 "Yoga is not a union of our hands to our feet or our heads to our knees. It is a union of the self to the Divine" - HH Pujya Swami Chdanand Saraswati Over 1,000 people from 60 countries around the world gathered for Rishikesh's largest ever International Yoga Festival from March 1st-7, 2015. Events were held at the picturesque Parmath Niketan, the town's largest ashram on the banks of the Ganges river. It was a jam-packed week of asana classes, lectures, cultural performances, presentations, evening prayer ceremonies, and fabulous vegetarian food. There were so many sessions running parallel that it was impossible to attend all of them. Looking back 10 days later, some of the highlights for me at this first festival I've attended included - How to Be the Change You Wish to See - Dr. Vandana Shiva Dr. Shiva gave a passionate presentation to inspire activism, and encouraged festival participants to get involved and educated on environmental and health issues. She spoke about health risks on the rise around the world, and particularly related to GMOs. She noted that leaky gut syndrome and autism are rising at an alarming rate, and it's mostly due to the food we eat. "As earth citizens what we do with food is one of the most important aspects of citizenship," she said, in response to a question on what we can do in our local communities. Dr. Shiva referred us to several websites for more information, including www.seedfreedom.org and www.navdanya.org Special Divine Satsang with Pujya Shri Prem Babaji Shri Prem Babaji was calm, focused and direct. His message, as I interpreted it, boiled down to this - the key to your own happiness is no lamenting and no complaining. Yes! We spend so much of our times and thoughts doing both - and how much happier and lighter life would be without all the lamenting about what could've been or could be. A beautiful chorus of young musicians accompanied him - playing both before and after the lecture. Their rendition of 'Om Shanti' was nothing short of angelic. Traditional Hath Yoga Asana Class with Sun Salutations and Mantra with Sadhvi Abha Saraswati (Mataji) and Indu Sharma Mataji's gentle classes were the perfect start to the day - a mix of joint loosening practices, sun salutations with mantra, and several asanas to finish. Her angelic voice filled the room with Sanskrit chants to begin each class. Indu assisted Mataji on some days, and taught herself on the final day of the festival. She coaxed participants into ardha chandrasana - demonstrating first and then walking around the room to assist with her radiant smile and precise instruction. Their classes are both accessible and enjoyable to a wide audience. Jivamukti Yoga with Jules Febres Jules led two two-hour classes on days 3 and 4 of the festival. He started both classes with a beautiful chant session and then went on to present fun, challenging asana sequences with uplifting music, assists, and lots of laughter. Both classes were packed mat to mat. Memorable moment: Jaya Jagatambe chant, which Jules started himself slowly and quietly, and then built up to include the whole room chanting along. Gorgeous. Kundalini Yoga Gurmukh, Tommy Rosen and Kia Miller taught all week! The kriyas were both accessible and invigorating. We were even treated to a live performance by Gurunam Singh at one of Tommy's classes. As Tommy noted in class, 'We need both short and long term goals. See life as a series of choices we can make, and set yourself up one day at a time for the best day possible.' Holi Celebration! The yoga festival coincided with the spring festival of colors Holi, with the ashram boys getting into the spirit and playfully smearing eco-friendly colors all over festival delegates. We were greeted with enthusiastic bursts of 'Happy Holi' and purple, pink, green and yellow chalk! Live music, dancing and lots of color made for a holiday that felt every bit, if not more, of a celebration than New Year! And finally... Evening aarti ceremony on the Ganges at sunset was magical every night. Listening to the ashram leadership and students chanting songs and prayers, with hundreds of people repeating after them, was the ultimate sound experience. I also couldn't help but admire the serene faces from around the world that came to discover their own versions of union for the week. Union with one another in the form of new friendships, a closer connection to and exploration of yoga and the Divine, and union with the Ganges, mother earth and the environment. As Mataji said at the end of each class, 'never forget the blessings you have been given, and count them every day.' What a blessing it was to experience the festival! |
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"Yoga is taught by Lord Krishna. He is the first teacher," said Mataji during her introductory class on 'Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita.' The 17 of us gathered in the 2nd floor yoga hall at the Parmath Niketan ashram in Rishikesh, India nodded our heads, eagerly waiting for her to expound on this statement. Mataji began by explaining that the Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharatha, one of the world's first recorded historic epics. Much of the Gita revolves around the teachings of Krishna to his cousin and first disciple, Arjuna. The lessons were presented as Arjuna struggled with his duty to take care of his subjects and debates going into battle or surrendering. While Arjuna was swaying from his duty to go to the battlefield, Krishna overpowers him by his teachings. "Your attitude is what matters most," explained Mataji, relating the ancient texts and presenting their wisdom for today's realities. "Expect the best, prepare for the worst, work hard and don't worry about the results." She spent the next several days further explaining these thoughts and breaking them down as such - when you expect the best, you have to apply yourself and work hard to get to your destination. If you are prepared for the worst, you have nothing to lose. "Being prepared for the worst is what empowers you," said Mataji. "It's especially important in trying situations. It is easier if you are prepared. You need to balance yourself in life - that is yoga, not balancing on your head," she continued. Yoga is about choosing right over wrong, and maintaining balance. And as she further noted, making the right choices, as Arjuna had to do, is a great responsibility that lies within each of us. We have to realize that results are not in our hands - results will take care of themselves. "You are the author of your actions, but not their results," she said. We discussed acceptance of results with gladness and a cheerful disposition - and the difficulty of doing that. I thought about how many times I've worked so hard to plan events at work, and fretted if they didn't turn out perfectly despite hours of preparation. Once, a rainstorm severely impacted the attendance for a university event we'd been planning half a year. Who would've ever dreamed of a storm at the end of May? Looking back, I realize that all of my lamenting didn't really serve a purpose - in the end, those who came had a great time and enjoyed the event. And my team members and I did our very best in terms of planning and controlling what we could. As Mataji explained, you can't necessarily change the circumstances of the outside world (rain in my case) but you can change your attitude toward events and their outcomes. I see parallels in relations with others as well - be it at the workplace or at home in our families. We live in such a results-oriented atmosphere, and often purpose and intent are overshadowed by a superior's desire for cold, hard results or numbers. It's important to remember that balance and attitude are key for wherever we chose to focus our energy and efforts! I appreciated Mataji's candor and straightforward attitude with us. The 'Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita / Yoga Sutras of Patanjali' classes were among my favorite part of our two week yoga course. She taught us through the Bhagavad Gita and the yoga sutras how yoga can assist us to live better, more ethical and honest lives. Her deep reverence for and knowledge of the spiritual texts was evident, as was her conviction that, as she stated, "everything is God and God is everything." And regardless of countries of origin, professions, age, or countless other factors, it was apparent that everyone present appreciated the gems of advice from Mataji's philosophy lessons.   Parmath Niketan Intensive Yoga Course
September 2014 - First Impressions We've all heard the word ashram and in the west, have images in our head more often than not from Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love. The yoga courses I've done in India have usually been held at what you might consider a 1 or 2 star hotel - single rooms and toilets, with minimal furniture but functional. Coffee is allowed, and talking is the norm during meals. In all my years of yoga, my stay at Parmath Niketan was really the first time I've truly had an ashram experience. Parmath Niketan is an ashram in all senses of the word. The place seems to exude worship, serenity and devotion. Silence is required at meals for course participants, and encouraged throughout the day to foster a mindset of contemplation and reflection. A strict dress code of modest white attire for course participants is followed. The ashram runs a wide spectrum of social services for India's needy and is involved in environmental activism as well. In fact, while we were there, Swamiji was attending the UN Climate Change conference in New York. Of course, the evening aarti ceremony on the Ganga is known widely for the beautiful chanting of mantras and lighting of lamps, a time every evening to offer light, love and devotion to God. The ceremony draws hundreds of spectators and participants every single evening! The yoga course Our group of 17 hailed from many corners of the globe, including India, Singapore, UK, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong, Brazil, Spain, Russia, Bulgaria, and the US. Surprisingly, we weren't all that young either - ages ranged from 19 to 50+ with most participants in their late 30s and early 40s. Our two teachers, Sadhvi Abha Saraswatiji (referred to simply as 'Mataji') and Indu, were brilliant, kind, considerate and caring souls. Both are deeply knowledgeable about so many different aspects of yoga, and both of them have gorgeous voices that guided us through movement , prayers, chanting and discussions. We started with chanting every morning at 5:30 a.m. Mataji led the chants - I've seen her over the years at the Ganga aarti and love her voice. What a treat to walk into a yoga hall and see her on stage, looking resplendent in orange. Her voice as she chanted Sanskrit prayers was melodic, and I listened to it with my eyes half closed, aware of the birds chirping and the sky gradually becoming blue. After prayers, Mataji led us in pranayama breathing practices. We started with kapalbhati, exhaling forcefully for 60 breaths and then 100. We shifted to covering one nostril, then the other. This was a new pranayama practice for me and it quickly builds heat in the body. 'The benefits of this pranayama are countless,' she said. 'It not only cleanses the respiratory system, but goes deeper and further in ways we cannot even comprehend.' She reminded us of the importance of consistent practice. 'You don't just read one day and then say there, I've read all day, I'm done. You read the next day too. Same with pranayama - be consistent.' Mataji then led us through warm up practices and several rounds of sun salutations and standing asanas. I was amazed by how spry and limber she is - a clear testament to the power of yoga and a regular practice. I worked up a sweat through the sun salutes, and her gentle verbal cues got me further and deeper in Virabhadrasana than I've been in quite awhile. We chanted om numerous times throughout the practice. At one point, Mataji said 'never forget the countless blessings that you have been given.' This was a two hour practice to mark the first day of a 12 day intensive yoga course. Indeed, what a blessing to be at Parmath Niketan! |
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