Next Course: 17 July- 12 August, 2011 @ The Sanctuary

A Look at the Jungleyoga Training January 2011

The time came for us to do another Jungleyoga Teacher Training and Intensive in January 2011. This time we were in a new location up on the north side of Ko Phangan in south Thailand. The setting was lovely, with a complete jungle view from the hall, a restaurant, steam room and a few rooms for students to stay in. There was plenty of space in the hall for everyone and we decorated when we arrived to make the place more attractive and pleasant.

I had a new member of my team this year, Ushma Abella, who was helping me with adjustments during the asana classes and teaching her own section in the afternoon, plus helping me with moral and physical support in general. The situation was new to me, for i had always done trainings down on Haad Yuan, and there was a certain level of mystery as to how things would shape up on many fronts. However, it was still Ko Phangan and still Thailand and things flowed smoothly as they do.
We got set up and the students arrived gradually; we had 13 women and 1 man for the whole training, and they were truly a lovely bunch. I don’t just mean they were good-looking, which they were, but they were also fun, intelligent, eager and happy. Everyone was a pleasure to work with throughout the training, from beginning to end. I had never had a general level of experience in yoga as high as this one, and we were able to move along more quickly and easily through the material.

Ritual

In the mornings, as usual, we started at 7 with a puja (ritual) to open the day and prepare our minds and prana (energy) for the day’s work. We concentrated mainly on the purification of the elements and on clearing the way for success in our practices. Each day had a different focus and point of concentration, so each day i created a different altar to mirror the concepts we were working with. The use of rituals and symbols is important both in Tantra and in what we do in Jungleyoga (which is Tantra-based).

Mantra

After the ritual, we began our daily mantra practice. Recently, i created a mantra book to go along with the course, containing the mantras that we use in the course, their meanings and pronunciation. It was a very useful tool for us to learn and become comfortable with this essential element of Tantric practice. Mantras create a very powerful and subtle vibration within us and an absorbing focus, which no other part of yoga can replicate. We learned some classical mantras, such as Gayatri, as well as Bija mantras which are mainly for the Goddess and a few song-like mantras that i learned from my teacher. Each day the mantras that we chanted also reflected the day’s focus, for each mantra has a different vibration. Ganesh mantras, for example, are used to help create clarity at the beginning of anything, and thus the first day we did a focus on these types of chants.

Swara

The next section of the practice was the exploration of the swara cycles, which are simple movement patterns which are designed to help create  rhythmic breathing cycles. They are the most effective method i have ever found for helping people to sustain good breathing over time and create connection with the pranic life-force. This connection is essential for creating transformational yoga sadhana (practice). We use 5 basic patterns, within which there is a huge variety of possibilities for the breath patterns to develop. I  hope to write a more comprehensive book on swara cycles soon! Each day, of course, looked at a different aspect of the breathing and enery, according to the focus of the day.

The swara cycles are generally the most useful tool that people take away from the Jungleyoga Training, for they are incredibly simple but very dynamic in their application. They are easy to practice and thus easy to teach; the students feel the power of them right away and realize the depth of the swara cycles as they work with them every day of the training. Even after a month, we only skimmed the surface of what can be done with this magnificent tool that is the swara cycles.

Asana

With the mantras and swara cycles completed, we moved on to the physical asana practice after a short break. Since asana is such a huge part of modern yoga, we spend plenty of time working with the postures. Each day was a different focus, so that we could explore the physical work in its many aspects and understand how the postures work. We not only looked at how they are formed and created (alignment, foundation, spinal shape, etc) but also learned how the breathing works within them (and thus the energetic dynamic), how they affect the mind, and how they can work with other postures. The many factors working in asanas is quite complex, and it takes time and focus to look into them deeply.

But look we did, breaking down the asana practice in many ways. We learned how to create and balance the spine in the 5 spinal shapes, as well as how to set the foundation of the poses and how we can change to pose according to where we are touching the ground. The exploration is systematic and very complete, so by the end of the Training, everyone knows the essence of the postures and how to use them in a practice. Sequencing of the postures is also essential, and after we learned about the postures individually, we learned how to place them in relationship to other postures so that we can create an effective and powerful but safe practice.

There is much space in Jungleyoga for individuals to explore the yoga in their own way. Since everyone has different experiences in yoga, i make sure there is room for people to practice in the way they need to practice. Advanced students are given the chance to work more deeply into things, and beginning students have the space to be slower, more gentle, to rest and generally to work the way they need to work. Our most important principle is that we should be doing what is appropriate to who we are and what we need at that particular point in time. Tired students can rest, energetic students can do more, people who need to modify the pose modify them. Injured students can work more carefully, sick students can stay home or observe, menstruating women can do what makes them feel comfortable and nurtured. There is no dogma in Jungleyoga, we are just trying to create what is best for ourselves, with the idea that we want to stay juicy, open and happy both in yoga practice and in life!

The month of yoga is a complete exploration of the foundations of yoga practice. In physical practice that means we go from the basics of the physical postures and how to use them, into postures combined with breath (thus there is more focus on the pranic or energetic elements) and then into practices designed to move the subtle energy more powerfully. In yogic language, that means that we learn about the asanas physically and gradually put in the swara (flow of breath) so that inside of the postures the breath can be connected like pearls on a string, unbroken. This creates the pranic practice, beyond the physical. The physical shapes are only there to helps us go deeper into the transformation of the energetic and subtle bodies. This is largely the job of pranayama, but we tend to use the swara cycles to do the same job, because they are easier to work with and more effective for the average student.

This energetic work with the breath gradually takes us to the next levels, which are the pauses of the breath called kumbhaka. Great and amazing things take place when we get to this level, for so much of what we had been doing and talking about up to this time come into a more profound focus. Many important things are learned when we stop and become still both physically and within, which is the job of the kumbhakas. This is certainly a more difficult and intense section of practice, but any student can work with them and have an experience of them, even if it is a more gentle expression. These pauses then take us gradually to the bandhas, which are energetic locks designed to change energetic patterns in the subtle body. These are some of the most advanced physical type practices and we don’t spend a huge amount of time on them, for it takes quite a long time for people to become comfortable with them. The techniques are taught, however, as is the method for how, when and why to employ them, as well as how they work on the subtle body and on the consciousness.

Chakras

The bandhas take us to the end of week 3 of a 4 week course. The final week had a focus on the chakras, what they are and how their energies affect us and how we can work with these energies. In a sense, in the last week we start at the beginning again, from the foundations and repeat the journey that we just took 3 weeks to complete. However, since we have already taken the journey once, we start from a deeper place, and moving from the foundation to the expansion takes on a whole new meaning. This is a section which explores ourselves on a more personal, mental and emotional level, for we look at aspects of life and personality in relation to yoga. Each day had a different chakra to focus on and the practice was made accordingly. For example, on the 1st chakra day, we focused on stillness, foundation, solidity and root. On 4th chakra day we focused on breath, emotion, connection, heart opening, etc.

All of the things that we learned in the first 3 weeks come together in this last week. It is like a gathering together of our knowledge and experiences so that we can integrate them and continue our journey of exploration. The final week really brings everything together and creates a feeling of wholeness and completion so that we can re-enter the world after this time of intense sadhana (practice).

Homa

One of the most powerful and fun elements of the course is the evening fire pujas called homa. This is where we use our mantras to take us deeper into new spaces of focused awareness with the help of a holy fire. It is a very special type of ritual which i have a deep respect for, as it is a unique way to purify our consciousness and move closer to the state of awareness which yoga cultivates. This is another part of the course which the students like very much, for it has a power which no other part of yoga has in quite the same way. It is an ancient ritual which helps us to awaken  the higher aspects of our selves and put us in touch with forces which are beyond the personal limitations which our personalities create. We did the homa fire puja every week, with a special graduation puja on the last day.

Afternoons

Afternoons were of two parts. Three times a week, we had a special class for those who wanted to learn more about teaching yoga. This section was optional, but everyone chose to attend. We looked closely at elements of teaching good quality classes, with integrity, intelligence and safety. We learned how to structure practices, using the tools that we learned about in the morning, to create a practice that was beyond stretching. By understanding the many dynamics within postures and breaths, we learned how to create practices that were transformational, ones which moved gradually from the surface (warm-ups) into physical, energetic and spiritual depth. Instead of teaching a strict structure, i taught the essentials of the tools and let students then combine them as they saw fit. Each person has a different relationship with the yoga and the tools and need to find their own way with them. No two people will understand or teach yoga the same way (or shouldn’t anyhow).

Towards the end of the training, we practiced creating combinations and teaching them to each other. The many elements which go into teaching a class cannot be fully covered by a level 1 training, there is much more to be learned than we can cover in a month. This will have to wait for level 2! But certainly students left the training with a firm grasp of how the tools of yoga can be used and how to teach intelligent classes; the real learning comes through the actual experience of teaching.

Ushma taught for 2 hours in the early evening. She covered a variety of topics, but always her topic had something to do with the focus of the day. She led some movement meditations in the Osho tradition, explained and explored yoga from her perspective and also helped students on a more hands-on level. Her open, loving and soft approach was a great compliment to the work i was doing in the  morning. Thanks to Ushma!

Relaxation

In the off times, there was much to do as well. There were beaches to go to, hammocks to lie in, friends to meet and meals to eat. The weather was a bit cloudy at the beginning of the training, but gradually the fine weather set in and we got in some nice beach time. We even had to have a few classes on the beach to make sure our yoga was balanced with our time next to the ocean. Nature is so important to healthy sadhana, as the name Jungleyoga implies, and we made sure to spend some time doing nothing but enjoying nature’s glory.

In Summary

Overall, i feel that the training was the best one we have done yet. In every training my understanding and clarity deepen. I get a more profound understanding of the tools of yoga and how to teach them well. Each training i change things around a bit, both because i have new clarity and because i am responding to the dynamic of the class. Thus each training is unique in its manifestation and structure. I teach with the spirit that i, too, am simply a student, not some great guru. I try to be humble and responsive and teach what needs to be taught at the right time and in the right way. I learn a huge amount from students and from the material, which has its own power outside of myself. The yoga is a living entity that teaches us all, no matter who we are or whether we are called teacher or student or have no title at all.

Now i am hard at work, learning and practicing, so that the next training can be as wonderful and dynamic as this last one has been. Thank you so much to all the students, friends and supporters of Jungleyoga. We are a growing family of individuals who share a love of yoga, an appreciation of nature and a sense of fun. May this yoga fill us with joy and help us to walk our pathway through life in our own way, the best way we can. OM

June and July, 2010

The summer trainings have been difficult to launch for the past few years, but i thought i would try again to make one happen. Even up to the last moment, we were not sure there would be enough students to run the course. However, thanks to the enthusiasm of Alecia (who gathered Celeste for the course) we got just enough people to make it happen.

Even through the emails the students seemed very nice and easy-going (traits i like very much in students). When we finally met at the Bamboo Hut restaurant on the night before the first day, my suspicions were confirmed: they were both pleasant and easy-going people! All throughout the training, everyone continued to be wonderful, kind, considerate and hard-working. As we gradually knew each other better, people became even nicer and the training become even more enjoyable! Thanks so much to all the students who gave such light spirit and enthusiasm! It made my work so much easier and full of fun!

We began the work with the fundamentals, as we always do. We began with the opening rituals and started to learn the mantras that we would do throughout the course. After that, we started to learn about the Swara Cycles, which are a critical part of the training. If you don't know, Swara Cycles are simple (generally) cycles of movement coordinated with breath. The main point is to develop the breath's rhythm and depth, not to accomplish anything in the physical body. That work comes later. So much of what is developed in the training is built on the Swara Cycles and the Prana that they create.

The second section of the morning practice is dedicated to the Asanas and the physical work. So we began by creating the foundations of the shapes and looking at the various kinds of poses, so we could eventually understand how they work and how we can use them. In the afternoons we held interesting discussions on the knowledge (jnana) that supports the practices. There were many very interesting discussions about a huge variety of topics, thanks again to the students for being so interested!

In the evenings we had either a meditation or another Asana class led by my wonderful assistant, Nola. Thanks to her for all her efforts to make the training a success! On Fridays we did the Homa, fire ceremony, which is a puja centered around a holy fire and powered up by mantras. It is a very powerful and transformational practice that make the mantras even more powerful.

By the second week, we were developing all the important basics and building upon them. I find it so important to build up the work from the beginning; this makes the later phases of the practice both powerful and comprehensible. So we spent some time on the simple postures and breaths and meditations (by the way, simple does not in any way mean easy!). Most importantly, we were working with backbends, core strength, arm balances, headstands and shoulderstands. The steadiness of the breath in Ujjayi was our main focus for the beginning.

By week 3 we were well into the more powerful aspects of the practice. We learned more of the mantras and developed our 'mantra shakti', our power to recite mantras for longer. We used about 10 mantras regularly, both in the morning and during the Homa fire puja. Week 3 saw a development in the different types of pranayamas including work with the nostrils (up to Nadi Sodhana) and pauses of the breath called Kumbhakas. There are literally millions of different types of pranayama, so we were able to cover the basics, but this was more than enough for most people.

In the Asanas, we kept developing the headstands, backbends and alignments for all poses, as well as understanding the energetic qualities of the poses. Certainly the breath work we did every day helped us to breathe well in even the most intense poses. By this time, the work on the fundamentals was paying off and student's poses were looking quite good! We could notice a big difference between the Training students and those who were only dropping in on the classes. Even though many others had more experience in yoga, the poses of the Training students looked both comfortable, well-aligned and open, with a flowing breath. This is what i like to see in postures!

We worked on Bandhas in week 3 amongst many other things, which brought us back to many simple poses but with a very different focus than before. Truly, yoga is a multi-layered experience!

In week 4 we explored the Chakras and different practices to connect with their unique energies. The work continued to be intense but gentle, and each day brought a new type of prana to us. The root chakra taught us about grounding and rooting, the second chakra showed us openness and adaptability, the third (fire) chakra gave us intensity and willpower, etc. It was a very interesting week!

Somehow, the time flew by and before we knew it, the training was concluding! Despite needing a break, most of us were still excited to do more yoga. One of my priorities in the trainings is not to exhaust the students. Yoga is intense and deep and cannot be learned quickly. Thus there is no need to take it too fast. Our gentle but continual pace paid off in the end; everyone was happy and charged up and ready for the next phase in their lives. I saw everyone's posture change, their bodies began to transform and even the look on their faces and in the eyes took a new appearance!

So thanks once again to all who took the training or visited our classes! Your support for Jungleyoga give me inspiration to work harder and make JY an even better experience for all!

OM Shanti Shanti Shanti

January 2010

The January 2010 training was amazing, fun and deep; i have learned many things about teaching and practicing this Tantric yoga, and the next training promises to be even more interesting and powerful. Currently Jungleyoga is sleeping, as there are no teachings scheduled until the next training in July. I am doing my own 'sadhana' (spiritual practice) in the jungles of Australia; teachers especially must maintain a strong and clear practice so that the transmission can be clear. My current interests include a deeper exploration of pranayama (breath meditations), kumbhakas and the mantras given to me by my guru (Amargiri Nagababa). I am also engaged in weekly 'homa' fire pujas, which are rituals with a central fire and continual mantras to bring one into One with the transformative powers of fire and other energies. The fire pujas are an integral part of the trainings and one of the most intereresting.

I will attempt to give you some details on what we did during the training, just so you have an idea of the kind of work and play that we do. The training was scheduled for 28 days (4 weeks) from half moon to half moon. I like to plan the training to follow the moon cycles, because cycles are an important theme in the work of the Tantric yoga. Thus, a lunar month gives a nice sense of beginning, middle and end to the training.

In proper Jungleyoga style, we actually had to delay the start of the course of a few days due to a massive gay wedding here on the bay of some of our dear friends. It was our first lesson in yoga: flexibility. Everyone then had a chance to settle in to their bungalows and new lives before the course began.

Once we got the wedding behind us, the training began in earnest on the 10th of January. Straight away, i knew it was going to be a wonderful group of yogis and yoginis, and i was right. Everyone was engaged and involved in the course from the first day and continued to be right up to the end. We all faced some challenges both within and without as the course progressed, but we knew it was leading us to deeper places.

The Jungleyoga Training is designed to be a solid foundation of practice and understanding for any yogini or yogi. It begins at the essential and simple first steps of yoga and builds day by day to a crescendo of intensity and back down the other side. We used the metaphor and symbolism of the mountain to represent our journey to the heights of yoga (the top of the mountain) and back down the other side. Symbols are an important part of the yogi journey; they help the seeker to frame the work in a way that helps one to go beyond the individual and into the mythic.

Step by step we wound our way up the mountain of yoga towards the summit, stopping along the way to admire the view and look out towards the vastness of the universe. The first week built up the understandings and experiences of the spinal shapes (backbends, forward bends, twists, laterals and the neutral spine postures) and built the breath rhythms called 'swara cycles'. Upon these foundations, the rest of the yoga is built and developed.

Every afternoon we discussed and explored the ideas behind the mornining's practices. If we worked on a certain theme (such as backbends) in the morning, in the afternoon we looked at alignments, anatomy, breath and energetics of the poses. This approach helped up to frame the later work of the yoga, which is built upon the simple beginnings of spine and breath. Gradually the understanding of the methods and tools of yoga took shape.

One thing i really tried to emphasize was that there is really no such thing as a 'teacher training'. All too often, people learn techniques of yoga without understanding their effects or proper uses. It is impossible to learn how to teach if a person does not have direct experience of the practices. I avoided the teaching of 'formulas' and concentrated on clarity and creative understanding. Without a first-hand knowledge of yoga, a person will never be able to teach others properly. Thus, we concentrated largely on knowing the yoga in our own bodies and how these practices affect us. Only then can a person really transmit the yoga knowledge to others. The first and primary goal was to become yogis and yoginis, not to become teachers, even if some people go on to run classes (which many do).

In the second week, we looked deeper at the philosophical ideas under the yoga practices, as well as the alignments and variations of the postures. Three fundamental aspects of the physical work helped to clarify the nature of the asanas and how to use them. We looked more closely at variations and then started to build and understand sequences in the practice. Yoga is much more effective if the postures and breaths are put together in an order which aids in the deepening sought by yoga. So we understood how we can prepare the physical body and energy body to safely and deeply approach the intermediate and advanced practices.

Another of my essential focus' was on the sustainability of good yoga practice. I want to teach a yoga with can be done throughout the whole of one's life, with a minimum of injury and trauma. This requires an intelligent and careful approach, because a person must try to create and practice a yoga which is appropriate for themselves. There is no set series or formula in Jungleyoga, only a set of guidelines and ideas with can guide us towards the right work for ourselves. By knowing these ideas which lay behind the practices, we can continue to practice for our whole lives.

By the third week, things had built up in intensity and everyone was practicing well and deeply. Everyone's postures started to look very good in both shape and general feeling, and people has learned how to change the work to suit their own bodies and needs. Some people did more intense work and some needed to learn how to do less. Our yoga must be appropriate for ourselves if we are to grow and transform! Each student began to understand how to adjust the yoga to suit themselves and make their own bodies happy.

Evenings we had Baba Marco (a swiss yogi from the mountains) leading classes that explored mantra, sound and music. He led kirtans and bhajans, pranayama and mantra-based asana practices which gave us yet another insight into how yoga can be practiced. Thanks very much to Marco for sharing his beautiful practices with us!

At the end of the week we always had 'reggae fridays', which were more casual and fun, due to the fact that friday was the end of the week and we needed to let loose a bit! So on Fridays we were less serious and played reggae music during the class to help us develop the easy, happy feelings! Tuesdays were traditionally days for intense and difficult practices, such as backbending or core strengthening. I actually structure the course around various lines and patterns, and the different energetic of the day of the week is one of them. The cycles are all around us!

After building up the basic understanding of the asanas and the physical body, we then went deeper, into the energetic body. While maintaining a good and solid physical practice, we worked to support the pranayama (breath cycles) and build its intensity. There are so many different types of pranayama, we only had time to do a few (maybe 15-20 different kinds). Remember there are literally millions of different pranayama cycles.

Developing the energy body, as opposed to only the physical, made the practices much more intense. I feel that once we got to the deeper work of the breath and energy body, all of us entered a phase of transformation. One really cannot do good pranayama without experiencing some shifts and internal movements. The breath-work is and continues to be what captures my interest more than anything else in the yoga, and i have found it to be the most direct pathway to the inner knowledge and transformation.

After developing the knowledge of the body and the knowledge of the breath, we went yet deeper. There are many very powerful lessons in the yoga and by the last week we were using breath, body and mind to explore some of the most profound aspects of life. Yoga is not a physical practice, it is spiritual! We went deeper into what Tantra is and how it can aid us in our journey; we developed a connection with some of the more intense aspects of existence, namely food, sex and death (the essential energies of Tantra). However, instead of working directly with them, we employed symbols and aspects of the yoga to explore our relationship with these essential aspects of life. Amazing!!

In the last week we also looked at the chakras and their energies and amazingly, the bandha practice slotted in perfectly with the chakras! So we worked on the final aspects of the physical work (the energy locks called bandhas), we worked on the final aspects of the breath work (kumbhakas) and made our way up the spine to the home of the infinite soul in the top of the head!

Really, i found the training amazing and so interesting! I continue to be captured and spell-bound by this yoga and its infinite possibilities and i feel the students felt the same. I think we cracked open the narrow box of modern yoga (on the mat, in the box) and brought it into the mythical, universal realm. I am pleased by it all!

A million thanks to all the students who did the course and shared their beautiful minds and hearts! And thanks to the lovely Nola who assisted with adjustments and one-on-one teaching! And to Marco who added his mantra knowledge and great vibes! OM Thanks as well to Lily of the Blooming Lotus who did a great job to maintain the space and spirit of the lotus! Love!