Dharma Yoga New York Center: Day Eight: The Beginning

The Life of a Yogi

I’m pretty reluctant to even write this blog entry right now, because that will make it feel like this whole experience is actually over… Last module, the last day was so much easier, just knowing that we’d all be back in two short months. I was saying to somebody the other day how I wish I could do this eight-day intensive experience every two months for the rest of my life; it’s just what I need to ground me and remind me of all the reasons why I aspire to be a Dharma Yoga teacher.

Today was a perfect ending to the training. We started with pranayama and dhyana with Sri Dharma, followed by spiritual discourse. It’s sort of hard to explain the things covered in spiritual discourse, because somehow, every single lecture, Sri Dharma gives us the very essence of yoga, and at the same time gives each of us exactly the thing we need to hear at that moment. I am more amazed as I watch it over time, because it never fails.

We had a partner yoga workshop after discourse (lots of fun pictures below), and then Dharma IV with Yoshio – the last asana practice of the training. I felt like I was just giving everything in that class. It’s sort of interesting how hard you work when you know you’re coming to the end of something!

After lunch we had an oral final exam, which was not nearly as stressful as it might sound. We did it in our small groups, and we just had a few general knowledge questions, some asana demos, and some assisting and adjusting situations to work out. Then we went over the internship guidelines with Adam… I think if I hadn’t already done the 200-hour that discussion would have stressed me out a little bit, because it looks like so much on paper. I mean, it IS so much, in real life as well as on paper, but I know from experience that it is manageable, and it will happen in time.

Then we had the closing satsang and received our completion certificates for the contact hours of the training. We opened the ceremony with some kirtan, of course, and I have never felt more joyful. I feel like this week has sort of just washed over me, and it hasn’t hit me yet that everything is finished… Because I think it sort of isn’t finished, you know?

It doesn’t sound like much, reading over what I’ve written here. But this teacher training has changed my life, and will continue to influence my choices and my path probably for the rest of my life. Throughout my college years, when I was studying dance (which feels like a whole other lifetime now), I used to go to intensive summer programs where I’d get very close with other people… And of course we’d all be sad when they were done, but that was just nothing compared to this. The people I’ve met here are just beyond compare; the level of resonance and familiarity was astounding even from the very beginning. Dharma Yoga teacher trainings are pure bliss – there’s just no way to put it into words.

I could go on and on about how wonderful the whole thing has been, but I think Sri Dharma said it best (as always): You learn about something, and then “you have to check it out for yourself”.

~Danielle