{"id":3980,"date":"2016-07-01T07:45:44","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T14:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theyogasanctuary.biz\/staging\/?p=3980"},"modified":"2023-07-31T12:02:14","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T16:02:14","slug":"from-india-with-love-excerpts-from-annas-journey-journal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theyogasanctuary.biz\/from-india-with-love-excerpts-from-annas-journey-journal\/","title":{"rendered":"From India With Love: Excerpts from Anna\u2019s Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Anna<\/a><\/p>\n

Red Light Sangha<\/p>\n

We all have been in traffic where one of the drivers just has <\/em>to go faster then others \u2013 zig zaging in and out of lanes\u2014just at the end, comes to stop at the red light and all others catch up with him.<\/p>\n

Sitting at the red light one time I felt oneness with all the drivers, pausing in traffic. I felt that we are Red Light Sangha. This thought brought a broader picture\u2014traffic of life, the stop and go, the interrapted or uninterrapted ebb and flow of reality around us, the Sangha, the union, the community of people we live with.<\/p>\n

So now, I was travelling from West to East, leaving the Red Light Sangha behind for a while\u2014as there would be no driving for me for 6 weeks. I was travelling to immerce myself into a different traffic of life, a different sangha.<\/p>\n

Life Is A Puzzle<\/p>\n

When you start a new project you are excited about it\u2014opening yourself to a new experince. Life is exciting as every day presents itself as a piece of puzzle that you are yet to place correctly to see the big picture.<\/p>\n

The same goes for my Yoga practice. Excited about being on the mat everyday, discovering something new about my outer and inner existence. Just as the approach to puzzle of a thousand pieces\u2014you work your way from outer to inner. Practice (abhyasa<\/em>) is the key for me in the Yoga Science\u2014on one hand the repetition of well known or new, building new habits and muscle memory. On the other hand \u2013 putting vast theoretical \u00a0knowledge to practical use and experince.<\/p>\n

Just like in putting puzzle together\u2014there is no rush. There is an order. It is a journey.<\/p>\n

Return To Spiritual Spring<\/p>\n

Leaving the comfort zone of home and convenience of the familier way of things, for the third time India, I was welcomed with a powerful intrusion into all 5 senses\u2014vibrant colors, not very familiar smells, an ocean of traffic sounds, heat that hangs in the air day and night and tastes of local cuisine (starting from the airplane food).<\/p>\n

As soon as you cross the portal of time, you arrive in a different dimention\u2014which surprisingly quick gives you a sense of home as well. I don\u2018t have to limit myself to one home\u2014I have a birth place, my first home. I have place where my family is\u2014my second home. I have a spiritual shelter\u2014my third home. And then again\u2014I feel comfortable and at home everywhere I go… I guess it is not only the place that makes me feel comfortable, it is the comfort that I bring with me wherever I go….<\/p>\n

As The Days Go By<\/p>\n

It is hot! The temperature stays in low 100F….. You\u2018re constantly sweating out of each pore of your body… Yes\u2014there are \u00a0ceiling fans and No \u2013 there are no air conditioners. Plus the power goes in and out……Observation of body movement and comfort\/discomfort level acquires a new meaning….. Getting through the day, finishing each block of schedule feels like a great life achievement. Perception of the world goes through the prism of tolerance\u2014from heat, to tiredness, to change, to choices, to words and thoughts.<\/p>\n

Taking It All In Each Minute<\/p>\n

Each day I open my eyes between 4 and 5 am and try to really absorb the sense of reality\u2014where I am, what I am doing, and I try to witness my emotional state. I know I am doing something very special\u2014I want to deepen the understanding of my practice and teaching, I want to improve myself and the world around me, I want to share the answeres to the questions…<\/p>\n

The practice of Yoga allows you to learn through experience and that is what I am doing here\u2014I am experiencing first hand new ways of grounding my feet in Tadasana, new ways of lengthening my torso in Trikonasana and new ways and with new awareness of bringing my big toes closer and out in Dandasana.<\/p>\n

I am experiencing chanting OM with the background sounds of cows in the street, bells in the temple, street dogs barking and monkeys jumping on the roof…<\/p>\n

Once in a lifetime, each and every experience\u2014each and every day……<\/p>\n

Working on eliminating impurities in the body, mind and breath to move all the unnesessary clutter out of the way to open the depth of Universal knowledge that is dormant and already inside\u2014just waiting to be awakened.<\/p>\n

Love To The World<\/p>\n

You never know what is waiting for you around the corner, the next day, the next minute.<\/p>\n

Meeting people is the most amazing opportunity to realize oneness… \u00a0Eyes meet eyes, smile responds to smile\u2014you are connected. No words needed. \u00a0Everybody has a story and you are now a part of it.<\/p>\n

Time Is A River….<\/p>\n

In week 3 and 4, I still have moments when I close my eyes and the amazing realization fills my whole being\u2014I am in India! It is amazing on so many different levels….I am thoroughly\u00a0 enjoying moving forward with my views on the Yoga practice as a student and as a teacher. Studying Asana, Pranayama, Mudras, Chanting, Kriya in such a deapth really awakens you to the fact of the true meaning of Yoga\u2014what it intended to be at the very early stages, what it evolved into in modern India and what form it took after it was introduced in the West.<\/p>\n

Only now I start grasping the meaning of Full-time Yogi and Part-time Yogi. Now, studying the ancient texts with the guidance of the Indian teacher, who recites verses in Sanskrit from the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras \u00a0and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and then explains the\u00a0 meaning of passages with reference to culture, traditions, religion and experience\u2014now it makes more sense then ever that this science is vast and infinite.<\/p>\n

Starting class in Sukhasana, eyes closed. Gentle smile touches the lips.<\/p>\n

Savoring the moment. I am in India!<\/p>\n

Contemplation Time<\/p>\n

One day off allows us to regroup and rest physically, mentally and energetically….<\/p>\n

Mind is in the game at all times\u2014contemplating about the team work, energy, different styles of teaching from our faculty. Comfortable and easy comprehension of certain things and emotional struggle with others….. Sharing our own experience and results of them, I shared that till my mid 20s I was strongly competitive person. As my focus shifted, while at\u00a0 University, competitiveness or the extremes of the opposites (black or white, do or die) changed into the acceptance of grey areas sometimes….As life was challenging me with different experiences and then arriving at the Yoga practice, I realised that grey areas are not grey at all\u2014it \u00a0can be very colorful. Learning all the magical disciplines of the Yamas and Niyamas, I arrived at the complete acceptance of oneness, which takes away the burden of competitive mind and gives you the joy and pleasure of realization that we are all \u2013 ONE. Each and every one contributes to balance and importance, beauty and magnificence of the Present Moment.<\/p>\n

What Is \u00a0Your Comfort Food For Thought<\/p>\n

After dinner each night, at 8:30, we have a 30 minute meditation session.<\/p>\n

Sometimes we recite OM, sometimes we chant beautiful mantras, sometimes we have full body awareness meditation, sometimes it is Trataka\u2014gazing at candle light.<\/p>\n

One night in full body awareness, tightness in my right knee was so painful that I was not sure if it would be possible to sit for 30 minutes in Sukhasana. But, mind over matter\u2014the experience of letting go mentally allowed me to let go of sensations in my knee and I was<\/p>\n

undisterbed for 30 minutes for a pleasurable stillness. Food for thought that guided me with ease was the mantra So Ham. Mananat triat iti mantraha<\/em>. Mantra is the one that Protects you from thinking. It took my mind off analyses of comfort\/discomfort and I realized how I can control my body with my mind. It also helped me to connect to the light of awareness\u2014that I AM\u2014SO HAM!<\/p>\n

Gratitude<\/p>\n

Filled with gratitude for ALL my teachers, who are contributing to my happiness in my Yoga Journey! The feeling \u00a0of Ananda \u00a0is beyond words! Will be saying Good bye to India in a few days…<\/p>\n

With love, joy and happiness I will continue on this path. This chapter is coming to an end, but the script of my journey is far from being over….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Red Light Sangha We all have been in traffic where one of the drivers just has to go faster then others \u2013 zig zaging in and out of lanes\u2014just at the end, comes to stop at the red light and all others catch up with him. Sitting at the red light one time I felt […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[101,114],"tags":[12],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theyogasanctuary.biz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3980"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theyogasanctuary.biz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theyogasanctuary.biz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theyogasanctuary.biz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theyogasanctuary.biz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3980"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theyogasanctuary.biz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4149,"href":"https:\/\/www.theyogasanctuary.biz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3980\/revisions\/4149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theyogasanctuary.biz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theyogasanctuary.biz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theyogasanctuary.biz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}