First Days of Training

Sunday Feb 1

I woke up at 4:45am wide awake. I felt refreshed and excited about my first day of yoga training. After reading for a bit I showered and changed for class. We met at the lounge at The Beam resort. Everyone was early except for a few stragglers. We made our way up to the Shala (studio) where our classes will be. The view is spectacular!! You can see the ocean and the jungle below. So breathtaking! My excitement grew even more.

Our first lesson was on ujjayi breathing. The vital life energy, prana, is controlled by the breath. Prana literally means "breathing forth" the universal life force. The purpose of ujjayi breathing is to generate heat and purify the body through the sweat. The sound of the breath keeps the mind focused and is an indicator of the quality of our practice. Ujjayi breathing should be smooth and relaxed throughout of practice. 

We did a few lessons on how to listen to our breath and how to do it properly. We broke for a 5 minute break and set up for our first full Ashtanga primary series practice.

The practice started like any other class focusing on breathing and bringing the mind present. I was fine during the sun salutations A & B but then the standing moves brought the power up. The flows grew in intensity and complexity. I'll spare you the grueling details but it was kicking my ass. My thoughts kept saying I was way out of my league. At parts I questioned if I can do this at all. The people in the front row where I was at were very good and I couldn't hold a candle next to them.

I really wondered if I could do this. When that voice popped in my head I just breathed through it and did my best. The last few sets I definitely had to rock beginners poses. I had this funny thought from Kung Fu Panda about being at level 0. 

When savasana came around I was thankful our 2 hour practice was over. It was so intense and I have no doubt I have a long journey ahead. I felt humbled and thankful it was over for now. Physically and mentally I was not prepared.

We broke for a 2 hour lunch break. I wolfed my food down. Gotta keep my strength up! We headed back up to the Shala to start our instruction. After introductions we properly marked our mats so we know where to place our hands and feet for certain movements. I had no idea I was misaligned all these years in some of the most basic moves. It really helped my postions feel stronger and better equipped to move forward in this series.

After our mats were marked we started analyzing our sun salutations (Surya Namaskara- A & B). Ashtanga Yoga is based upon the dynamic flow of Surya (means sun) and Namaskara (greeting of honor & respect to the divinity present in each of us). This sets the rhythm and mood for each session of yoga. After learning how to look at proper positioning we split into teams of two and practiced teaching each other the first part of the series. Teaching was difficult remembering the Sanskrit names and sequence order but I can already tell with time it will come to me.

We broke with an Om chant and everyone felt excited about finishing their first day. I immediately made for dinner. I was so hungry. I loaded up on spegetti bolongnse. I felt the need to carb load for tomorrow. I headed back to my bungalow to shower and do my homework. It's about 9pm now and all I can think about it crashing out. I think I might do that.

Monday Feb 2

Up at 5:30am with a bit more sleep last night. I felt refreshed but shockingly sore from yesterday's practice. I went over to the Beam to grab a banana and apple before class. I was up at the Shala by 7:15am ready to take on the new day. 

Our first lesson of the day was on meditation. Our ujjayi breathing was talked about in further detail and we learned about harnessing the bandhas in our body to attain differtent effects. Bandhas are physical locks, dams which redirect prana through blood and lymph. There purpose physically is to create alignment and support. Energetically they direct prana which effects Sushumna, Ida and Pingala (nadis & chakras). More to come on this subject.

After our meditation lesson we jumped into our 2 hour practice. Traditionally the full Ashtanga series takes about 1.5/hrs to complete but our teachers extend our practice to add as much detail as possible. I felt much better about today's series but it still kicked my butt.

We took a two hour lunch break and I loaded up on food again. I walked over to Whynam Beach to refill my water bottles and enjoyed running into other travelers outside of class.

We talked about the history of yoga briefly. It's fancinating to learn about evolution of the art. Almost all of the history was passed verbally until a man or series of people pulled together the first of the sutras. It's referred to as Patajali- the father of yoga. No one really knows when he existed but they do know the collective works was the first time all the verbal history and sutras were brought into one context.

Back in the Shala we went into more teaching variations of the sun series B and reviewed our lessons from yesterday. More history and explanation of yoga. It's not religion but spirituality. Seeking answers in the universe around us. 

After about two hours of class we broke for a half hour. More yogurt, coconut, peanuts and honey snack. It helps keep my energy up. We learned more modifications on sun salutation B then did our primary modified series which will be our final exam. I need to get used to two practices a day from here on out. It was tough but I felt good afterward. Tired but happy. Dinner at the Beam again and homework. Nothing fancy.

Tuesday Feb 3

Up early again this morning. I headed up early to the Shala to stretch and meditate. Marcella (one of our instructors from Brazil) was already there meditating. I grabbed a mat quietly and joined the peace in the rising sun. It was the first time in my life I intentionally meditated. The sound of the ocean. The soft warm breeze on the skin. The early morning birds singing. It was peace indeed. I felt connected.

Class in the morning was a review of the night before and to go over a new breathing technique. It's called "Naulis Kriya". You bend over breathing all your air out while placing your hands inward on your knees. When every breath of air is out of your lungs you suck in at your stomach and push up on the knees with your arms. This creates a vacuum effect. Known as belly-churning, nauli kriya is a cleansing technique traditional in hatha yoga practice. It is best done early in the morning, before eating or drinking and asana practice. This technique keeps the indigestive system balanced and improves indigestion or poor blood circulation.

This breath has a positive and a negative effect depending on your health. Positively it's good for digestion and energy levels. Actually there was a whole host of things but I don't recall them right now. Negatively it's not good for high blood pressure, woman's cycles, being pregnant and any abdominal surgeries. Once again this is a skill that comes with practice and time.

Our two hour practice started right afterward. This one was tough again but moves were getting easier when I knew what to expect and how to set them up. Slowly but surely I'm learning what to do. I have Suryanmaskara (sun salutations A & B) memorized but butcher the Sanskrit laungange- howdy y'all I'm American!

I was so happy when savasana came around. I felt triumphant that I completed my third full primary series and I can already feel moves opening up for me. I still have a very long way to go but my confidence is gaining.

Another two hour lunch break well earned. Everyday I've been showering between practices to feel fresh but to also be present of smells being in such close proximity to everyone else. I wish a few others would take note 😳

After a break lunch break we headed back up to the Shala. I was last one in the room and our guest speaker was already there (I was early but appearently everyone was excited to listen). His name was Ram Vakkalanka. He was born in India but resides in Canada now. He's a scholar that travels the world giving speeches and researching the orgins of yoga. I could write for days about what I heard but it blew my mind. It was like hearing the real history of the world without bias and influence. It was like hearing truth and it seemed so easy to listen to. The whole talk was two hours but time flew by. I was very impressed and I look forward to hearing more from this teacher the rest of the week.

**he'll be having a book coming out next year that I will definitely buy!!

We broke for 30mins and I made my way to Whynam Beach for a snack and to fill my water bottles. I'm drinking water like crazy. Our afternoon session was our MPS (modified primary series) and it felt great. The moves seem to flow better for me with my understanding of proper position. After our practice I left the Shala feeling strong and alive.

I showered and met a couple people from our program to eat at another restaurant, Bamboo. I hadn't been yet. It was located toward Haad Yuan beach and was a bit of the a hike. The Pad Thai is famous and after dinner I could see why. We talked about evolution of the mind and society overlooking the bay below. It was great company. I feel honored to be attending this study with such enlightened people.

On the way back to my bungalow I saw 'the maze' was lit up tonight with people in a huge circle surrounding it for the full moon. The maze is a big circle like Stonehenge made of white stones from the beach in circular patterns. I was very tired and didn't have it in me to meditate for 40mins under the stars. The circle was cool though covered in hundreds of candles. It looked very pagan. I wish I had my camera on me but out of respect it was probably better I didn't.

I crashed out almost instantly.