TEACHING SHANTI YOGA

TEACHING SHANTI YOGA

Shanti Yoga is a breath centric, mind-body, yoga practice.

Teaching yoga is about giving people access to yoga practices, creating a community to support those practices, and providing a safe space for people to discover, explore and find themselves. Inherent in the seed are all the qualities of the tree.

Passion and discipline are the dynamic duo that propels yoga teachers onwards and allow you to make a real impact in the lives of your students. Nurture our passion, but remember that passion alone will not keep that fire burning indefinitely. Embrace discipline as your trusted companion on this beautiful journey. The consistent effort, unwavering commitment and willpower to keep going, even when the initial excitement fades away, creates a lasting flame that will inspire and empower you, and those around you.

From the outside, yoga may seem self-indulgent and exclusive. Personal privileges, such as economic status, nationality, sexuality, gender identity as well as abilities, provide access to opportunities, and often predict how much money and physical comfort life will bring, along with access to quality health care and self-care practices such as yoga. But most people’s understanding of yoga is that of a modern Westernised practice, that reeks of colonisation and commercialism, and is intertwined with capitalism. It is not welcoming to people with disabilities, fat students, or anyone who does not fit the commercial image of a yoga practitioner. This is an extremely limited understanding of yoga. At its heart, yoga is a spiritual practice that deepens our connection with love, truth and service, not yoga clothes and Instagram followers. In a world obsessed with external appearances, Yoga takes us on a different but desirable path.

There is no correlation between physical ability and peace of mind. People with disabilities or chronic illnesses, those who have suffered trauma or discrimination, and people who have been marginalised, all have equal claim to the peace of yoga. Yoga’s most powerful tools are actually extremely subtle and accessible. Meditation works directly with the mind, teaching us how to let go of stress and detach from obsessive thinking, Yoga nidra, is a powerful form of guided, meditative, deep relaxation that takes us on an inner journey into the deeper levels of our being. Japa, the repetition of a mantra, and the breathing practices, pranayama give us ways to direct our energy and soothe the mind.

Our challenges bring us to practice authentic yoga, and it’s one of life’s great ironies that the source of our healing is our own pain and suffering, even our anger, which can be useful when facing oppression, but unchecked can do a lot of damage.

               The grief you cry out from
                draws you toward union
Rumi

Teaching yoga isn’t about healing other people. Healing is often proclaimed as a transformation to some idealised physical state, which is an illusion, because in the process of life, we are all going to get sick, old and eventually die. And perhaps the illusion of perfect health is one of the things that actually interferes with healing. Healing is a process to reconnect ourselves and make ourselves whole. This is similar to the Sanskrit word yoga which means to unite or make whole.

Yoga is a path of self-exploration, self-study and self-awareness. It consists of a diverse group of practices that stem from many different ancient and not so ancient traditions in India that teach you another way to look at life. Making this internal shift is challenging for most people, regardless of their ability. Rather than placing all of your energy into externally focused pursuits, yoga shows that there is a tremendous benefit to cultivating your inner life.

These practices provide the means for the internal experience of healing or wholeness, that comes from accepting ourselves for who we are. The voices of ‘not good enough’, self-hatred and self-criticism that haunt us, are quietened by a blossoming of self love. The covering up of grief, deep sadness and the loss of innocence, that are at the root of anger, dissipates. What seems like simple stretching, breathing, relaxing, and reflecting, transforms you, and without even realising it, you find yourself growing and healing.

More than just mastering techniques, strategies and postures, yoga is about something much more permanent. Each limb of the eight-fold yoga path is theoretical as well as practical, and cultivates wisdom through mental training, and includes an enlightened and peaceful middle path that avoids extremes. Yoga imbibes foundational habits such as healthy living, discipline, consistency, self-reliance, ethics, never give-up attitudes, diversity and inclusion… to name a few.

At the very heart of yoga are the principles (yamas and niyamas) that can stand the test of time, apply to any walk of life, any industry, any relationship, and be used by anyone in search of building something meaningful or becoming someone purposeful. These are the fundamental laws that will ensure excellence. They are rooted in yogic psychology and behavioural science, and are based on the timeless wisdom of millenia. These laws will work now or in 100 years from now.

Ultimately, what you are looking for, is found within you. When you relax the body and breath, shift your focus from outside to inside and start making friends with your mind, you experience a shift in consciousness.

Slow down.
Expand your heart.
Still your mind.
Honour your body.
Nourish your soul.
Embrace the whole.

I offer you all blessings for your spiritual deepening and your wellbeing.

With my love and namaste,
Om Shanti.
Om represents the sound of the entire universe.
Shanti means peace.

TEACHING WELLBEING, PEACE OF MIND, HEALTH AND HEALING

Aspiring to achieve our best selves, and live in the harmony of body, mind, and spirit is one of the reasons we fall in love with Shanti Yoga, which transforms not just the physical but also the mental. Its practice helps you resolve and manage both your current health issues as well as assists in preventative care. As you apply the yogic principles on and off the mat in all other areas of your life, you can notice a shift in your vision, perceptions and a deepened awareness to create a more realistic and optimistic frame of mind.

One of the reasons Shantiji started this education was to share this profound experience with others. Just imagine guiding your clients/students towards the same fulfilment and peace that Shanti yoga gives you. You can transform their mental and physical well-being, and teach Shanti yoga’s mind-body wellbeing to make a real difference in the lives of others.

This is exactly the reality we have been blessed to be able to do. We have helped lovers of mind-body-spirit wellbeing create magical lives over the years with our Yoga and Ayurvedic certifications.

And we can help you do the same.

We can help you boost your skills and confidence in teaching in order to consistently achieve amazing results with your clients. We can show you how you really can wake up each morning feeling excited for the day because you get to share your love for yoga all day!

Which are you drawn more towards…six-pack abs or a confident body and mind? If your answer is the latter, we would love you to join our training courses. Intakes are 4 times a year, with the next intake on 3rd October 2023.

Find more details and register here: LINK

connected: Principles of Practice