Yellow t-shirts and white trousers were handed out on the first evening, our official uniform. White for purity, yellow for knowledge. Everything meant something in the ashram, symbolism and tradition mixing beautifully. An initial ceremony with everyone introducing themselves to the others, an initiation with blessing and the real thing was about to start, the following morning.
I had already tested my new bed in the dorm the previous night. I was curious to take a look at the more expensive permanent dorm and was secretly pleased to see that one seemed more cramped and crowded than my own. Because of work in progress for a renovation, I quickly found out we were staying in what used to be the permanent women dorm, a much nicer place indeed!
I wasn’t too pleased when assigned to the male temporary dorm’s toilets. Yet some people might have seen this as a blessing, harder the Karma yoga, more the benefits to the soul. When at the beginning of a one month long TTC, you have a strong will and can do attitude. You know it is going to be hard, but ultimately beautiful. You’ve heard of the ups and downs, the emotional rollercoaster, the physical pain people go through.
And I chose to do it in a very traditional institution, the Sivananda Ashram in Madurai, as no-frills as it can possibly be. On top of that I had worked hard to be sugar free in the previous 3 months and I was determined to keep my sugar free status throughout the experience.
So, with the right attitude and the willingness to make the toilets as spotless as they could be, under the supervision of long-term resident Sasha, I get on with the job, joyfully singing Jaya Ganesha and other simple hymns I picked up during the morning satsang, until I am told not to sing godly hymns in the toilet. I see. My ego had to take another small blow.
My favourite part of the course was the Vedanta philosophy lecture, taught by a very senior teacher from Delhi, Kapur Ji. The cycle of life and death, Maya or the human experience, Brahman, God in the macrocosm and Atman, God in us all or the microcosm. It is really interesting how everything ultimately points to meditation, how every step in Karma, Bhakti, Raja, and Jnana yoga has the only purpose to make us great meditators, to leave the body, thoughts and mind and connect with the divine. Of course, as any good inquisitively minded European, I had to raise a few questions, some a little daring maybe but mostly appreciated by teacher and fellow students.
The physical side of the course is really demanding. Not just the 5.30am wakes, meditations, chanting and 2 hours of pranayama and asana practice twice daily. The sitting on my backbone in a crossed legged position 8-10 hours a day was by far the biggest challenge for me.
I liked the 2 daily vegetarian meals, although my sugar levels took a dip halfway through the day and had to integrate with papayas and nuts just to see me through to the 6pm dinner. Another challenge was to renounce the Prasad, a blessed treat at the end of the morning and evening satsang. Typically very sweet dates or other sweet snack preparations. I resisted for not very long and loved-hated it until the last day. Same with chai, the local yummy milk drink, the first regular dose of caffeine for me in a very long time.
And I qualified as a Yoga Siromani, which beautifully means “jewel of the crown of Yoga”, or in Western terms a much less glorified 200 RYT.
What does really make you a Yoga teacher though? One month of pain and suffering so you can show a piece of paper? Oh no… one month of strict mental and physical discipline to purify the soul and strengthen the character is only the beginning. The knowledge and the practice are fundamental of course, the physiology and Bhagavad Gita learning and the actual yoga teaching part.
I became a yoga teacher back in London, when I started showing up in front of people, singing Om and directing the class, from Surya Namaskar through to Savasana. The TTC does not make you a yoga teacher. When you teach you become one. Thanks to everyone who gave me the opportunity, back home, to become a teacher.
And now I’ve got an amazing group of Indian and international people constantly in touch on a WhatsApp group. And I already caught up with some of them in London, Ladakh and Delhi! Friends forever? Attachments are frown upon, in the Yoga system. But yes, friends forever, I really hope so!
Thank you Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnudevananda! Om Namah Shivaya.