Training....

"Place yourself in others" - Sri Dharma Mittra

Here I am above with Sri Dharma Mittra on the last day of our Yoga Teacher Training.  I really cannot find words to describe the experience and the events over the course of the training.  I know others who might read this have taken this training at some point in their life and some who are thinking of taking the training.   I will speak of my own experiences and not give too much away for those who are still thinking of attending.

I arrived in NYC about two days before the training, having lived in NYC most of my life, it always feels like home to me.  I arrived a few days early to prepare for the training.    I have not attended many classes at the new Dharma Yoga Center location,  it still carries that same feeling I remember when I first found Dharma Yoga back in 2002/2003, the feeling of home, welcoming and warm. I attended a few classes at Dharma Yoga Center as a sort of warm up to the training, just to be sure I'm ready.  Everything felt right, all the doubts and worries I was having about not being ready, slowly melted away on my mat during the 5 Postures for Purification class, it probably DID help that it was followed by an extensive yoga nidra in Savasana, extremely relaxing and felt recharged afterwards.

Training began on Friday, February 19th at 6:45am.  Yes, it was early, beginning the day with pranayama, meditation and followed by discussion with Dharma Mittra himself, who could as for anything better?!  This day was filled with discussion, asana, lunch, meeting new yogis, meeting our mentors, and learning so much.   I felt nervous, excited, happy, glad I was doing this (finally!) and most of all it felt right!

Yamas.....

Image taken from :samopoznanie.ru 

Part of the required homework for the Dharma YTT training, we had to write about the Yamas. There are five Yamas (guidelines or ethical restraints / rules) these are  - Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy and fidelity) and Aparigraha (non coveting).  I wrote about Ahimsa because I understood what it meant in a new way.

Ahimsa in particular means "non-violence" and for a long time I understood it meaning -Not killing or being a vegetarian.  I remember reading in Light on Life by Iyengar, he wrote -  “Blood-thirsty tyrants may be vegetarians, but violence is a state of mind, not of diet.”  I'm understanding that Ahimsa is indeed "non-violence" but it is not restricted to our outward behavior or how we treat others.  Ahimsa is also non-violence in your thoughts, words and deeds or actions toward others and yourself. This can be a very difficult practice for many especially when it comes to the self and  our thoughts.  We need to understand first what it means to be non-violent in thoughts/words/actions and then apply this to ourselves, others and our daily activities.  It can be hard to break old patterns and behaviors, but with practice and constantly reminding ourselves (as Dharma Mittra says) to - "See yourself in others."  We can take each day as it comes and continue to change our behaviors. 
I've found that having a regular yoga and pranayama (breathing techniques) practice  has helped me become more of an observer of my thoughts and actions. I'm finding that rather than reacting quickly to situations or events, I have that split second of quiet before I respond.  I'm also finding I'm a little more gentle with myself.    Its almost as if Ahimsa is one of the benefits of regular yoga practice rather than a rule or guideline.  Constant practice in anything will change patterns and it needs to be consistent and done with your heart.  Try bringing the practice of Ahimsa into your life, beginning with yourself.