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
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