India and Beyond
10 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in Beachfront Yoga Classes, India 2010, Nisargadatta, Rishikesh, Sattva Yoga, Yoga Classes Jupiter, Yoga Juno Beach, Yoga Palm Beach Gardens, Yoga Philosophies, Yoga Tequesta
“What you have learned here becomes the seed. You may forget it apparently. But it will live and in due season sprout and grow and bring forth flowers and fruits. All will happen by itself. You need not do anything; only not prevent it.” – Nisargadatta
Embracing the wild side of life, leaving what we know to be comfortable and familiar, will almost always create a permanent energetic shift in every direction and facet of our life experience. Even if we are blissfully happy in our routine and not in search of even a sliver of adventure, the road less traveled will find us, defying any logic or reason we try to argue against it with.
I had many reasons to not make this journey to India. I never felt that I needed to travel half way around the world for an experience – not even for yoga. Yet, when I completed my first full certification of 2oo RYT (registered yoga teacher), I felt that something was missing; that it all seemed two-dimensional and I could feel there was more. The thought that maybe I needed to experience yoga in its purest form in the place where it all began 5,000 years ago started pestering my conscience. As quickly and frequently as the idea manifested, I dismissed it with multiple, viable reasons why it was a bad idea to make this journey: money, time, my parents, my husband, my dogs . . . all of that, but still, the idea kept returning. Call it karma, Kismet, whatever, a wild wind was literally blowing one Saturday during a beach yoga class that I was participating in. My teacher encouraged all of us to sometimes embrace our wild side, shake up our lives, asking us what were we waiting for? Within an hour, I registered for a 10 day intensive with Sattva Yoga Center in Rishikesh, India. Shake up my life, I certainly did! I had many opportunities to question my motives, to back out, right up until the day I departed the USA. India kept drawing me to her like a magnate, still unable to really rationalize or make sense of it. Therein lies the lesson – that not everything makes sense in life. The death of a loved one, good fortune, misfortune, the path our lives take, etc. none of these are ever reasoned or explained adequately, if at all. Still, they happen, and mysteriously, are intended to move us forward although sometimes cruelly, transforming us in a metamorphosis type way. We are still “we,” only more informed, more aware, more capable versions of ourselves.
Looking back, I know now that I needed to experience yoga in this sacred and holy place of Rishikesh. It has changed the way I perceive and teach yoga & meditation. More importantly though was the experience of the Indians themselves. Their genuine, often light-hearted, direct, respectful nature was like a comfortable hug of friendship and spirituality combined. They welcomed all of us in our small tribe of yogis sharing their customs, traditions, families and hearts. Just when I thought I knew all there was to know about acceptance and non judgment, this mystical place revealed another opportunity to expand the boundaries of my perception. Just as Sattva Yoga is more of an “experience” rather than a type of yoga, so too is India itself, an experience rather than an exotic destination. What began as me unreasonably embracing my wild side, ended with India unexpectedly embracing me. I have yet to know fully how completely what I learned in and about India has affected me, but as Nisargadatta says it will sprout and grow and bring forth fruit – - and I shall not try to prevent it through reason or explanation.
Beachfront Yoga Classes
24 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Beachfront Yoga Classes, Yoga Classes Jupiter, Yoga Juno Beach, Yoga Palm Beach Gardens, Yoga Tequesta
There is a general infatuation with beach yoga – yoga practiced as it was originally intended: no mat, no floor, no walls, no problem! So many people ask me what a beach yoga class is like, and the answer of course, is always that it is the best kind of yoga class ever. A better question may be: is a beachfront yoga class right for you? What follows are some of the things that make beach yoga unique and might help you decide.
- Open air studio. Originally, yoga was practiced in the midst of nature (think mountaintop, cave, field, desert) and still is in many places. To experience all the elements of nature while in a moving meditation brings together the whole concept of joining the human with the divine.
- Distraction, distractions, distractions. Gulls, dogs (sometimes wet), joggers, children (shrieking, crying, etc.), ATV’s, dolphins, frisbees, hoots, hollers, you name it. Distractions abound. If you can find detachment amidst the chaos, then you know you have found true peace.
- The sand. Whether it is between your toes or imbedded in your third eye, the sand has a way of rubbing us the right way. It’s uneven characteristic and ability to move without warning is a particular challenge to maintaining focus, as well as balance. Sure it gets into every nook and cranny of your person, exfoliating all that not longer serves us mentally and physically, and testing our resolve, but isn’t that what we are striving for?
- The possibilities of a passing shower. Even in a light rain, class will go on, unless there is thunder. The rain can be a welcome respite from the heat of your practice, especially in the summer. Plus, it cleanses and purifies, washing away all that no longer serves us (see #2).
- The sunrise or sunset. No explanation needed, and always miraculous and inspiring.
- The ocean. Moving from savasana directly into the caress of the ocean current is like a gift with another gift tucked inside. Not only is the brain floating from rest, but now the body is floating in semi-weightlessness. Yum!
All in all, beachfront yoga classes are completely different from the studio experience. After reading this post, you may decide the comfort of a controlled environment is more your speed, and I applaud your decision without judgement. But if the smallest shred of curiosity still remains, I suggest you try one. It may open the door to a realm of possibilities and change.
