Yoga Teacher Training 3

The next stages of the yoga teacher training have been extremely satisfying. There is so much more to yoga than I imagined. After going over the philosophy we've now started to focus on the physical practice. In a couple of classes we've focused on the Surya Namaskar A and some other positions in the primary series.

    

We are so fortunate to have teachers like Kumi Yogini and JQ William guiding us. They make a great team: Kumi is very nurturing and particular about the existential aspects of yoga while JQ’s attention to detail and her knowledge of anatomy and physiology gives all of a practical understanding of the yoga positions. 

This is all an opportunity for us to learn how to improve our own practice and at the same time become very comfortable with helping others perfect there's. What's even more profound is our ability to help people avoid getting hurt while pushing themselves to grow in yoga. The teachers at Veda yoga are doing great justice to their teachers before them. We focused on perfecting the teaching of down dog and chaturanga dandasana along with the correct positioning of our arms, hands, hips, legs, feet, and back. Kumi also makes a great point by showing us that there are planes of positioning in all the positions of yoga. This makes a big difference to a person like me, as I visual really well. With this knowledge, I was able to see how I could improve people’s postures better.

Something really important in our research and practice is how focused and collaborative the class is. Everyone supports one another, there is positivity, honesty, and a willingness to volunteer. I'm so honored to be part of a great yoga teacher training group.

One of my favorite parts about the last couple of practical exercises has been massaging people doing yoga. Personally, it's my favorite thing when I practice in yoga classes. The  teacher comes around while I'm doing a pigeon pose or something else and they push down on my back or they squeeze my arm or pull or correct something in my body. It feels so great and sometimes if the yoga teacher is intuitive enough there is an incredible feeling of relief, support, and nurture. We got to practice those massage techniques on each other and I am so excited to bring that kind of attention to future yoga practitioners who attend classes I lead. I've always been very fond of the power of touch and yoga is a great opportunity to serve people while they are working very hard to let go of physical and emotional blocks.

The journey continues and I am so excited to receive an abundance of wisdom from all those participating in this training.

Follow Indy Rishi Singh’s journey into teacher training for yoga or visit www.iLiving.guru to learn more - come experience a laughter meditation

Day 2 YTT - History/Philosophy of Yoga

The 2nd day of teacher training started with one of the most intense yoga practices I've ever experienced. It was taught by the Hiro, a phenomenal example of a teacher who explains so well you can follow his directions with your eyes closed (I tried a couple times!).

I learned how important it is to maintain a foundation that allows you to hover if you need to. That was a great metaphor too. If we really want to float, to fly, we need to build a foundation that can support that flight.

After the yoga class we did acroyoga. It was my first try and I really loved how both people need to work together to make something beautiful. Acroyoga is a new practice in the yoga arena.

Then, after lunch, we dug deep into yoga history. In my own analysis, I've found that most yoga teachers lack knowledge of the history and basic tenets of yoga. This troubles me, as I am a self knighted guardian of wisdom (like an untrained kung-fu panda). In the training, we discussed the history of yoga, and delighted in the passage of this spiritual and physical knowledge.

The class learned about Sri T. Krishnamacharya, who developed and established the Ashtanga style. Indra Devi and BNS Iyengar took his teachings and delivered yoga to the West and to people seeking health from diseased states, respectively. I have a newfound appreciation and gratitude for all the people who have passed the knowledge of yoga down the vines of history and into studios like Veda Yoga in the heart of Los Angeles in 2016.

We also read the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I was so happy we read the sanskrit and the English versions. We discussed each line. It felt true to discuss this wisdom as a collective. I found it especially interesting that yoga was initially intended to conquer the senses. It was also refreshing that we are incorporating the “spiritual” side of yoga with the physical side.

During yoga, there are times that we feel we can't go further. If and when we breathe, and take ourselves out of the physical limitations, we find that we can travel further along the existential path. We are all finding meaning, we are all searching for answers to our ailments, and we will only find them if we go all in-discovering the Awareness behind our perceptions.

Follow Indy Rishi Singh’s  journey into teacher training for yoga or visit www.iLiving.guru to learn more - come experience a laughter meditation

1st day of Yoga Teacher Training

The class singing "Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu"

-May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and freedom for all.

Am I committed or am I attached? We touched on this subject on the first day of Yoga Teacher Training at Veda Yoga in Los Angeles, California. I felt an intense thinking. I wondered how long had I been confusing those two ideas. Then in that circle, where we passed around feelings, excitements, and fears, I realized I was embarking on a monumental experiment into new dimensions of perception.

It was so appropriate that we began with mantras on the first day, even while we practiced the physical Yoga. Mantras and music are meaning something so much more in my life. They are quintessential for our happiness, security, and success. The very nature of redirecting our focus away from doubt and fears is harmonizes our bodies and the environment.

I found myself imagining the 7 Rishi’s sitting around a beautiful, fire dedication. The teachers organized a terrific altar in the center of the circle that resonated my vision.  The Rishis’ were committed to the curiosity about the evolution of mankind. It lead to practices that have allowed many to experience elevated states of physical health, perception, and superconscious ecstasies. I felt the Shiva dance above the fire and the Rishis commit to the experiment they chose to participate in.

Veda Yoga, and its teachers and beneficiaries, are a conduit of that ancient knowledge which was passed down through experiments, practice, documentation, and repeated evaluation. In Los Angeles, California an Indian-Canadian-American wannabe mystic, is connecting to an ancient knowledge that is embedded in his very DNA.

As grateful and excited as I am about learning Yoga and becoming an effective teacher, I am more elated about the people who I will be traveling with these next few months and the incredible transformation we will make together. This is why the journey is better than the destination.

Follow Indy Rishi Singh’s  journey into teacher training for yoga or visit www.iLiving.guru to learn more - come experience a laughter meditation