to my new professional path as a meditation conductor and as a future meditation retreat organizer, and also to deepen my own personal practice. I learned a lot during the month, but I still feel the urge of learning more.

I hesitated to take this training because I feared to be an impostor – to be the only one not teaching yoga. My inferiority complex dissipated when I met the rest of the group. We were 30 students of which less than 10 were already teaching. Many were even new to Yoga. We were almost half men/half women, one-third of Indians and the rest came from North and South America and Europe.

Several had inspiring “success stories”. There was this man who started practicing yoga just two months ago to change his lifestyle and tackle his obesity. He lost a lot of weight during the training in addition to gaining flexibility. I noticed a certain pride and a new sweetness appeared on his face, which said a lot about his external and internal process. Some of the Indians had a masters degree in yoga (2 years of university) but were lacking a hands-on practice of yoga.  And many, without knowing it at the beginning, came to heal deep inner wounds.

The training took place on a very large farm surrounded by beautiful nature in a village outside the city of Mysore in southern India.

During our induction session, we learned that we would have no day off during the 28 days of our training. Added to this was the rule that we were not allowed to leave the ashram to go to the neighboring village or to go to town – anyway, we wouldn’t have time. The experience of the ashram was announced as a total immersion, intense and deep … and it had been!

An overview of the days

Our days started at 5 am and ended at 8:30 pm. As soon as we got up, in the dark and cool weather, we had to do some “shatkarmas” – techniques to purify, solidify and balance the body -. The “softer” example is the “jala neti” which consists of cleaning the nose by rinsing the nostrils with salt warm water to eliminate mucus and other accumulated toxins.

Three pieces of papaya (!) and a tea were then served before the class of asana (yoga poses) that lasted for 3 hours (from 7 am to 10 am). The course was a good mix of stretching and strengthening exercises (Pawanmuktanasana series) with a special focus on the abdominals and the arms in order to prepare the body to achieve more advanced asana like sirsasana (headstand). Then, we were doing a few rounds of suriya namaskar (sun salutations) and a sequence of asana. One morning, we did 108 sun salutations, which took us over two hours! I was glowing! Over the weeks, we practiced the same sequence of 26 asanas with different variations, including a therapeutic aspect for people with obesity, diabetes, back pain injuries, breathing problems and we also had a class for pregnant women.

Starving after the asana class, our lunch was served – rice, rice and rice! (delicious with peanuts, lime or vegetables) or, less pleasing, the semonila (a grain of wheat) served mashed with the vegetables of the moment (best for dessert in my opinion). The next and last meal was served at 18:30, again rice – but another variety – with lentils (dhal) and vegetables. The same dishes were waiting for us every day apart from some pleasant surprises that occurred during the month for our greatest pleasure. Surprisingly, this “test” of agreeing to eat so much rice for the whole month went well on my side (better than during my first training) – and I continue to eat rice since! The food was tasty and very spicy towards the end of the course, quite healthy and plentiful.

Karma Yoga

An important aspect of an ashram is the “karma yoga – the yoga of action”. Each student was given a task to do, the same for two weeks, and a new one for the last two weeks. I first helped to cut the vegetables for the evening meal, and then I had to clean the outside of the ashram by sweeping away the dead leaf on the long dusty path and resting areas. By doing karma yoga, the individual is called to perform a task with deep respect and full attention and intention while putting his ego aside. A selfless action.

The classes immediately resumed after karma yoga with two theoretical sessions on the philosophy of Yoga then on anatomy. The afternoon ended with a hands-on – and refreshing – class that included exercises of pranayama (to control the breath) bandha (energy lock), concentration with trataka (by fixing the point between the two eyebrows), and a meditation that was often a yoga Nidra. This form of meditation is done by listening to the instructor’s voice guiding you to pay attention to each part of your body, then to your breath and it can finish with a visualization. Yoga Nidra, also called “yogic sleep”, provides a deep state of relaxation while regenerating the mind and body.

The day ended with the kirtan class after the evening meal. We were chanting mantras and Hindu songs (in Sanskrit), recognized as the best medicine to open our hearts. The vibrations of these songs are known to have an immediate positive effect on the mood.

Group and individual therapy

It was only towards the end of the course that I realized that the training was actually a therapy for us, the students.

• A therapy that aimed – and succeeded –  to push our physical limits into the asana class and throughout the day.
• A therapy to remove mental blocks (when we say: I’m not able to …) when doing some asana – like the famous “headstand” a good way to eliminate the fear of falling – physically and literally – and the demanding “kapalbhati”, an excellent breathing exercise that is done by exhaling only while pushing the belly inwards as if it wanted to touch the spine. Towards the end of the month, we were doing “kapalbhati” for over 20 minutes, which represents more than 1200 counts!
• A therapy to release and remove emotional blockages. The group went through a few waves of tension and emotions, from anger to sadness.

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Moments of silence and of solitude I missed along the way.  Days were long and very demanding, so to hear people complaining and criticizing while we were all trying to negotiate with our ego, were propitious factors to further diminish our energy – at least mine and those who were also sensitive in this regard.

The practice of yoga is all about transformations at all levels (physical, emotional and mental) and the purpose is to free our mind in order to understand our true “Self”.

The director of the ashram often told us to practice yoga as we wish to teach. It’s only by experiencing a yogic life that we can understand it, apply it, find our true inner harmony and teach it with love and conviction.

 

All this therapy to understand – or rather to be reminded – that this is yoga: “When you and your actions are in harmony”, as the director of the ashram taught us. Harmony occurs when peace prevails within. Peace prevails within when we are in harmony with ourselves. A fragile balance maintained by our way of life, practice, patience…

I will get back to you soon with more details about my upcoming “Cultural Meditation Retreats” that I want to organize this year. The first one would be in Nepal, in July or August, tailored according to the participants. I see a small group of 10 people. You can write me if you would like more information.

Namaste,

Happiness and serenity,

Nathalie