As I write this, it’s day 18 out of 28 at the ashram. A lovely time, though quite a different experience than the teacher training course days of 2006. Those days were filled with memorizing Sanskrit chants & names of asanas (yoga postures), preparing practice lessons to present to small groups, and studying. These days, there are more lectures to sit through, more karma yoga to attend to, and more unusual shuddikriya (cleansing techniques) to attempt.
As far as classes go, it seems less personalized than before- there are currently two classes in session. The days have been a journey within, seeming like a retreat. I don’t feel as connected to the place and other students this time around. There’s a great sense of detachment, which is wonderful. There no longer exists the novelty of being a first-timer. Logically, rather than soaking it all up like a sponge, I’m doing more inner work than I previously had the capacity for.
Being unsure of the next move, there are signs that I must to be receptive to. I’ve been writing down the vivid, sometimes disturbing, sometimes comical dreams that have graced my sleep for the past few weeks. Though I’ve given seated meditation a go, daydreams and gazes out into nature and up to the sky have been, as usual, more effective.
As the second day of a three-day-silent-stretch winds down, I embrace the moment. I’ve acquired a mass of new music and am listening to the pleasing, gentle, New Age-y sound of a group named Bliss.
