Yoga TTC 200 Certified!

Hi Everyone,

On Wednesday May 30th I completed my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training!  I can't believe the month went so quickly.   It was sad to leave but I am excited to see and do new things.

Yesterday Will and I left Dharamsala for Rishikesh on an overnight "deluxe" bus.  I think maybe I got 2 hours combined sleep...What an experience it was, the only thing working on that bus was the motor from what I could tell.  I can say we were lucky not to have a seat over the wheel well, a fellow Canadian siting closer to the wheels had to use his seat-belt to stay in his seat!  Also, there was evidence streaked outside the bus indicating wheel seats are not the place to be... We stopped for dinner at about midnight and determined the outside temperature at that time was 33C.  Today in Rishikesh, 41C

Rishikesh is...well pretty amazing, and very much the India you'd imagine.  The heat is stifling but seeing the Ganges is incredible.  There are so many people swimming and bathing, it's exactly as you've seen in pictures or on television. Given the temperature here I'm tempted to go in myself, but maybe just the feet.

Rishikesh is considered by some to be the birthplace of yoga and there is no shortage of yoga schools here.  Will and I walked about 2km today and I saw at least 15 places.  So tomorrow my plan is to wake early and sit by the Ganges to meditate, then attend an early morning yoga class.  Later Will and I will move to a hotel with a river view as the one we're currently staying in is pretty dank and looks out at a concrete wall.  But hey, it's only $40CAD per night (actually, if you can believe it, $40 is a bit pricy but we have AC!)

I'm at the Cyber Cafe in our hotel and am not able to load pictures on this computer, but I have lots of good ones I will put in my next post.

Thanks for reading,

xo Ruby

Yoga Teacher Training

So, since I've completed nearly 3 weeks of yoga teacher training; I think it's about time I write a bit about it!

We're in class 6 days a week with Monday's off.  Here's what a typical day looks like:

6am - wake up, shower, neti cleansing
7-8am - Meditation
8-10am - Asana Practice
10-11am - Breakfast
11am-1pm - Indian Philosophy, Yogic Texts and Mantra Chanting
1-2pm - Lunch
2-4pm - Ayurveda and Anatomy (Sometimes)
4-6pm - Asana practice, posture clinic
7-8pm - Dinner
8-930pm - Satsang: Music, questions, discussion (Sometimes)

It's a pretty full day, but it goes by quickly and I'm definitely learning a lot.  I initially thought most of the progress I'd make here would be physical, but I've found my general life perspective has changed more than anything.  Nothing too dramatic, I think the best way to explain it is an enhanced appreciation of things larger than myself, and a greater sense of my own limitations and capabilities.  It is such a great feeling and I'm so happy.

I can't believe that in 11 days I will be a certified yoga instructor!  There is certainly much more to learn than what can be fit into a one month course, but I feel confident.

Who's ready for a yoga class?!

I haven't taken many photos in class yet, but here are a couple and I'll post more later.

xo Ruby

The Yoga Hall

Dr. Sibi George - Our Ayurveda and Anatomy Teacher

Praboud, our Philosophy and Mantra teacher

Akhilesh, assisting Thomas in relaxation

A Picture Book.

Here's a photo update to show a bit of what it's like here in Dharamkot, India.  1st, our view after landing at Kangra Airport...

Then we drove up into the hills to Hotel Shivalay.

My Room.

One of the locals...

One of the nearby towns.

Bathroom visitor.

My morning walk to yoga.

Beautiful cow.

Where we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Satsang in the Yoga Hall.

A walk into town to get some provisions.

McLeod Ganj traffic jam.

Marcen navigating the traffic jam.

Akhilesh and a future yogi who likes to visit our classes.

Akhilesh and Baba G.

Things I see after dark.

Views from our Monday morning hike to find a waterfall.

We were looking for a waterfall, but must have taken a wrong turn and ended up at the river below the waterfall.

Small provisions shop by the river.

Our lunch.

Where we stopped for lunch by the river, you can rent a room here if you like.

More views from the hike.

Johana + Panorama

Buddhist retreat area.

1st Update from India

Well...Will and I have been in India for 4 days now, somehow it seems like longer.  Probably because we've experienced so much already.

Here's an idea of what we've been up to: Arrived in Delhi Saturday, 1am..asleep by 330am.
Wake up Saturday morning about 9.  Walk to 'train station' to try and buy tickets, very unsuccessful, all trains are fully booked.  Nice man who works for the Indian Railway directs us to government run tourist office to book travel, but they are only working a half day so we have to hurry.  He helps us into a motor-rickshaw and tells the driver where to go.  Rickshaw driver drops us at a different tourist office (we realize this afterward) where Will discovers he cannot go to Nepal because if you leave India while travelling on a tourist Visa you cannot re-enter for 60 days.  Huge bummer.  A nice man at the tourist office recommends several other treks for Will to do in India and also sells us a "day"  trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.  He tells us it is only a 2 & 1/2 hour drive.

Sunday: Wake up @ 6, car comes at 7 to drive us to Agra.  5 hours, many narrowly avoided car accidents, a questionable rest stop and much traffic later, we arrive in Agra... The weather is hot (41 C), Agra is filthy, but the Taj is magnificent.  We had a great guide who kept us safe from peddlers, gave us a comprehensive history of the monument and acted as our photographer during the tour.  He insisted we take jumping photographs, and cliche as they may be, we obliged.  After the Taj we went to see some local artisans and jewellery makers, all of whom are very persistent salesmen.  Then a 4 & 1/2 hour drive back to Delhi and dinner at the "Great Kebab Factory."

Monday we fly to Dharamsala.  This was a welcome relief from the heat and the stink of the city.  From the plane we can see the snow capped peaks of the Himalayan mountains, and I am awestruck.  Our taxi from the airport drives us 45 minutes up into the hills.  We pass a tea plantation, barley fields on hillsides, narrow market streets teeming with locals and foreigners, we are in such a beautiful part of the world.  We arrived at the hotel Shivalay in Dharamkot village around 2pm.  We're about 2200 metres above sea level, in a village situated on a mountain side.  Words cannot describe the peaceful beauty of this place.  It is cold here though, unseasonably so according to the locals.  I am in my room now, wearing 3 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, heavy socks, a touque and I'm still cold.  Tomorrow I am going to town to by some more warm clothes.

Today was the first day of Yoga instructor training.  Currently there are 4 of us, Johanna from Germany, Thomas and Marcien from Switzerland.  Marcien will only be here for a week, the rest will be here for a month if we can survive the cold.  As of today I am adhering to the Yogic lifestyle: early mornings, meditation, chanting, asana, philosophy, vegetarian diet, etc.  Also, today we had a traditional Puja festival to sort of "kick off" our course.  We had to rush it because after 2 pm the planets would not be aligned correctly and the ceremony would not be good.  It was such a neat experience and afterward the skies went from cloudy and grey to clear and sunny, perhaps unrelated, perhaps not...

There is so much more I could add (for instance, I could talk about Baba G, a free spirit who is friends with our Yoga instructor) but I will save it for another time since this post is quite long.  Check out some pics below.

xo Ruby

Packed & Ready

Here's what I'm taking for 2 months.  Neither bag is filled to capacity, I'm proud of myself:)

6.5 hours until our plane takes off...I'll see you in India!

Excited and Hungry!

Ok. Last day of work was today and I don't think I could be more excited for this trip!  One of the things I'm most excited about is the food. I  LOVE food!  And I'm super lucky to live in Toronto where the variety and quality of cuisines is (in my opinion) one of the best in the world.   I suppose it goes without saying that Indian food has to be one of my favourites; it's so rich, vibrant, colourful and, well filling!

I've been to a bunch of Indian places in the city and am rarely disappointed, however, my favourite is definitely "India Palace" on Queen West.   Great service, cozy atmosphere, and of course, great food.  I always compare other Indian spots to this one, and I know I'll be comparing the food in India to this place as well!  I'm curious to know how alike Toronto's Indian food is to India's.
I've formed a relatively uninformed and biased opinion that Eastern dishes in the West are not the same as Eastern dishes in the East.  I will keep you posted on my hypothesis.

As part of my preparation for this trip I've been upping my intake of curries and kormas.  Check out yesterday's lunch:

YUM!

1 of 2

Found out today that I will be one of TWO people signed up for teacher training @ the neo yoga centre in May!
Not sure yet if that is awesome or a bummer...
I may consider other schools if something else is available.