Sleepy eyes, trying to stay awake and hanging in there

Yoga Teachers' Training Week 3 (4/4 - 10/4)

The week began with a silent walk to the lakeside temple. Sunday and Wednesday morning satsangs had become one of the most awaited items on the schedule. The excitement was like a kid looking forward to a new toy. Few wanted to get there first to grab a great view, and few wanted the comfort of a backrest.

Talking about backrests, I recall how many times were we asked to break up with that. Well, we tried. But you know .. how enticing that wall support is when you are all drained and still need to sit for two more hours. And sometimes, it's just that tendency of hanging onto something, even when it has long served its purpose. Are you holding on to something? It could be things, people or emotions.

Tuesdays were video nights. After the Satsang, an informatory video would be played. And this Tuesday tested us all. All I remember from this session was that they were talking about CPR and first aid. I have difficulty understanding different accents or fast-paced speech. I cannot make out the lyrics of even Hindi songs, though it is my first language. This video reminded me of those struggles as I could not make out a word without paying undivided attention and squinting my eyes. So, somewhere in between, I decided to let go. Spread my mat, made a few adjustments here and there and went to dream-la-la-land. While making my pseudo bed, I was so relieved to see a lot of the class escaping to dreamland.

I was accustomed to taking a power nap in the hall, in the afternoons. Cleaning the hall was my Karma Yoga duty, along with few other yogis. Instead of going back to the dorm and coming again in 30 mins, I used to take a power nap here or sometimes practise playing the drums.

In the asana sessions, few of us were crushing the challenging asanas. And by challenging, I mean things I couldn't even pronounce, or twists and turns I wasn't aware that this human body was capable of doing. Whereas, few of us just wanted to get there in the coveted headstand.

I could now practice the inversions. In the past two weeks, due to digestive issues, I had acid reflux anytime I tried an inversion. And If I tried to bear the burning sensation and continue with the practice, I would go in a bout of hiccups.

By this week, set in the days of heavy anatomy classes. After yoga philosophy, it was time to show some yawning skills in the anatomy classes. Now, let me take you to one of our lecture classes.

At the start of the lecture, everyone would take a coveted seat they loved. Some near the fans, some faced towards the valley, and the diligent ones in the front row. This arrangement was often a pain to the teachers' eyes, with students scattered in pockets across a big hall.

We would move a little here and there to accommodate the teachers' request, but nature would step in to make our classes a little fun. The rain timings were simply synchronized with the 2 PM lecture. Pouring so heavily that we often needed to find dry patches behind pillars or far ends of the hall.

On the week off, Friday, 108 sun salutations was organized in the morning. While some had the enthusiasm and the spirit for it, others decided to give their body some rest.

The evening had a grand pooja. As it was on Friday, it was not compulsory. But if you are a religious person, you would have loved it. And if you are someone with curiosity and keep looking for new experiences, the grandeur would have impressed you. The reverberation of the mantras was entrancing and, the aura, magical. I have hardly seen poojas, so this was an experience for me. When I had signed up for the course, satsangs were what had intimidated me. But by the end of the stay, all of us started enjoying it.

By the end of the third week, the strongest feeling observed was a surfacing yearning for familiar things, most of all, food and a desire to be through with the routine, but not the place. We are there, just one more week to go.