Taken from Aug/Sept 2013 India blog posts-

So for any of you who don’t know the reason form my 6 weeks stay in Rishikesh, here is where  I will elaborate a bit more.  My first and foremost reason is that I will be attending a 6 week Yoga Teacher Training course here, in the Yoga capital of the world. I had been practicing yoga back when I was in school and on and off ever since, which we had to discuss in front of our new group during our first day at the school- but I will get to that! It’s not that I want to necessarily be a teacher after the, but I figure I would rather do it for the experience and journey rather than having high expectations of myself at the end. I’m no expert at yoga and my being here, Is the beginning of my real yogic journey, my aim to learn the philosophy and practice of yoga in detail. If teaching comes from that then so be it, I will take it all as it comes. 

So to begin with, my less yogic like journey to Rishikesh itself was something entirely different. I had been in contact with Raine, Franzisca & Susie online through the Rishikesh Yog Peeth (our school) website and group emails. It was so great knowing that I would arrive to Delhi once again having people there to meet me and that we would all take this journey together. After two short flights but a long transit overall, I arrived In Delhi for the second time during the trip, only this time my flight was late. I wandered around through the exits to find my new yogi’s and the private car that would take us to Rishikesh. I was so late, but when I arrived we all were so glad to see each other. We finally left in the car, which then took a further 9 hours on familiar bumpy roads, with a few stops along the way for food and toilets etc. The route to Rishikesh had been changed due to the Shiva festival which saw thousands of people dressed in orange marching from Rishikesh to Delhi, and this was the reason for the longer than usual transit to Rishikesh.

With the four of us in the car, we alternated between conversations, listening to ‘Im a Barbie Girl’ on the stereo and taking well deserved nap times, before finally reaching Rishikesh at around 10:30pm Aug 3rd. Our course would start on the 5th but our orientation would be on the 4th therefore we were super happy to have arrived with some time to spare. We were all so relieved when we were shown to the Krishna Cottage where we would be staying, and furthermore to our private rooms. I was ecstatic to see my large room, complete with King size bed, Balcony and En suite which I could finally unpack, having been used to on the go travelling for the previous 4 weeks. Krishna Cottage itself seemed beautiful and had a jungle setting, with a grassy courtyard, a dining hall, and overlooking balconies surrounding it. We all decided to get a shower and head straight to bed. The next morning breakfast was at 8:30am, unbeknownst to me, so I didn’t wake until 9:30- I much preferred the extra sleep anyway! I met the girls down at reception where we gave our documentation, filled in some forms and paid our fee. We paid USD$1250 for our 6 week course which included all your food, your private room and your training which was incredible, as I would probably spend that on a general  trip with no training included.

It’s always hard to hand over your beloved credit card when you know how much you are spending and are on a budget but working t out at around $20 per day is an absolute bargain. When all the serious stuff was done, we decided to head to the market stalls in and around Ram Jhula and Laksman Jhula which are the areas surrounding where we are staying in just near Rishikesh. After a long walk around, popping in and out of quirky shops and admiring scenery of the Ganges and mountains along the way, we handed in our laundry in one of the only laundrettes we could find and right next to a beauty parlour, which we were also looking for. After a bit of waxing and threading, we were on our way onwards through more of the somewhat busy streets, when we decided to stop for some lunch in Lucky Restaurant, where we all had amazing meals including Paneer Butter Masala, Palak, Mushroom Masala & Cheese Dosa along with plenty of naan breads. The food was amazing, and the waiter wasn’t bad either. We laughed a lot yesterday and it seemed like we were all quite similar people with a similar sense of humour. It was at the orientation ceremony  later that evening after a rest and a shower-It was scorching in Rishikesh,-,that we met the rest of our group from Krishna Cottage and the other half from Surya Palace, which we had been divided into at the beginning. The orientation began with a prayer at the top of the room and we all watched in awe at the ceremony . During the prayer we were each given a red bracelet on our right hand, markings on our foreheads and some Indian sweets. Towards the end we were invited to come to take part in the prayer by gathering at the front and two by two, moving a chalice of candles in circular motion in front of the statue. Im not quite sure of the meaning of the prayer but it was an amazing experience and it was so nice to be able to take part as a group. All of us who are in the same boat experiencing the same things here.

After the prayer, we had a talk about the schedule we would be undertaking in our 6 weeks. It goes as follows

-5am- wake up

-5:30am- Herbal Tea

-5:45-6:00am- yogic cleansing (using a Neti pot with salt water to clear the nasal passages)

-6:00-8:00am- Mantra/Asana/Pranayama (yoga, breathing, chanting)

- 8:30am- Breakfast

-9:30-10:30am Philosophy

-10:45-11:45am- Anatomy and Physiology

- 1pm- Lunch

- 5:30pm-7:pm- Asana and Paranayama (yoga and breathing)

- 7pm- silence to be observed onwards

-7:15pm- Dinner

- 8:30pm-9pm Meditation

-10pm -Lights out

We then headed back to Krishna Cottage, while the other half stayed at their homes away from homes at Surya Palace. I really loved that we were brought to Krishna Cottage and that we were altogether, It is an amazing place and setting here. I was so excited to start on my new journey, for whatever reasons I have been  brought here,  for whatever experiences I am destined to learn and whomever I am supposed to cross paths with along the way! Our first day would be tomorrow! 5am let's be having you!

I AM SO READY!!!

X

This blog topic came to me as I was sitting in a cross leg meditative pose during the end of my yoga practice this evening. Listening to the song 'Remember' by Omkara, I did in fact start to reminisce in deep thought about the last time I had listened to this song and from there I continued to reminisce about all the emotions I had during that time. I had last listened to it in a yogic sense, during my final teaching practice at Rishikesh Yog Peeth while my students were in Shivasana. In that very moment I felt so full of new knowledge, so free and so full of love and happiness.

As I sat in position, wrists resting on my knees, palms facing up and with thumb touching finger, It occurred to me that a lot of people in this world have misconceptions about yoga and the true meaning of it. Since travelling after India, and with my new found yogic mindset and knowledge, I have been approached with many questions. Such as -how great it is to do yoga to lose weight or how yoga isn't as hard core as other exercises or even people asking me what the hardest pose is that I can do. Truth be told, I'm not an expert and never claim to be, but yoga is and always will be a personal journey. The basis of yoga comes down to your lifestyle and maintaining balance in your life by incorporating pranayama (breathing), asana (physical poses) and meditation (to still your mind).

Yoga is you and you are yoga. As my philosophy teacher in Rishikesh used to start off with 'Yoga for me is......' And I would say that yoga for me is in fact, a lifestyle. I don't do yoga to lose weight or to show off as a fitness freak, I do yoga because It makes me feel calm, it helps me see clearer in my life, it helps me every day to better myself both at my practice and in my life and yes of course feeling somewhat good about your body is icing on the cake right?

These days there are variations of yoga such as Bikram, which is a form of yoga performed in a heated sauna type room. The aim is to circulate the blood faster, help you attain postures faster and to promote a healthier body which are all great, but it seems that in the western world yoga is sometimes just used as a form of exercise. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't too aware of the meaning of yoga before going to India but having learned so much about the spirituality and energetic levels of the whole lifestyle, I wanted to write this blog to share what I have learned and hopefully encourage people to go straight to the source of yoga and judge for themselves.

Yoga is a beautiful way of life and everybody should try all aspects of it sometime in their life to gain the true reality of it. In a perfect world I would say that everybody should go to Rishikesh- the birthplace of yoga and the place with the best energy I have ever been-, but that's easier said than done. Search yourself and take it step by step.. As Roshan said to us at the beginning of our yoga course 'Yoga will find you'.

Om Shanti x