Wise Living Yoga Academy: Yoga Retreat

Showing posts with label Yoga Retreat. Show all posts

Monday, March 2, 2015

Top 7 Reasons to Do a Yoga Teacher Training at WLYA in Thailand

Picking a place for your Yoga Teacher Training can be challenging. You start asking around, researching online, comparing prices, and poring over the details. Hundreds of aspiring practitioners have ventured to Wise Living Yoga Academy in Doi Saket, Thailand for their Yoga Teacher Training Course.. Let’s take a look at why!

1. Immersive experience

The Yoga Teacher Training Course at WLYA is all about yoga education and lifestyle. You live in an ashram environment with teachers and other students sharing your interests. You live and breathe and observe the yogic lifestyle every day for the entire duration of your training. The environment really allows you to develop a solid routine comprised of a good diet, exercise, and meditation, among other things.

2. Traditional yoga

So many people think of yoga only as a form of physical exercise, and so many yoga teacher training programs cater to that idea. But what about its root and history? The vast spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects of yoga? Yoga as a lifestyle?

WLYA is perfect for those interested in understanding how yoga is as a way of life. You are introduced to yoga as one of the ancient Indian philosophies and study important scriptures. The comprehensive curriculum is led by experienced teachers from the world’s oldest organized yoga institution in India. You practice asanas (physical postures) and other techniques at a deeper level and learn how they contribute to one’s spiritual development. You will find yourself shaping into a wonderful practitioner, educator, and ambassador of traditional yoga!

Follow the link to know more about our Yoga Training curriculum.

3. Affordability

Yoga teacher training is a significant financial investment for most of us. At WLYA, you will find that the facilities are pleasant and simplistic without sacrificing comfort. It is a very down-to-earth place with no frills. You do not see products and services being marketed at every turn. Likewise, the program costs have been made more affordable, especially compared to yoga centers that push for brand names and luxury.

The ashram is located away from the tourist central, and it costs less to do things around here. You can rent a bike for less than 1 USD a day, treat yourself to a coconut that tastes like a slice of heaven, and then get an authentic Thai massage at a rate that almost makes it feel insensible to deny yourself of a good rubdown!

4. Location

Students have described the ashram and the surrounding area as the perfect place to study traditional yoga. The ashram is tucked away in the neighborhood of Doi Saket in northern Thailand. With few distractions around, you will be able to really soak in the ashram environment! At the same time, there are great temples and places within reach if you want to venture out. It is also a great stepping stone for travels before and/or after the yoga teacher training program.

Follow the link to see more photos and descriptions of our neighborhood.

5. Food

Part of living the yogic lifestyle means eating a vegetarian/vegan diet. You have three nutritious meals a day made from scratch, along with fresh fruits and natural tea. The food at the ashram is so delicious that students don’t miss meat, cheese, or junk food! The ingredients are 100% organic and come from either the ashram’s gardens or conscientious local farmers. Through an interactive nutrition session, you learn about the benefits and uses of all the ingredients as well.

6. People, people, people

Trained at The Yoga Institute in India, the teachers Jeenal and Daniel are very active and passionate about imparting their practice of traditional yoga. They help you discover your strengths and weaknesses as you go through your journey, and are very flexible and accommodating to individual needs. The ashram workers are locals who are incredibly generous and positive. You will find them around the ashram smiling and putting in hard work to make your stay an enjoyable one.

At WLYA, you will meet students from all over the world and from different walks of life. They have in common their interest in traditional yoga and spiritual development. This tends to draw very genuine people, and the teachings shape the group dynamic in very positive ways. By the end of first week, the group will already feel like a family!

7. Alumni network and support

The connections made at the ashram are invaluable and so are the networking opportunities. WLYA has an active alumni group where former students share news and inspirations from around the globe. This way, you are not just walking away with a certificate in hand, but you have a strong support network to pursue your next steps.

Several students also return for Continuing Education programs which are offered in modules of 100 hours (2 weeks) or as the 300 hours Advanced Yoga Teacher Training course (6 weeks).

To sum it up, WLYA is an incredible place for those seeking a meaningful yoga teacher training experience. Be prepared to work hard and learn so much about yourself and the world, and you will be richly rewarded. Please check out our upcoming Yoga Teacher Training Courses in Thailand and reserve your place.

Namaste,

WLYA Team

Friday, September 20, 2013

Yoga Education - Part 1

The ultimate purpose of pedagogy, the science of teaching, is the attainment of human maturity. It is this that distinguishes this art from other disciplines, distinctly defining it in its own essence. Maturity is obtained by different traditions of education all over the world. Nowhere does it achieve greater results though, than, when the education process itself is studied objectively devoid of dogma.

Yoga, it has been established, has very specific educational functions. It helps in achieving a higher state of consciousness on the evolutionary scale of individual development. It is the discipline of the body and mind and in that sense it is education, because education leads to discipline.

Yoga a Science of Life

Yoga is as old as life itself. In essence it is a specific way, a manner of living. Basing its insights and discoveries on the observation of nature, Yoga imparts a certain quality to life. Yoga, for example, tells us how to think, behave and grow to our fullest maturity. It provides us with procedures that consistently help us in every area of our life. Yoga can, thus, be defined as an ancient system of self-development that expedites one’s natural process of evolution. This applies to all departments of one’s life with a special reference to the evolution of consciousness.

Experience & Yoga Education

Experience has proven to be the primary building block of learning. The closeness of an experience to the personality helps in building newer traits. These take root as against other kinds of learning that remain detached from the central core of our personality. A deep sense of relaxation is consciously cultivated and this, in turn, fosters other worthwhile experiences. What is stressed is the actual experience - as opposed to mere information or technique. One may read about relaxation or listen to a physician’s instruction, but the condition remains distant in comparison to the actual experience, consciously induced.

Aims & Objectives

The aim behind the introduction of an experience-Yoga-based program is to foster self discipline, cultivate high ideals and appreciate higher values. It also promotes a deeper understanding of Indian culture and a habituation to the Yogic way of life. A variety of worthwhile experiences become the basis of learning at both the subconscious and conscious levels. Some of these are related to better physical control of human organism and the maintenance of its steadiness and strength. It establishes self-reliance, self- confidence; the cultivation of objectivity in emotional experiences and finally conditions oneself for greater receptiveness in the learning program.

All problems originate from a state of imbalance between our physical, mental and spiritual levels. Our problems are closely related to our understanding of life and the patterns we choose to follow. The more we cherish materialistic values, the more we expose ourselves to pain, suffering and problems. The struggle for the satisfaction of our desires and ambitions is a continuous one, leaving us with no rest. Our constantly over strained nerves make our bodies and minds restless and weak, opening doors to passion and emotion.

Perhaps the very first step towards a more fulfilling life would be, simply, the acceptance of life itself. It involves a faith in life, but perhaps even more important, a surrender to a larger reality. This acceptance does not imply a placid acquiescence of any aspects of modern living. On the contrary with acceptance of life comes the acceptance of our duties and responsibilities in life.

Excerpt of a poster displayed at an exposition on Yoga Education, by
The Yoga Institute of Santacruz, Mumbai - India.

Activity & Attitude

The traditionalists in Yoga recommended the right combination feelings and attitudes with certain selected physical activities. The physical activity is undoubtedly selected after deep consideration. It proves incomplete without the proper attitude. If the activity is the right kind and the attitude enriches one’s consciousness, then the entire exercise – is satisfying and elevating.

We see the reverse of this when a person struggles to succeed in Shavasana (Dead Body Pose) - or any other relaxation posture, or in a meditative pose - without having first created a passive attitude. It is thus that, throughout the Yoga Teacher Training Course or any other workshop or workshop, activities and processes are carried out only after a certain 'conditioning' of preparation has been achieved.

The selection of Yoga processes and the correct performance of them along with the right state of mind all need to be attained. We tend to sacrifice that total for the immediate and fragmentary. Sometimes Yoga practices are carried out for their demonstrative value and at other times for attaining physical fitness. In taking up Yoga in this partial manner one really does not gain much.

So in our next post, we will have an opportunity to examine how does one select the right type of asanas (postural training), or better saying, how do the ancient Yogis have selected the right type of exercising disciplines best suited for the students of self-culture and for naturally leading one to a more balance state of mind and to the habituation to a spiritual consciousness.

Source:

Excerpts of the book Yoga and Total Health in Schools - published by The Yoga Institute of Santacruz.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Yoga Teacher Training Courses in 2014

Dear Yoga Enthusiasts,

If you are interested in studying Classical Yoga, but are still not sure if you can handle a trip to India, this is a perfect opportunity for you.

Wise Living Yoga Academy is a centre of Classical Yoga located in the outskirts of Chiang Mai, in the district of Doi Saket in Thailand. Our new training facility is set in midst of rice fields and surrounded by hills and forests. The centre provides an "Ashram-like" environment, ideal for the full immersion experience in Traditional Yoga studies.

Thailand itself is known to be a good balance (blend of East & West), providing the travelers with an exotic experience without much troubles and hurdles of the lack of infrastructure that is characteristic of much of Asian subcontinent. Our courses are structured to provide the students with the right environment for learning & authentic approach to Yoga Philosophy & Techniques.

Below you'll find links to photo albums of our last course in 2013, the upcoming courses in the second semester of 2013 and all the courses already scheduled for 2014!!!

Courses Completed Successfully in 2013

Minas Gerais, Brazil
January-February 2013

Photo Album

Chiang Mai, Thailand
1st Batch: May 2013

Photo Album

Chiang Mai, Thailand
2nd Batch: June-July 2013

Photo Album

Chiang Mai, Thailand
3rd Batch: July-August 2013

Photo Album

Upcoming 200 hours Courses in 2013

Chiang Mai, Thailand

4th Batch:
From 27th Oct to 22nd November 2013