Throughout Isha Hatha Yoga Teacher’s Training 2016, we will be sharing the story of the making of a hatha yogi through the eyes of the trainees themselves, who will post weekly updates as to what’s happening in the training and their experiences. Join us as we take a peek into the lives of Hatha Yoga Trainees in their journey of self-transformation.

Meet the Trainees

Nikita

Namaskaram,
I have been a lost wanderer, breathlessly and endlessly chasing experiences. Unsure what I was looking for, I pushed my boundaries dangerously further each time until one such encounter led me to Isha in 2012.

Slowly, one program at a time, questions about life, existence, meaning and purpose found clarity within me. As any rebellious youth, I only subscribed to logic, discarding any semblance of blind faith. Sadhguru ensured this logic at every stage of my journey. Despite experiencing ‘the moment of bliss’, a search for the ultimate truth still burns like wildfire within me.

While I understand in theory that the answer to life is right here, within me, I am yet to experience it. This July, I enrolled in the Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program at Isha for 21 weeks, choosing yoga as the medium to become one with the creator. I will be sharing my experiences with you as I progress on this journey towards becoming a hatha yogi. As a yoga teacher, my vision is to touch as many lives as deeply as possible, with the hope that they too, someday, embark on their own journey.

Pranam
Nikita Gupta

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Cristhian

Namaskaram,

Up to about a year ago I was simply running with the crowd. Going from job to job, trying to distract myself over the weekend and pretend my life was as insignificant as living to pay bills. One day, I decided to quit corporate America, and my life took an unexpected turn. After many ups and downs, feeling completely lost and lonely, I had touched rock bottom.

Not long after, I had experiences that would change the way I live my day-to-day life. In December 2015, a high school friend gave me a book with a note that said "when the student is ready, the teacher appears".

By March, my experiences became more enhanced due to yoga, and around that time, Sadhguru came into my life. Resonating with everything he said, I felt as if he was talking to me, explaining what was happening to me in the most technical way and feeding my intellect along the way.

Seeking for answers to my experiences, I came across Isha Yoga Center, and when I saw the Hatha Yoga program I knew in my heart I had to make it to India. Not knowing when I'll return back home, I've left everyone and everything behind seeking truth, and the Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program is my first stop.

Sai

Before I embarked on a spiritual journey to know the truth about who I am, many difficulties arose that tested my faith. I dealt with heartbreak, depression, and the death of a loved one, all while attempting to graduate college amidst the chaos of New York City.

Like the roots of a lotus requiring the mud at the bottom of the pond in order to grow, boundless love began to bloom within me from the challenges that I was facing. All of the pain that I felt acted as a catalyst for me to pursue peace through meditation. By closing my eyes, I was able to truly see the beauty and interconnectedness in all the people around me. I was able to show reverence to even those that had hurt me, once I included them as part of myself.

That’s why, for 21 weeks, I’ll be learning Hatha Yoga and how to share this vital tool with those who seek it. Sadhguru describes yoga as the science of activating your inner energies in such a way that your body, mind, and emotions function at their highest peak. So although I’m starting to see that I am not the body nor the mind, this yoga has made it much easier to create that distance.

We are lucky to be alive at the same time as Sadhguru. I know I can trust the knowledge I am gaining and leave the end result up to my guru and the creator within. I was led to the ashram for a reason: to gain more stability in my physical foundation; to obtain more mental clarity, and to align with the source of all creation. I’m still discovering who I am, but no longer do I feel the need to be found. I look forward to being a part of this journey and hope you will join me along the way.

Editor’s Note: Isha Hatha Yoga programs are an extensive exploration of classical hatha yoga, which revive various dimensions of this ancient science that are largely absent in the world today. These programs offer an unparalleled opportunity to explore Upa-yoga, Angamardana, Surya Kriya, Surya Shakti, Yogasanas and Bhuta Shuddhi, among other potent yogic practices.

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