Will the Real Guru Ji Please Stand Up

"What's the best kind of Yoga to learn?"
"Which Yoga studio/ashram/guru/type of yoga is the best?"
"Do you have to be a Hindu to do Yoga?"
"I am not flexible, how can I do yoga?"
"What is real yoga?"

These are questions people ask me a lot as an Indian and as a Yogi. Often times I am not equipped to answer them.

I just watched Kumare, and I totally felt Vikram Gandhi's strife - growing up in the USA, with Indian values. Wanting to break free from these ancient seemingly nonsensical stuff yet people of this western world- America- are moving towards it. The absurdity! So seriously I was enthralled by Buffy, Friends, and X-Files. I really wanted to be an FBI agent. And here there are people dreaming of becoming a Yogi, of enlightenment, happiness, peace and calmness.

As an Indian I was taught to value education, education, achievement, career, achievement, normalcy, and success. What does that mean? Well it means - get super educated, get a career that you can make the big bucks from, settle down, make a family, and then live in the luxury that pre-independence Indians could not dream of. This didn't make sense to me, because I wanted more than just that flow. I like a different sun salutation everyday. Why should I do the same one, when my body tells me to stretch this way! I became a rebel, death metal, the goth culture, etc. so alluring, especially cause it freaked "normal" people out. I matured and looked deeper, and like Vikram I studied religion, as well as psychology, cultural geography etc.

I began listening to the guru inside me, because I never could connect with an external guru, I did have people I connected with, empathized with, and listened to their advice or their words of wisdom. Worship never sat well with me. I think of all things I believe in the Universe, nature, and the powerful energy that runs through us all the most. Call it God? Ok! I don't have a name for it, and it has no rules for me, except I must be a good person, cause hurting others just don't feel good.

Yoga has always been a part of my life, cause 1- I'm Indian, and my mom's grandad taught her, and its a cultural thing for most of us. 2- My mom was really into it all her life 3- My mom made my sis and I go to the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Chennai back when we were itty bitty, against our will may I add... we had no idea what this "Yoga" was going to be. We liked it. We liked yoga cause we could become animals and hop around - a crow, a dog, a cat, a cow, a lion, a tree, a upside down person, a peacock... and then we made up our own animals.

Fast forward 23 years, I am finally working on my Yoga teacher certification, which I should have gotten years ago from the center, but as mentioned before, I wanted to be Buffy and not Yogi! I get to USA and everyone is Yogi, and I am Buffy! Ha! My journey through life, its pains, joys, taught me much, and the time was ready for this deeper learning of Yoga. It was still the ability to turn into other animals, however NOW it was something much deeper.

Through this learning of Yoga, I connect better with people, better myself and skills (slowly but surely, such a tough process and I often stumble), and understand the world, universe and life with a clarity previously unfound. Then again my boyfriend Ryan, is a Kumare, traveling his on path. It's amazing how people understand the same deep truth which is right in front of us through different journeys. Some of us need a mirror, some of search in other cultures, religions, practices, traveling, and others just see it as it is.

It's not about education, accomplishment or achievement... it's about putting all that aside and seeing the truth. It's harder to do than it seems to be. Something so simple yet so difficult for so many to achieve? It' kind of like Einstein's works, it makes so much sense, and so simple yet he put it all together.
Definitely watch Kumare if you haven't. It's on Netflix. Stop searching externally, and seek within... (he's not saying worship yourself and inflate your ego). Yoga helps introspect, as well as so many other benefits. Find your own path, read, definitely study the old Hindu scriptures, there is much wisdom and truth there.

Guru's are great for being guided, growing and taught, which not able to understand a process. Gurus are not made through certifications, PhDs etc. although some people think they are...  but anyway are / should be spiritual friends who help you wake up. We must share our paths to grow. I am so lucky to have an amazing set of gurujis!

I'm not great guru... I'm just me, Pree. I might not be right but these are things which I have learned and know. So here are my answers to the questions asked

What Yoga school is good/ real/ correct? It depends on what you are looking for! Google is a great tool to research yoga. However in the end Yoga is Yoga is Yoga. Just like which Christianity is the right/true/real Christianity?  Baptists? Protestants? Catholics? Lutherans? It just depends on if you want an asana focused practice, chanting focused practice, or service focused practice. Within the Asana focused practice there is so many different types of practice concerning asana... etc.


There are many awesome Yoga studios in Ohio! Go to different classes at different places and find out which yoga class suits you! I like slow restorative yoga to a good vinyasa flow.

One does not need to be flexible to do yoga. Everyone can do yoga. Only lazy people can not do yoga. You also don't have to be Hindu to do yoga. Also being Hindu doesn't mean worshiping multiple Gods... those who think so are dhakkans. Read!

What is yoga... real yoga? Well you have to learn to find out!




Breathe


and

Live.

An article about chanting in sanskrit

Yoga Diaries

Yesterday I went to my first yoga class since 1997. This class brought back so many memories. From 1991 to 1997 my sister and I went to Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Kotturpuram, Madras, which later moved to Thiruvanmayur or a little further from there. My sis and I were children, and we were in the children's beginners class, in a year or so we were in the advanced classes, teacher training classes, then back to the advanced classes.We went everyday, and later 2-3 times a week as we grew older. The Yogis became a part of our lives, the center became a part of our lives, although reluctantly at first, it was sure, especially the Center in Kotturpuram.

My mother told my sis and I she was going to enroll us in classes and took us to the yoga center. We were sitting there to sign up in this lobby which has a plant, a few pictures of the Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnudevananda, and a very large OM. I remember wondering what that meant, I was 6! I had no idea what yoga was, although I heard my mom say she did it. While we were sitting there, a lady also waiting there, suddenly began talking to my mom "Oh Aruna! I didn't recognize you. Remember we met at the Gupta's dinner 2 months ago? Anyway how are you doing? I didn't know you had kids! How are you? Are you married too? I knew you looked familiar..." She went on and on before my mom could even correct her mistake. She mistook my mom for someone else. Finally my mom said, "I am not who you think I am!" The lady apologized and felt so embarrassed, I felt her embarrassment! It was funny but also strange. We were in a strange place, signing up to do something strange,  and this stranger lady begins talking to my mom!

We signed up for the classes, and my mom bought us t-shirts and a book for the class. My sis got a yellow shirt which had a big Om on it. It had the motto of the Sivananda Center:

"Health is wealth, Peace of mind is happiness, Yoga shows the way."

-Swami Vishnudevananda

I got a blue t-shirt identical to my sister's. So we proceeded to the class which was upstairs on the thatch covered terrace. There was this interesting picture of the spine, and postures, and a small changing room. We used bamboo mats to do the yoga on. No fancy pansy, rubber mats we have now a days. This was yoga the original way. We were asked to bring a cloth - not a towel or rug. It was minimal props. We got our mats and sat down on them. We met our instructor: Yogi Sabu-ji. They were all  real yogis here - never married, living the yogic way, eating that way too - pure vegetarians etc. There was one more modern teacher, we called him Swami-Ji and he had been married, but left his family to live a life of a Yogi. They were very serious and would scold us if we misbehaved, talked too much, did not pay attention. We made friends with other students, and friends with the yogis over the course of the year.

 The first class we learn the Surya Namaskar. We did that for a few classes, till we knew it, by heart. Then we learn other poses, and our first upside down pose - shoulder-stand! Sarvangasana! Yeah! We kids loved being upside down for some reason. We also had to learn all the Sanskrit terminology. As the year went by we learnt more poses/ asanas, and got closer. At some point my sister and I were the only students, yoga was not popular hobby in general in India. I think we enjoyed doing yoga outside, and on the rare occasion play games with the Yogis, attending the special events, ie. Swami Vishnudevananda visited the Chennai center in 1992 or so. It was amazing to chant, meditate, sing and eat with him. We really had no idea he was a senior and learned yogi. We just knew he was aged, to be respected, and this was a super serious day.

We didn't know at the time how much Yoga was benefiting us, and how it would become such a huge trend in the west. We just went because our mom sent us there to get better from out asthmatic and sinus conditions. With regular practice we got sick less. However I am ever grateful to my mom for sending us everyday!

I will have to wait for more memories of  yoga class to come back to me... however I never stopped doing yoga after 1997. This was some magical skill we had acquired, while most girls finished their Arangetram in Bharatnatyam, my sis and I were skilled yogis - we could stand on our heads, our hands, and become "crazy human pretzels". We practiced it at least once a week with our mom, and we would enjoy showing guests the power of yoga!