About Sivananda Yoga:
Swami Sivananda is the inspiration behind Sivananda Yoga but one of his closest students, Swami Vishnu-devananda, actually brought it to the west under his teacher’s name. This system is based on ancient scriptures dealing with yoga. One thing that makes it unique is that the Swami’s or monks that developed this system come from a very old tradition/lineage of ascetics that live outside of society dedicating their lives to higher awareness through the practice of yoga.
The Sivananda regimen is based on 12 postures but the instructor can leave some of the postures out or add as many postures as he or she wishes to accommodate the needs of the class. Therefore it is pretty much the same class each time but there are always a few new stretches.
By sticking to a certain class sequence the body becomes conditioned to the routine and that reduces the risk of injury. Also when the participants know what is coming up next the mind becomes more relaxed and the class is more meditative. This also allows for more postures to be done in one class because the teacher doesn’t have to take as much time to explain or demonstrate. Furthermore a synchronicity is created so new people fall into the groove more quickly as they observe everyone around them. It doesn’t take long to remember the basic class so one who has practiced for some time can do yoga anywhere.
The class is divided into two parts. The first part is solar in nature and includes sun salutations and standing postures. The second part of the class is lunar or cooling and includes leg lifts, inverted postures, forward bends, backward bends, twists and hip openers.
Neck exercises, eye exercises, bandas and mudras (locks and seals) and breathing techniques are also covered in this class. Check out the web site at www.sivananda.org
About the Instructor:
I was exposed to yoga at a young age because my father has a regular yoga practice. He is also a chiropractor and has black belts in 3 systems of martial arts, so I was brought up with holistic healing and eastern thought around me. In 1992 I started a serious practice myself and have kept it up till now. I moved to Los Angeles in March of 1993 to study yoga. I started teaching my first class at the Westchester Recreation center in June 1993. Although I hadn’t taken a yoga teachers training course, one of the teachers at the yoga center I was attending asked me to teach because they thought I would do a good job. It felt very natural to instruct that class and I’ve been teaching ever since. During this time I also attended massage school at the California Healing Arts College. I worked as a massage therapist until I moved into the Sivananda Yoga Center in Venice Beach California on Feb. 1, 1994. I lived there as a full time staff member until March 4, 2002. I had a very good experience at the yoga center and learned a lot about the many aspects of yoga. Sivandanda is an international organization so I was able to travel to many of the locations. Every summer I would visit the headquarters in Val Morin Quebec Canada. I would also go to San Francisco, Grass Valley, New York, Bahamas and India. There are always many people from India and all over the world visiting the Los Angeles yoga center so I was able to learn from a lot of good teachers.
I took the Sivananda teachers training course in May 1994 in Grass Valley California. This is a one-month intensive where you live at the ashram (rural retreat center).
The schedule goes like this:
6am meditation, chanting and lecture (satsang) (2hrs)
8am yoga class (2hrs)
10am brunch
11am everyone helps clean and fix things for one hour (karma yoga)
12pm first lecture (1hr)
1pm free time
2pm main lecture (2hrs)
4pm yoga class (2hrs)
6pm dinner
8pm satsang (2hrs)
I recommend this course to everyone even if you don’t want to be a teacher. It’s a great way to get in shape and learn a lot about yoga and eastern thought.
One year later I took the advanced teachers training course in Val Morin Quebec. This course had a similar schedule but we woke up one hour earlier to do breathing exercises. Both courses teach anatomy, physiology, yoga postures, breathing exercises, mediation and yoga philosophy.
My daily schedule at the yoga center was similar but not as intense. I was physically running the yoga center under the guidance of the Sivananda Swamis (Monks). In addition to teaching yoga, I taught meditation classes and lead many group mediations. I learned a lot about Yogic and Ayurvedic cooking as I cooked for at least 20 people about 5 days a week. I have assisted hundreds of excellent cooks and also learned about raw foods, macrobiotics, juicing, fasting and much more. The staff at the yoga center would also study Sanskrit (an Indian language), and yoga philosophy. The days are very busy at the yoga center as you are expected to do your yoga practice and take care of all the responsibilities that go with running a business.
In 1997 I took the Sivananda Sadhana Intensive. This is a two-week program that teaches advanced pranayama (breathing exercises). By the end of the course the participants work up to doing 3 hours of yoga postures and 10.5 hours of breathing exercises in one day. I did this program again in 1998.
I moved to Albuquerque in March of 2002. I started teaching yoga at New Mexico Sports and Wellness and am currently still teaching there. I have taken many classes at Sports & Wellness and it has been a good experience learning more about the many styles of yoga taught at the gym. As a teacher there I’m also required to take special teacher workshops such as how to work with injuries etc…
I taught yoga at the University of New Mexico from August 2002 until May 2003. This was a very good experience for me. I enjoyed introducing yoga to the students there. I had nine sections the first semester and 11 sections the second semester. Each section had about 35 students.
During the summer from May 19th to October 4th I taught yoga at Altura Park. I instructed 2 or 3 classes each day. The park is a great place to do yoga & I think I’ll do it again next year.
I recently finished an anatomy and physiology correspondence course from the School of Natural Healing in England. I finished in January 2003.
I will be attending School at the Ayurvedic Institute starting on Oct. 6, 2003. Here I will learn how to use lifestyle, yoga, diet and herbs as healing tools. The type of yoga taught is called Ayuryoga. Ayuryoga teaches how to tailor a yoga program to a person’s current state of health. This is a 9-month program.
My plans are to finish the level one program at the Ayurvedic Institiute then take the Level two program the following year. Level two is also a 9-month program. There is a 3rd program offered in India. It only lasts for 6 weeks and I want to do that afterwards. I also study Indian Astrology and want to take formal classes and become certified. After I get back from India I will start a yoga center somewhere that offers yoga, massage, mediation and Ayurvedic consultations.
