Yogaville

After a three month long hiatus --

In May of 2011, my dear friend Ally came to stay with me before she got married.  She had just returned from a month-long yoga teacher training program in Yogaville.  Little did I know that my life would change forever right there in my living room as she taught my first Integral Yoga class.  Now I am a few days away from graduating with my certification to teach Integral Hatha Yoga, taking the same path that Ally did.

Me in Yogaville in front of LOTUS

Integral Yoga "is a scientific system which integrates the various branches of Yoga in order to bring about a complete and harmonious development of the individual", as quoted by its founder Sri Swami Satchidananda.    I am learning the yogic way of life, which includes a vegan diet, the asanas (poses), meditation, service, kirtan (chanting/prayer) and general guidelines for being a good person.  

Since I am doing 220 hours of yoga training in one month, the schedule here is quite rigorous.  My days begin at 5:30 am and end at 9:00 pm.  In that time, I am meditating, doing yoga, learning about how to teach yoga, learning about anatomy, health science and how to be yogis.  I am with a group of 11 other individuals of all ages and nationalities.  We have become a family and the ashram has become our home.  

Truth is One, Paths are Many

I find it difficult to describe the transformation that has taken place in everyone in my group, so I won't try.  However, I will say that yoga is so much more than I ever knew it could be.  

I will write more, probably after graduation!