The Making of a Hata Yogi: Establishing the Practice

The Isha Hata Yoga Teacher Training Program is an endeavor to bring back classical yoga in its purest form and to train teachers who can impart this phenomenally powerful science. The second training program began on 22^nd July 2013, and in this series, we will be following the participants through their exciting 21-week journey. 

In Week Eight of the program, we catch up with the participants as they complete a mandala and become immersed in a series of intense experiences. 

With any sadhana or kriya, it is customary to establish the practice deeply with a 40 to 48 day cycle. Sadhguru explains the significance of this: “If you bring anything new into your system, it will take about 40 days to become a part of the system. This is because the human physiology goes through a certain cycle every 40 to 48 days, which is known as a ‘mandala.’ This is also the reason why in Ayurveda, for example, medicine is usually given for 48 days – this is the length of time that is needed for the medicine to take root in your system. So if you do a certain sadhana for one mandala, then it gets written into your system like software and functions on a completely different level. It is important that you do it without a break for that period.”

Last week, the participants of the Hata Yoga Teacher Training Program completed their 40-day cycle of Upayoga and Angamardana.  Participant Srividya shares: “I was not actually keeping track but I’m so happy to be told we have completed a mandala. I am extremely glad that I have not missed a single session in these 40 days… even on days when I felt a little unwell or the body was aching, I kept up with the cycle because Sadhguru has instilled the importance of this. I reminded myself of what Sadhguru told us. ‘If your body says no, you won’t leave it, if your mind says no, you won’t leave it and if you say no, I won’t leave you.’ I now look forward to finishing my 40 days of Surya Kriya and Asanas. But more importantly, by finishing the mandala, the practices are getting deeper and flowing more effortlessly.”

In other news, some ladies got the opportunity to be part of the Bhava Spandana Program (BSP), which took place at the ashram last week. Vasundhara from New Delhi says: “No words can possibly express what BSP is. For me, more than an experience, it has changed my perception, my way of life permanently. Apart from the life-changing realizations I had at BSP, it was also a testimony to the Hata Yoga Teacher Training Program we have been in for almost two months now. I saw a tremendous amount of stillness inside me. I saw how hugely I have changed. Hata Yoga is making me into a person I couldn’t even dream of being… I am filled with gratitude.”

The participants of the Hata Yoga School were obliged to give up their beloved “home” Adiyogi Alayam for a bigger cause last week. The awesome hall was the venue for the grand two-day sathsang “In the Lap of the Master.” The group didn’t mind, however, and threw themselves joyously and wholeheartedly into the event. Arvind Falke from Mumbai says, “It was like a celebration with Sadhguru… there was a mystical sweetness throughout.” Srividya shares: “I got a chance to volunteer and guide people to their respective seating areas. Seeing the eagerness and excitement on their faces was infectious…I realized just how many lives Sadhguru has touched. Through the answers Sadhguru gave, I felt that my questions were being addressed too. I have had this experience almost always, sitting with him. Throughout the two days we laughed, sang, danced and cried with joy. We were truly in his lap… being nurtured.”

We leave you with this beautiful poem written for Sadhguru by participant Krishanu.

O Master!

Tell me O master please tell me,
Where can I seek self mastery,
Where is the route to self sufficiency,
Life's passing in fear and drudgery.

Tell me O master please tell me,
Let me know of the secret way,
the passage which resides in me,
but I have lost its key.

Religion has made a beggar of me,
Morals have left me crippled,
Politics and culture have divided me,
My Intelligence has dwindled,
Tell me what to do and Where to go,
Tell me because I don't know!

Look master what has become of me,
A mere pawn in hands of circumstance,
Wasting my life to prove and disprove,
and still this cradle is yet to move.

Refinement looks like scarcity,
Lunacy has taken garb of audacity,
Rejection looks like renunciation,
Selfishness looks like prosperity,
Maybe it's time for eternal Damnation.

Impurities have enamored me,
Heart is filled with agony,
Who I am I have forgotten,
The Wheel is also broken,
It has to be set in groove,
Only then can we hope to move.

From Random to Dynamic,
From Fate to Destiny,
From Poverty to Prosperity,
From Dullness to Magic,
Only you can make the shift,
Only you can prevent further drift.

O Master please show us the magic land
Where strength and joy go hand in hand
Where we can be equanimous like Gautama
And live in playful grandeur like Krishna

We may not seek the peaks now,
But with your bountiful grace,
We can play wisely and humbly bow
You are the Master and our Guru,
You are the only one Sadhguru!

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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