India is an intense place- amazing, extraordinary, and extreme… and more tiring than you might imagine. For a much needed reprieve from the intensity of “Hindustan” you could easily find yourself enjoying in the tranquility of an Ashram … or maybe better put, you could find your Self in the tranquility of an ashram.
There are many, many… many Ashrams in India, also more than you might imagine, and they serve many purposes. I attended a Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist Training program in an Ashram in Madhya Pradesh, India run by a lovely group of people, a wise and down-to-Earth Guru and a couple of cows.
It was on our very first day that I learned my biggest lesson.
Our first moment with Dr. (Guru) Omanand was in his personal quarters – a comfortable lair fit with a unique incense that my nose may never forget. He asked us a very simple question, “What is Yoga?” All the students were giddy to share our knowledge of Yoga with this master- heck, we’d all been practicing for at least a couple years, and some of us longer, so of course we knew what Yoga was. “Balance!” … “Relaxation!” … blurting out words we’d heard somewhere before. “Union!”, I shared. He sat there in his long wite robe and nodded his head quietly. The answer to that question was the most important piece of knowledge in my entire training.
What is Yoga, really? Most people will tell you it’s an exercise, I’m sure that if you’re reading this you know there’s more to it than that. But what is it? We were kind of right, byproducts of Yoga do include Balance, Relaxation & Union, but calling Yoga any of those terms is like calling your car a “place getter”. Yoga delivers much, but why? What is it? It turns out, it too is a vehicle…
Maintaining the same gentle manner the Guru taught us that “Yoga is a Method of Self Realization”. It’s a way to answer life’s biggest questions… Who am I? What is this life?
Kind of big, I know- Yoga is a way to better understand the mystery of life! And you’ve already begun your journey! The movements made in the 90 minute classes you’ve been attending are a beginning to one of the four primary Yogic methods called Raja Yoga.
These four methods are each quite different in their practice, and only Raja Yoga incorporates the Downward Dog and the postures we know, but they all lead to the same place- to realize “who I Am”, to realize life! [Read this article for an easy to understand description of what your typical Yoga Class offers – The Genius of Raja Yoga]
All the other amazing things I learned in the ashram about the mind, the body and the innate energies within All were inspiring and brilliant, but none were as powerful as the simple definition of Yoga. With that opened a door to my future students. As an “explorer of consciousness” I knew that this fact would surprise many practitioners and cause them to think a little more about life (and that’s the secret to total bliss, just a little consideration of the big picture!)
If you’re interested, these Holitic Yoga Immersions (here) explore deep into Yoga both on the mat and off providing transformational experiences for the body, mind and spirit.
Want to go directly to the apex of Yoga? To the “Place of Understanding“? That would be the practice of Jnana Yoga, a very direct approach to “enlightenment”. It is the place from which all the masters live and speak. It is the embodiment of an integrated knowledge of “Non-Duality/Oneness”. It is often the practice of a Yogi who has already experienced/glimpsed the truth of reality and moves into the process of integrating this new found perception into life holistically. It is a practice of pure logic that guides you to experience your Ultimate Self.
As a Jnana Teacher I am greatly inspired by the state of humanity; this direct practice of mastery is more easily comprehended and embodied because of our connectedness and expanded social & cultural awareness. Our globally liberated experiences have proven very beneficial for the mind to more easily reevaluate the reality of the world!.
It is an incredible practice, and it’s not for every person, but it is an amazingly profound form of Yoga.
Learn about Jnana Yoga, its journey of the mind and how to practice in a comprehensive description of Jnana Yoga: Here
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