Hi everyone! Welcome back to the 2nd chapter of my ongoing yoga teacher training journey’s experience at Ekattva Yogshala. Yoga is helping me to embrace the positive energy within so that Universe can truly work its magic. Its just been two weeks here at Ekattva Yogshala and I have so much to write. If you haven’t the first chapter of my journey, then, I highly recommend reading that first to learn why and how I choose to pursue YTT!

How I feel? Overwhelmed!
What do I love about this place? Almost everything!
And what I did not expect? It’s truly a life changing experience!

Past two weeks have taught me so much that I can carry that with me wherever I go next. The most important lessons learnt are :

You must set aside your ego and unlearn , learn and relearn to be good at it.
Appreciate every small thing because nature has given you so much.
Enjoy the process of change as it will lead to new beginnings.
Speak your heart out because its your soul who wants to listen… the universe wants to listen…
The most valuable things in life are not money & things but smiles, nature, your present moment and the happiness you give to yourself.

So now, let me pen down my past two weeks about the experiences I had at Ekattva during my 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training Program.

First 2 Weeks of my YTT Experience

We started with a hawan ceremony and loads of smiles and warmth from everyone around, be it the students, teachers or the school staff. I was excited about how my training will go and was a little nervous about the coming experience.

Morning Raga

We wake up at 5:30 am and have our herbal tea around 6. Then at 6:30 am, the Hatha Yoga session starts. The hatha session experience was a bit difficult for me initially but I feel it helped me gain strength and stability as my yoga teacher training progresses. First few days days everything was so new to me that made me think about what I am doing here? What is the reason behind coming here?

So many thoughts running on my mind but after the first week, I got my answer! I actually experienced how a particular asana can relax your mind and control your thought process and redirect them to positivity. Next, what we have is the mantra chanting and this is the first time in my life I actually understood the true meaning of Gayatri Mantra and why we need to chant that everyday.

The energy it gives me in the morning is so refreshing and it work its magic if you chant it whenever you feel low. This half an hour of mantra chanting during our YTT class helped us to attract so many positive vibes which I felt were with me throughout the day.

Want to learn yoga? Read about 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training program!

Classroom sessions

The next class is Philosophy of Life and every passing day makes me understand Life better. The lectures delivered by Kalpendra Ji made me experience how important is it to live life to the fullest. It gave me a retrospection into how I lived my past few years; in a rush to do everything. But where was the contentment? Nowhere.
Always in a rush to accomplish something or other. Why are we always running behind materialistic things? Why can’t we just be still and enjoy the power of now.

Experiences with kindness

It’s only been two weeks now and I have experienced a lot during my yoga teacher training program. I have learnt so much here! Biggest lesson learnt is NON VIOLENCE – I know, everyone already knows about it but what I did not know was the most dangerous form of violence – VIOLENCE WITH YOUR OWN MIND. Your unguarded thoughts can be your biggest enemy – a latent enemy which harms you in a way that you won’t be able to know the cause.

Your experiences during the teacher training program will help you learn that you have the keys to all the locks of your happiness! Also one thing that I will take back with me is the practise of ‘Aparigraha’ – Non Collecting. This lecture changed my perspective towards the way of living life. When I go back from here I really want to donate all the things that I don’t use. Also not only things but removing unnecessary thoughts from my mind. And by making your mind free you will reward your inner peace.

Anatomy and Ashtanga sessions – My favorite

Next we have our Anatomy class which is super interesting. To know “how your body gets benefits with asanas practise?” and “how crucial it is to not harm your body in practice?” is the essence of this class. The impact of anatomy on me is that I have been more careful about healthy working of my body; to eat right, breathe right and get my posture right. This is an unforgettable experience which I had everyday in my yoga teacher training classes.

The astanga session lasted for 90 mins in the evening. It is so intense and high impact that even after knowing it is hard, you still want to do it. You start getting better at it everyday and that’s the true beauty of Yoga. After spending 2 weeks at Ekattva, I understand what alignment of body is, how to hold the asana for a longer period and how to embrace your body and still the mind.

We end our classes with a Pranayama session. After a long day of practice, this is what your body needs the most. Just breathe fresh air and exhale the negativity. Oh, what an experience yoga is!

What made Rishikesh special for me ?

Every little thing about this place makes me happy. Just sitting by the Ganga river and gazing mountains gave me answers to so many questions that I was searching for a long time. During my yoga teacher training, I experienced that the holy Ganges teaches us to keep moving and flowing. And with the flow, our hardships will flow away. If we stop, our entire universe will come to a halt.

This place helped me to connect with myself, my true self. A thought usually used to flow through my mind how should I be more grounded and I got my answer here! This river was flowing when I was not born, it will still flow when I am no more. Who am I? Nothing! Nothing in front of mother nature but it empowers me to be everything.

Wondering why I chose Ekattva? Read the first chapter to learn!

What is the best part of my yoga teacher training? There is so much to write here!

Yoga teacher training should not be only done to learn & teach yoga but to live the right way.
No matter what your age, occupation or body type is, you have to experience it to live a better life.
The best part of my training is definitely the teaching faculty. The way they teach is simply pure and informative. I think the reason behind it is that they are connected with the land of yoga, Rishikesh.
The most important thing I feel is the small batch. We are just 6 students and we get personalized time with the faculty.
The routine of practicing yoga regularly and eating sattvic food has both physical and mental benefits.

My YTT batch mates

We are a group of 6 people all from different parts of the world yet Yoga connects us with the same vibe. It is actually amazing to experience such kind of yoga teacher training classes where everyone has different mother language, different cultures but the purpose is the same – Yoga for body, mind and soul. We learn together, train ourselves together and this keeps the energy levels high.

Everyone is so different from each other yet so similar on spiritual level. We talk about our journey, our work and how we can help the society by bringing in the benefits of yoga. It’s altogether a true experience to explore yourself deeply and to understand the journey of your friends.

Overall, coming here to Ekattva, I feel I am on the path of self love and towards living a happier life in its true sense. So much more to learn and experience at Ekattva Yogshala and Rishikesh! Looking forward to the next two weeks and eagerly waiting to experience life in the most simplest form.

If you want to taste the real yogic world, Rishikesh is the place and Ekattva Yohshala is the gurukul where you will re-discover yourself. Connect with teachers to discuss your yoga and teacher training queries.

Love and light!
Ravneet.

Wondering how I feel upon completing my YTT at Ekattva? Read the final chapter of my yoga training in Rishikesh! (coming soon)

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