Many Learnings

Swathi, Bangalore, India

I was very impressed with the smooth flow of procedures and events from the moment we arrived to the moment of departure. I can only imagine how much thought and planning must have been involved. And the execution of the same by the sahayogis and other sevaks deserves a round of applause. The Pre-Symposium satsangs with Swamiji set a strong base and gave us an idea about what to expect and also what is expected of us. It was interesting to learn about the vedic raja yoga, which is pre-Patanjali, and how jnana yoga is not about ‘Who am I?’ As Swamiji mentioned, yoga has gone from door to door and shore to shore and that concludes the first chapter. To know that the next chapter of BSY is deepening the knowledge (yoga vidya) and how to incorporate yoga in our daily life was enlightening.

Asana practice with awareness of the movement, breath synchronization, visualization, chakra awareness and mantra was a new experience and I realized that to further this aspect I need to master the asanas first. As Swamiji said, muscle memory needs to be developed in order to gain mastery over asanas. We were fortunate to have a class of yoga nidra with Swami Niranjan. I learnt many other new things. The most helpful thing was that we can break down the practices and do them in parts as yoga capsules. This is very useful for those who live outside the ashram and have time constraints.

It was also wonderful to learn about the work of different people across India and the world to spread and establish Satyananda Yoga. The stay at Munger was a reminder of how people in the ashram and elsewhere are selflessly dedicating their time and energy in order to help fulfil the aspiration of their guru. The short film on the life of Swami Sivananda and Swami Satyananda was fascinating. I also enjoyed watching the 5D movie ‘Awakening the Kundalini’.

I thoroughly enjoyed singing and repeating kirtans and it made me realize that singing releases endorphins, which makes one feel elated. This reminds me of the Manganiars whose soulful music against the full-moon backdrop is etched in my memory. The children’s play and the message it contained will always be remembered.

Apart from the learning, the experience was enriched by the people I stayed, interacted and spent time with. I am grateful to all those who gave an ear to me, were kind and genuinely concerned about my well being. Every time I see goodness in someone, I see God! Above all, as rightly said by a fellow delegate, a lot was given to us without us asking for it, and we tend to take things given to us freely for granted. I would try my best for that to not happen. I hope I will be able to imbibe at least a part of what we have received.