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Yoga Teacher Training

Welcome to the New
Enigmus Newsletter

 Yoga Teacher Training

April 2008

In this issue:

  1. Articles by shakti mhi
  2. Book Signings with shakti mhi: Hosted by Banyen Books and Blackberry Books - Two upcoming book signing events with shakti mhi! Join us for an evening of discussion about the Enigma of Self-Realization.
    • Hosted by Banyen Books: Friday May 23rd from 6pm - 8pm at The Ayurveda Centre in Vancouver
    • Hosted by Blackberry Books: Thursday April 24th from 5:00pm - 6:30pm at Unit 3 - 1666 Johnston St., Net Loft Building - Granville Island in Vancouver
  3. Spring Yoga and Silence Retreat with shakti mhi!
  4. The Inner Magic Yoga Journey To India with shakti and Daniel
  5. Seeking Talented College Administrative Secretary (minimum 15 years experience)
  6. Recommended Film
  7. May Satsang with shakti mhi: Location Needed!
  8. Prana Yoga College Announcements!
  9. Participate!

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Being in love

Often students inquire, what is the point to be in a romantic relationship with one person if we are all one? How can we realize everything manifests from the same essence and still focus our love on a chosen individual?

In the spiritual experience, a romantic love, is a reflection of the higher self as the essence of unconditional love arises from experiencing oneness.

Imagine you see an incredible tree standing in its full blossom. Shining flowers flourish from each branch spreading divine fragrance into the air. You are standing in front of the tree with awe and admiration of its loveliness.

You want to embrace the tree and inhale the delicate and powerful fragrance, but the tree is huge and the flowers are all over. Naturally you will step towards one flower only, close your eyes, and take its beauty into your heart letting its perfume absorb into your bloodstream. Then you pick up this one flower and take it home with you, place it in a vase and enjoy its magnificence.

The flower is a segment of the tree. The tree is too big to relate to. Through the adoration of the flower, you adore the tree: its branches, leaves, trunk, roots and fruits.

Through the flower you connect to the whole tree, from the soil it is planted in, to the sky and sun above it, to the birds which are dwelling between its branches. It is the tree of life.

The flower is a segment of the tree, the same as your beloved one is a fragment of the whole existence.

In your infinite consciousness you may experience oneness with the whole universe but in your physical form you are limited in embracing the immeasurable, so you choose to love an individual who is a reflection of the whole. Your beloved one is the flower that belongs to the infinite tree of existence.

This is why your relationship with your chosen beloved reflects your relationship with everything around you, inside you and beyond you.

 

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Falling in Love with a Teacher By shakti mhi

Dear shakti,

What if you fall in love in with your teacher? How is it possible to make the difference between the two: the master and the lover?

Kind regards,
"A"

Dear "A",

It is not rare that a student may have strong feelings and attraction to her* spiritual teacher. When a teacher carries immense prana, (energy or life force), he may glow with a charisma that may be very attractive. If the teacher experiences oneness he may generate a field of the energy of unconditional love around him which the student will long to bask in permanently. If the teacher lives a healthy and clean lifestyle he may radiate physical beauty which appears to shine from within.

In addition, the teacher becomes the provider for the hungry student. He holds the most nutrition ("food for thought") that the student craves. As a provider of wisdom, depth, and direction, the teacher may present the ultimate parent figure that most of us always yearn for but never had. When these exceptional qualities affect the student (who is in a constant state of lacking energetically) the only thing the student wishes for is to merge with her teacher. When the student finds herself physically attracted to her teacher an internal conflict arises between the "ordinary" feelings on a man-woman level and the wish to keep the connection outside and above the ordinary.

There is no need to separate the master from the lover. Masters often conduct their teaching to their students with the passion of a lover even when physicality is not involved. At the same time lovers should take the role of being a master:

Mastering the art of making love,
Mastering the art of serving,
Mastering ones own lust, etc.

If the Master/teacher brings his high frequency vibration to the love affair and is able to lift his student's/lover's energy to his frequency, this relationship will be free of:

Emotional abuse,
Jealousy,
Manipulation,
Demands,
Expectations,
Attachments,
Pain and suffering.

The problem arises when the teacher lowers his frequency to the student's vibration and the relationship originates from an engagement of two small needy minds. This can end with pain and heartbreak, as the student and teacher are not in the same place of power. The student is often in a fragile and confused state.

Sometimes the so-called "teacher" never operates from a high frequency of consciousness. The teacher simply appears wise, but is actually just as needy as his student. This is when you hear about cases of spiritual teachers preying on the weak and gullible disciples for their own selfish satisfaction.

The bottom line is:

It is pretentious to say that a spiritual teacher should not have a love affair with a student, as life is a dance and most teachers interact mainly with students.

If you engage in a love affair with your teacher, make sure it is a master who walks his talk; otherwise you will end up with a low frequency love affair that brings about all the suffering and pain you already experienced in your past relationships.

If and when you do engage with a teacher romantically do not dismiss yourself by following blindly without questioning, as you are not less a master yourself.

True love will never cause pain.

Namaste,
shakti

*As the question came from a female my reply is from the point of view of love affair between a male teacher and a female student. Please feel free to reverse the sexes in any way it suits you as the spirit is the same for all other combinations (female teacher, male students etc), as long as all those involved are adults and coherent!

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Does Existence Have Any Meaning? By shakti mhi

The following is a question from a student posted on shakti's blog www.shaktimhi.com; "The Purpose of Existence". Both the question, and shakti's response are written below. The student's words are italicized.

Dear shakti,

When I am fully in the present, I realize how empty and meaningless my life and life in general is. Yes, I appreciate the beauty of a sunrise and in fact, I appreciate so much.

Is the answer to just be and embrace this emptiness?

Thank you,
****

Hi ****,

First I would like to ensure you that the matter we are discussing is beyond the mind gymnastics. This is the reason why in the beginning of our search for spirituality (meaning: discovering reality beyond "the making sense") we are mostly in confusion.

The mind perceives reality in formulas.

For example: for the mind 1+1 is always equal to 2.

But when you experience reality beyond the mind, 1+1 may in one moment be equal to knowing and in other moment to a void or the infinite or nothingness.

So instead of trying to understand, figure out, or make sense of my words to you, simply let them resonate in you until your "sixth sense" will wake up and be activated to pick up on the endless possibilities that you may not be aware of in this moment. The most important is to be playful. Be sincere, but not too serious.

One of the greatest zen sayings is "form is emptiness and emptiness is form".

"Form is emptiness" - Nothing has a meaning but the meaning that we pour into it in each moment.

"Emptiness is form" - like everything else, emptiness is just another form with a meaning of emptiness.

Most of the spiritual seekers are looking for a formula, recipe, structure, or path that will answer all of the dual questions that the mind raises. Most of the seekers are not willing to take the seat of power by giving a meaning to their moment; and in the same time not being attached to this meaning otherwise it turns to be a dogma instead of an experience.

The answer for the mind's questions lies outside of the mind, in the experience. The experience takes place outside of the mind, while the interpretation and evaluation of the experience lies inside of the mind.

For example, taking a shower is an experience that takes place outside of the mind.

The shower was fun, too short, too long, too warm, unsatisfying etc, are all the mind's evaluations and interpretations of the experience.

In other words we can say that the answer revealed itself when the question ceased.

You are asking if there is any absolute meaning to existence.

In the time between the two emails you sent me I managed to fall from a high balcony, break my spine and shatter my arm. In the moment of the fall when my body hit the rock I couldn't breathe, it took me extreme effort to force air into my shocked lungs. In that split second the meaning I gave to my moment was all about breathing and keeping my body alive. When finally the air entered my suffocated lungs, I was fascinated by my ability to breathe as I wasn't sure if it was ever going to happen again. Next was to check if I could feel my legs, as I knew my spine was injured badly. Feeling my toes was a very meaningful moment. I won't keep inventory of all my moments from that point on, but I was making sure in each of them that I stay out of my mind that often raises meaningless questions as "Why me?", "What will happen now?", "Am I going to live?", "Could it have been prevented?" etc.

Throughout all the moments I went through in the last two weeks: surgery, pain, discomfort and others, I was making sure that I am in the experience and not in the evaluation of it.

Even though all the above moments were absolutely meaningful in my direct experience, I cannot say they represent the absolute meaning of existence, as in the time of laying injured on the ground waiting for rescue, you may have had a cup of jasmine tea or a talk with a friend or had a moment of silence with your self.

If you would like to reveal the true nature of existence you have to move away from your familiar ways of perceiving reality, for example knowing that opposites such as meaning and no meaning dwell in the same moment, while for the mind it is always either this or that.

So to conclude all the above and future words:

If you need to have a confirmation that there is absolute meaning in order to have a meaning in your life, your life is meaningless.

If you do not have a space left in your moment to wonder about meaning because it is filled by your experience, your life is meaningful.

With love
shakti

Image courtesy of www.universaluv.com

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The 10 Commandments of Finding the Right Yoga Teacher Training

1) Find a Spiritual Teacher

Avoid taking training from teachers that emphasize their teaching on the physical aspects of yoga only. It is important to have a teacher who can give you a full understanding of the spiritual (as opposed to religious) aspect of yoga. The teacher should not be a scholar who knows his/her information from reading books and taking workshops. The teacher's teaching must arise from direct experience. Such a teacher will be able to deal with all of the spiritual concerns that the student may have with no hesitation.

2) Make Sure to Experience Direct Transmission

Do not settle for teacher training run by novice teachers who show the teachings of their master from a DVD. Do not settle for the said "master" to only occasionally appear in the course. Every student in the course needs to have direct contact and experience with the spiritual teacher, as the transmission of the knowledge and wisdom often happens on the energy level.

3) Bigger is Not Better

Often you see teacher training with 60 to 200 students in a course.

In an intense 200h course, as a result of the intense practice, students often go through physical, mental, emotional and spiritual crisis and may face multiple challenges. As a result of being in a large impersonal course, the student and their needs get lost in the crowd.

4) Avoid Religions, Cults and Worship

Avoid trainings with even a hint of worshipping the spiritual teacher. Yoga practice is a process to transform the novice to become a free master and not to become a sheep, following without knowing.

5) Practical Teaching

Make sure there is plenty of actual hands-on teaching experience for you during the course so you don't end up with theoretical knowledge but are unprepared to actually teach. Knowing the asanas (yoga postures) inside and out won't make you know how to teach them. Yoga teacher training is not a yoga boot camp of doing the asanas all day. You need to learn communication, the psychology of the mind, body language, how to correct by using hands-on techniques, and how to give mental and energetic support to your students in the future.

6) Yoga is Not Gymnastics

Remember that 90% of your students out there are beginners! Most of the people in the West are dealing with physical limitations and health conditions. Avoid vigorous acrobatic styles of yoga. Choose a style of yoga that can walk beginners safely into the practice. Otherwise you will join the endless number of yoga instructors who make the students feel (after their first class) that they are not flexible enough to practice yoga.

7) Restrictive Yoga Facilities

Avoid styles that constrict you and your students to a specific teaching facility environment (hot rooms or facilities with too many yoga gadgets). The essence of yoga practice is to be able to conduct it in any place and any time. Your students should be able to take the teaching you convey and practice on their own anywhere without dependency on a facility.

8) New-Age Yoga

Be careful of flakiness and new-age nonsense.

Knowledge of energy and the chakras is powerful, but there is much more to the yoga practice than just the chakras.

9) Connection With the Teacher After Course is Done

Make sure that the teacher will be available to you to answer questions after the course has ended and to guide you in your first steps of your teaching if needed. You should be able to find spiritual support from your teacher outside the course as your practice must continue after your certification.

10) The Power of Transformation

Let your heart, not only your mind and wallet, be involved in the search for the right teacher and teaching. Avoid being influenced by trends and burgeons. The teacher is the vehicle for the teaching that may resonate in you forever.

True teachers will expand your capacity to receive wisdom that arises from beyond your programmed mind.

Namaste,
shakti mhi

 

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Spring Yoga and Silence Retreat!

This springs yoga and silence retreat will be held from June 24 - June 30 at the breathtaking Sea to Sky Retreat Centre near Whistler. For the first 3 days, enjoy yoga and mediation, intermixed with educational seminars and spiritual discourse. The last 4 days will be in silence, combining meditation and mindfulness with the peace and serenity of the natural environment.

Registration discount of $100 prior to May 15! Cost is $750 + GST.
Regular cost for the retreat is $850 + GST.

Please contact 604.682.2121 or 604.676.8812 to register or for more details.

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The Inner Magic Yoga Journey To India
with shakti and Daniel

October 2008

This October a very select group of individuals will have a rare and unique opportunity to experience the timeless wonders of India on a custom designed 19 day tour, promising to be a feast for the senses and the spirit. Come join us for a unique opportunity to travel to exotic and magnificent India, the birthplace of yoga and home to the world's oldest continuous civilization. From the intensity of Bombay (Mumbai), through the sacred city of Varanasi on the banks of the river Ganges (The pilgrimage capital of the world) to the fabled Taj Mahal and the tranquil canals of Kerala and numerous other breathtaking locations.

Indulge your senses in the exquisite cuisine of the land of spices. Cleanse and beautify your physical form with treatments from Ayurveda, the world's oldest science of health and beauty. Strengthen and relax your body and mind with daily yoga and meditation classes under the guidance of Shakti and Daniel, founders of Prana Yoga College.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the many wonders of India from the comforts of a custom designed and expertly guided 4 star tour as well as having a chance to spend time one on one with shakti Mhi, the author a "The Enigma of Self Realization" and "The Yoga Experience" to deepen the understanding of the experience of the inner spiritual journey that so many people have been seeking for millennia in this wondrous land.

Full itinerary, dates, and pricing details coming soon.

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Seeking Talented College Administrative Secretary (15 Year Experience Minimum)

We are currently seeking a bright, passionate, and organized individual to join our team of dedicated staff as our College Administrative Secretary.

Prana Yoga Teacher College is dedicated to the meticulous and inspired delivery of its programs and activities. If you thrive in an environment where you can grow and contribute whole-heartedly, with a commitment to excellence and service, and meet the requirements below, then we would love to hear from you.

This is a full time position, beginning mid-April 2008.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Managing calendars and scheduling logistics for program and business related activities
  • Answering studio and college related queries by phone and e-mail
  • Verifying all accounts payable, receivable and preparing cheques
  • Ensuring the ongoing accuracy and effectiveness of the college web site by updating and writing content for activity, course and program changes, as well as updating links and on-line listings
  • Managing information and writing reports for accreditation and licensing bodies
  • Working closely with staff and Directors with various project planning tasks to maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of programs and activities at all times
  • Assistance with promotions coordination

Qualifications:

  • 15 years experience in an Administrative position preferred
  • proficient in Microsoft office applications
  • excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
  • excellent time management, multi-tasking and organizational skills
  • interpersonal skills, maturity and self-confidence
  • general understanding of yoga terminology and yogic lifestyle
  • goal oriented with proven ability to work independently and effectively in an environment requiring flexibility and proactive thinking
  • excellent attention to detail and sharp focus in keeping track of commitments and responsibilities with the ability to prioritize.

We are interested in speaking with you but we need to clarify a few things ahead of time. From our experience in the business world we know that cover letters and resumes rarely reflect the real person behind the words. As we are a small and unique organization, which deals with people in a real way, we would like to have a glimpse into who you are ahead of our potential meeting. We know that no one is perfect and that we all have limitations and strengths. If you are open minded to relate to this process in a unique and honest way, so that none of us wastes our time, please fill out the below questionnaire.

1) Please give us your expectation for a salary.

2) Please list 3 things about yourself that you would never mention on a resume, for example:

  • "I get sick very often."
  • "I feel low energy most of the day."
  • "I'm addicted to caffeine."
  • "I actually want to be a shamanic healer but I'm applying for this position because I need the money."
  • "I hate Mondays."

3) Name three things you dislike in an employer.

4) What is your reaction to these questions?

If you meet the minimum qualifications, please forward your resume (including references) and cover letter to info@pranayogacollege.com

We thank all candidates, but will only be contacting those who have the qualifications listed.

Namaste,
Prana Yoga Teacher College

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Recommended Movie of the Month: Peaceful Warrior

Starring Scott Mechlowicz, Nick Nolte, Amy Smart, Paul Wesley, Ashton Holmes, Agnes Bruckner, B.J. Britt, and Beatrice Rosen

Synopsis: Dan Millman (Mechlowicz) is a talented college gymnast with Olympic dreams. He has it all: trophies, teammates, fast motorcycles, fast girls and wild parties. Then Dan's world is turned upside down when he meets a mysterious stranger he calls Socrates (Nolte), who holds the power to tap into new worlds of strength and understanding. After a serious injury, with the help of Socrates and an elusive young woman named Joy (Smart), Dan discovers that he has much to learn and even more to leave behind before he can become a peaceful warrior and find his destiny. This moving tale about the power of the human spirit is based on Dan Millman's best-selling autobiographical novel, Way of the Peaceful Warrior. (Lionsgate)

Review by Ross Anthony: This is a fine film. Admittedly, I suspected it might be kind of cheesy, but the film is directed with great grace and care. And the acting is solid. Nick Nolte as the "old wise guy" rocks. A great casting choice and he nails it. Scott Mechlowicz as Dan Millman, the overconfident, under-enlightened Olympic hopeful is also a good cast and he does a swell job. It's a very good film that everyone ought to see.

     

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May Satsang with shakti: Location Needed!

Have you thought about having Satsang in your home, or do you have a space available where people can gather in meditation, and spiritual discourse? After spending several months in Thailand, shakti has returned to Vancouver and is interested to begin holding weekly Satsang at a new location.

Satsang is a dialogue between teacher and student. Essentially a space is needed for two hours one night a week for such a gathering to take place. If you are able to hold a Satsang in May, we look forward to hearing from you about where you are located and the space you have available.

Please send an email to info@pranayogacollege.com, or call: 604.682.2121 or 604.676.8812

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Prana Yoga College Announcements!

April 28 - May 25 2008 Spring Teacher Training!

Experience the Level 1, 200 hour Teacher Training program here in beautiful Vancouver! This is a fantastic opportunity to lift your yoga experience to a higher level, creating space within the experience of yoga to include a more thorough understanding of traditional postures, yoga philosophy and human anatomy.

The first 15 students to pay in full will receive a $500 discount on tuition! Visit this page for more information. Call 604.682.2121 or 604.676.8812 for more details!

 

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Kriya Yoga Workshop Sunday May 11th, from 1pm - 5pm

Learn the ancient methods of the wise yogis for body cleansing, detoxification, and perfect health. Improve your immune system, digestion, elimination, breathing, sleep, skin condition, and allergies. Learn techniques such as how to cleanse the nose using sea salt water (excellent for relieving allergies) and more!

The workshop is from 1pm - 5pm, on Sunday May 11th. It will be held in the Fireside Room, at the Centre for Peace, located at 1825 West 16th Avenue in Vancouver. Visit this page for more information.

Cost for the workshop is $49 plus GST.

Please call 604.676.8812 or 604.682.2121 to register and for more details.

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Yoga Teacher Training July 14th -August 10th in Vancouver!

Consider deepening your practice by taking our Level 1 200 hour teacher training starting this July in Vancouver. Learn to create flows to enhance your yoga practice and develop a unique style of teaching that emphasizes safety, attention to the body's capability, and the stilling of the mind by increasing internal awareness.

The first 15 students to pay in full will receive a $500 discount on tuition! Visit this page for more information. Call 604.682.2121 or 604.676.8812 for more details!

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Participate!

We are always looking for story ideas, questions, students' experiences and feedback to add to our next edition. Please contact us at info@pranayogacollege.com to share!

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Thanks for reading! If you know someone who could benefit from this, feel free to forward it to them!

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Prana Yoga Teacher College
Kerrisdale P.O. Box 18132
Vancouver, B.C., V6M 4L3
tel 604.676.8812
www.pranayogacollege.com

 
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