The fourth week – the path of yoga
It’s over. It is really over. I just don’t believe it. I wish I could continue with this intense learning. I don’t want this time with this amazing community to be over. I’m glad that I stay for another month to be a volunteer, keep practicing yoga and teach yoga. But let’s not run so much ahead in time…
Meditation reloaded
This week we got off the yoga mat and exchanged our morning silent meditation for active meditation. For a couple of days we had Kundalini meditation on the menu, that is a 4 phase process. First we shake our body for the rhythm of the music, then dance freely letting our body move on its own way without the control of the mind. In the third phase we meditate in silence, focusing on Agyna chakra, on our third eye, and finally we lay in Savasana, in corpse pose in silence, letting the whole process sink in. Right at the first occasion I went for a psychedelic trip – at least this is how I imagine it. My third eye radiated light, then slowly transformed into a whirling, colorful energy center. During Savasana my left arm started to levitate. It surprised me so much, that I opened my eyes to check what is going on, but of course my arm was on the floor. I swear I did not take anything illegal, but this is just amazing.
The last three days of the week we were practicing Osho Nadabrahma meditation. This is a three phase meditation that starts with humming in long exhales and through the humming feeling the vibration in our body. This vibration fills the body with energy. In the next phases we share energy with slow movements, than receive energy. After the intense energy sublimation and sharing me spend the last phase in Savasana.
Further success in my practice
I am grateful for every minute spent on the yoga mat. I managed to perform further asanas, that seemed impossible before, proving the power of constant practice. The feeling is really similar to my experience in mountaineering: many times I think, that my body is not designed for this, I can’t perform like I think I should. But this is just an illusion, a creation of my mind, and can be turned into a positive thought just as easily as the negative thought was created. We are simply capable of doing much more than we think we are.
Exams
On Wednesday afternoon everyone was successfully over the last teaching practice and assessment. My evaluation and final teaching practice was on Tuesday, in the morning and was like a real life class with some challenges. After the first 10 minutes salty water started to pour out of my nose (remained there from the morning cleansing) and did not stop for a while. And the thai tissues are super thin. I needed to insert a couple of resting poses to be held longer by the class (Child pose and Downward facing dog) so that I can blow my nose. But these are the things happening on an actual class as well, so I didn’t mind much. The sequence was really good, I liked it a lot. My group enjoyed it and my evaluating teacher was also very positive. I received great advices how to develop further in the future, but the final assessment was, that ‘I am confident enough and have a good base to teach as I am now’. Yey.
As we had our third week’s exam on Monday, the last obstacle to overcome to get the yoga teacher title was the final theory exam on Saturday. We were tested on all the theory and practice we went through during the four weeks. And we all passed.
Fresh graduates
We had our graduation ceremony on Saturday, in a beautiful garden up on the hill, with a view of the sea. It was full of emotional moments, love and gratitude. Ishi, the manager of the school let us making the first steps as yoga teachers with a personalized message to each one of us, as we went through our last common process, the Angels Walk. He whispered my message to my left ear, where I am half deaf. I was upset for a millisecond, but I realized, that the words doesn’t matter much, I could feel the love, the support and encouragement anyway. I am a yoga teacher.