Some tips:
1. If you want to visit India, visit it, don’t take a month-long intensive course that ties up your time…unless you have lots of time to burn before/after the course.
2. If you’re thinking of taking a yoga teacher’s course in India, my recommendation is to stay in an ashram. Avoid the stress of having to rush out to find food. Besides, the atmosphere in an ashram (a good, reputable one) is conducive for yoga.
3. If the time, expense and distance of travelling to India for a teacher’s training course is not feasible, look no further! With 3 India-based trainings, come see me.
Last Sunday, we climbed up the Chamundi Hills. Apparently there are 1,008 steps to the Chamundeshwari temple but there was no way I was going to keep count – I was already dying at the 10th step! Completely out of breath without regular cardio practice. I blamed it on the lack of oxygen which occurred way before the final 1000m elevation!
Around the half way mark, the bull Nandi, the “vehicle” of Lord Shiva, has a nice shady spot and a smug smile. The statue is 4.9m tall and 7.6m long and carved out of a single piece of black granite. At this point, the steps become less steep and a panoramic view of the city can be enjoyed. I’m not posting any pics of this view in particular cause I’m in it and appear blue-black from too much sun!
The pic of the sword and cobra – wielding statue is that of Mahishasura. The legend of Mahishasura is important in Hindu mythology since the goddess Durga was born in order to slay him. Therefore, his story is an important part of shaktiism which venerates the goddess Durga (wiki).
There was a massive line-up of people under the hot, hot Indian sun, to go inside the temple so we chose not to join the line. The statue of Chamundeshwari sits on the inside of the temple. She is seated with her right heel pressed against the lowest of the seven chakras. This cross-legged yogic posture is similar to the posture of Lord Shiva. Worshipers believe that this powerful yogic posture, if mastered, provides an added dimensional view of the universe (wiki).
Less than a week to go and learnt a lot from this course! The exam is on Monday morning and a few of us will leave Mysore for Bangalore the same afternoon. We each go our separate ways. I’m headed to Goa on the beach for a 4-day intensive savasana practice! 😊