What is Yoga?
by Prati
First Day at Yoga Institute http://www.svyasa.org/ in Bangalore (1st November 2010):
I arrived for my one month yoga teacher training with more baggage than one should have at a yoga institute, thanks to my almost two years old son and mother. Cayden and I immediately set on exploration, leaving my mother alone to put things in some kind of order at our temporary living space.
As usual, the little munchkin is on my hip, I hear voices, “Nice kid, cute kid…” of course, I had to investigate the source and stumbled on a class full of students in various yoga postures. As it turns out, they were in their second year, a year shy from getting the bachelors in yoga. Cayden happily decided to create mayhem, but those yogis instead of shooing him away, started to twist him in yoga poses. So I decide to stay put while Cayden figures outs crawling between hands when people are in hand stand or climbing on their stomach while in boat pose is lot more fun.
Every one of them could do wheel from standing position then move to hand stand with no support, a split with the torso flat on the floor, bow pose with head and toes touching, even mayur asana, which takes years of practice. I couldn’t help but ask “how long did it take you guys to master these poses?”, them “ almost a year” , me “ how many hours every day?” them “ two hours “ and so on. The dialogue ends like this “these are just asanas, easy to learn, what’s tough is to integrate them in everyday life, to learn the health benefits and help cure various ailments, not only that, but understand the real purpose (of yoga) and live accordingly”.
I couldn’t help but question myself “do I see yoga the same way or a glorified, fashionable way to tone by body first and mind comes later?” Realization sets in- I have a long way to go when it comes to real understanding of yoga. My head involuntarily bowed down to this youngster, the “yogis” in true sense.
*You can checkout one of Prati's Yoga classes at the center, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings, check the website calendar for exact times and location at www.nlhealingartscenter.org
by Prati
First Day at Yoga Institute http://www.svyasa.org/ in Bangalore (1st November 2010):
I arrived for my one month yoga teacher training with more baggage than one should have at a yoga institute, thanks to my almost two years old son and mother. Cayden and I immediately set on exploration, leaving my mother alone to put things in some kind of order at our temporary living space.
As usual, the little munchkin is on my hip, I hear voices, “Nice kid, cute kid…” of course, I had to investigate the source and stumbled on a class full of students in various yoga postures. As it turns out, they were in their second year, a year shy from getting the bachelors in yoga. Cayden happily decided to create mayhem, but those yogis instead of shooing him away, started to twist him in yoga poses. So I decide to stay put while Cayden figures outs crawling between hands when people are in hand stand or climbing on their stomach while in boat pose is lot more fun.
Every one of them could do wheel from standing position then move to hand stand with no support, a split with the torso flat on the floor, bow pose with head and toes touching, even mayur asana, which takes years of practice. I couldn’t help but ask “how long did it take you guys to master these poses?”, them “ almost a year” , me “ how many hours every day?” them “ two hours “ and so on. The dialogue ends like this “these are just asanas, easy to learn, what’s tough is to integrate them in everyday life, to learn the health benefits and help cure various ailments, not only that, but understand the real purpose (of yoga) and live accordingly”.
I couldn’t help but question myself “do I see yoga the same way or a glorified, fashionable way to tone by body first and mind comes later?” Realization sets in- I have a long way to go when it comes to real understanding of yoga. My head involuntarily bowed down to this youngster, the “yogis” in true sense.
*You can checkout one of Prati's Yoga classes at the center, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings, check the website calendar for exact times and location at www.nlhealingartscenter.org