What is a Teacher?

By Gerald Grow
Division of Journalism
Florida A&M University


To a mind of flint, the teacher must be iron, and strike sparks.
To the empty pitcher, the teacher becomes a well.
To the fallow mind, a planter of seeds.
To the cluttered mind, a gardener to weed, shape, and clear a space for growing.

To the lens, the teacher is light, and to the mind of light, a lens.

To the sleeper, the teacher is the wake-up call of birds at sunrise.
To clay, the teacher is potter, sculptor, and trainer in self-shaping.
To the wanderer, the teacher is a knowing guide.
To the developed mind, the teacher is colleague, listener, friend.

To all, the teacher is a mirror that shows not only the self but the path and its choices, the task and its demands--the difficulties, the joys.
To all and from all, the teacher is a learner, a person--and a prism through which the ordinary continuously reveals itself to be miraculous.


Thanks Ziggy for sharing with us !!
Keep it up !!

Daniel & Jeenal
Chiang Mai, Thailand

Yoga in Bali

Dear Yoga Enthusiasts,

Join us for Yoga in Bali!

Early bird discount for Yoga Teacher Training in BALI - Pay USD 2990 instead of 3600 - Book before 1st March 2012! Only for 12 persons
Includes - Course, course material, breakfast, lunch & dinner, accomodation in twin sharing basis with private bathroom and hot shower at the beautiful resort Shanti Loka situated on lovely Lovina beach in North Bali. Check http://www.shanti-loka.com

Click here to book : http://www.teachertraining.wiselivingyoga.com/

About the Teachers:

Jeenal & Daniel are Yoga couple from India who are trained in the Tradition of Shri Yogendraji from the world's oldest Yoga organization - The Yoga Institute of Santacruz in India. In India they have trained thousands of Yoga aspirants and conducted several Yoga Teacher Training Courses in the past few years and are currently conducting Yoga Teacher Training Certification Programs and Workshops in India, Brazil and Thailand.

Jeenal has experience with Yoga Therapy and Yoga for Teenagers & Childrens. Daniel is an Yoga Alliance 500 hours Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500). Both of them have also experience in teaching Yoga Concepts, Principles & Techniques to the corporate sector.

About WLYA

Wise Living Yoga Academy conducts Yoga Teacher Training Courses (200 hours) imparting ancient & traditional Yoga education know as Classical Yoga or Patanjali Ashtanga Yoga. Please check http://www.teachertraining.wiselivingyoga.com for Course Structure. The course is recognized by The International Board of Yoga - India and accredited by Yoga Alliance - USA (RYS-200 Level).

Please follow the links to know more about our YTT course 240 hours in 2012:

- Yoga Teacher Training Course in Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Yoga Teacher Training Course in Bali, Indonesia
- Yoga Teacher Training Course in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Graduates of Yoga Teacher Training Chiang Mai
200 hours, 4th June to 2nd July 2011

For more information please contact us at:

Email - info@wiselivingyoga.com or

Website - http://www.wiselivingyoga.com

Or contact us in Indonesia:

Phone: +62 812 18121304 (Stefano Notarbartolo)

Have a look at our previous workshop in Bali below:

Yoga IN Bali - The 5 Koshas
- 5 Days - 40 hours Certificate Workshop & Retreat

Date: From 24th to 28th August 2011
Location: at Ashram Munivaara - Ubud - Bali - Indonesia

Our 5 days Yoga Workshop fuses the power of Yoga Science & Nature to develop wisdom and self-healing restoring inner calmness & balance. In this Yoga retreat you will experience the ancient living wisdom of the traditional Yoga of Patanjali. Experience physical, mental & spiritual wellbeing as you practice meditation during sun rise, inner cleasing with asanas, pranayamas and kriyas and the deep Yoga Philosophy to open up your heart and experience joy & peace.

- Practices for the 5 Koshas/Bodies

The daily routine will include:

- Asanas & Kriyas for Physical Body

- Pranayamas & Relaxation for Energy Body

- Bhavana Training for Mental/Emotional Body

- Yoga Philosophy for Intellectual Body

- Meditation & Mantras for Blissful Body

Daily Routine & Time-Table

24th Tuesday (1st Day)

- Morning Check In

- 12:30 - Lunch
- 13:15 - Relaxation Session
- 14:00 - Introductory Session
- 15:30 - Kriyas (Jalaneti)
- 16:30 - Practices - Asanas/Pranayamas
- 18:00 - Dinner
- 18:45 - Meditation/Mantra
- 19:00 - End of day

25th to 27th

- 06:30 - Meditation/Mantra

- 07:00 - Practices - Asanas/Pranayamas
- 08:30 - Breakfast
- 10:30 - Lecture/Theory/Group Dynamics
- 12:30 - Lunch
- 13:15 - Relaxation Session
- 14:00 - Lecture/Theory/Group Dynamics
- 15:30 - Kriyas (Jalaneti)
- 16:30 - Practices - Asanas/Pranayamas
- 18:00 - Dinner
- 18:45 - Meditation/Mantra
- 19:00 - End of day

28th Sunday

- 06:30 - Meditation/Mantra

- 07:00 - Practices - Asanas/Pranaymas
- 08:30 - Breakfast
- 10:30 - Lecture/Theory/Group Dynamics
- 12:30 - Lunch
- 13:15 - Relaxation Session
- 14:00 - Ending session and delivery of certificates

USD 590.00 INCLUDING ACCOMMODATION IN SHARED BUNGALOWS WITH PRIVATE BATHROOM, KITCHEN AND REFRIGERATOR, FOUR VEGETARIAN MEALS A DAY AND ALL CLASSES.

See you in Bali. Namaskar !!

Wise Living Yoga Academy Team

Certification Day of 240 hours Yoga Teacher Training in Chiang Mai

Dear Yoga friends,

So finally the 240 hours International Yoga Teacher Training Certificate Course in Chiang Mai, Thailand was successfully completed. The days spent here by all the participants from different parts of the world were not any ordinary days, but these were the days of deep knowledge, contemplation and hard work for personal development and Yoga teaching skills.

The selected group of students of Wise Living Yoga Academy comprising of Khim, Nadine, Romy, Elena and Hannah of June batch, Chiang Mai - Thailand received their certificates from Jeenal and Daniel upon successful completion of the course, assignments and examination.

From right to left : Nadine (Germany), Romy (Germany), Hannah (USA), Daniel (Headmaster of WLYA), Jeenal (Director of WLYA), Elena (Russia) and Khim (Canada)

The group of students presented a beautiful performance by singing the Imagine song of John Lenon to bid farewell with a positive and peaceful note.

Hannah from USA receiving Yoga certificate from Jeenal and Daniel

Remembering the Yoga Asana practice early in the mornings

Romy from Germany receiving the Yoga Certificate from Jeenal and Daniel

Everybody will miss those beautiful days with YOGA!!!:-)

Jeenal with some of the Yoga participants

The month was filled with intensive Yoga practice and theory, assignments, lesson planning and presentation. Healthy food habits, disciplined routine, meditation and chanting of Yoga Sutras and of Shanti Mantras supported the group for their spiritual practice.

We are glad that the ancient knowledge of Patanjali Ashtanga Yoga or the Classical Yoga will be carried forward by our students and will be spread all around the world. We wish them all the best for their spiritual journey of life. With peace and blessings of the Divine!

PS : 2nd batch in Chiang Mai from 14th July to 9th August 2011. Click here to know more.

Namaste,

Jeenal and Daniel

News from our Yoga Teacher Training Course, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Namaste friends and Yoga enthusiasts,

We invite you to join us for Yoga Teacher Training Thailand in June and July 2012.

Below are the photos of our previous group going through the 2nd week of our Yoga Teacher Training - 200 hours - International Certification program, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Participants were from Cadana, USA, Russia & Germany.

See below photos of the 1st Batch of our YTT happening
from 4th June to 2nd July 2011.

All participants have already learned a lot and everyone 
is going through a deep transformation process!

JOIN US FOR YOGA TEACHER TRAINING IN CHIANG MAI, THAILAND IN JUNE & JULY 2012! Meals and accommodation in a lovely Thai boutique 3 star resort included! Only 12 students max. 


Please note that today on 1st April 2012 we have extended our early bird discount for Yoga Teacher Training, Thailand - Chiang Mai 2012 for a few more days on special request. The early bird discounted rate is USD 2600 for the entire course of all inclusive.

Wise Living Yoga Academy conducts Yoga Teacher Training Course (200 hours) imparting ancient Yoga education known as Classical Yoga or Patanjali Ashtanga Yoga. The course is recognized by The International Board of Yoga - India and accredited by Yoga Alliance - USA (RYS-200 Level). The syllabus is very comprehensive and structured systematically. The teachers are very experienced and are from India who have been teaching in the Yoga teacher training since many years to alot of international students of different backgrounds and age groups.

Please follow the links to know more about our YTT course 200 hours in 2012:

- Yoga Teacher Training Course in Minas Gerais, Brazil

- Yoga Teacher Training Course in Bali, Indonesia

- Yoga Teacher Training Course in Chiang Mai, Thailand

OR visit our website www.wiselivingyoga.com to know more on our  Yoga Teacher Training in BALI, THAILAND and BRAZIL. 

Visit our course website to know more about the program!

Join us if you want to learn about the ancient Indian tradition for Personality Development and Habituation to Spiritual Cosnciousness and, even more, turn up to become a Internationally Certified Yoga Teacher in the end.

Looking forward to see you in Chiang Mai.. or somewhere else around the world !!

WLYA - Wiseliving Yoga Academy Team

15 June 2011, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Vipassana Meditation

Namaste friends & Yoga enthusiasts.. I'm posting again a article from our old blog which I  wrote originally in November 2008. I talked today to a friend who is going to Vipassana for the first time.. so I thought about sharing this once again. There you go:

Hi guys.. I have just come back from my second 10 days Vipassana Meditation course, in Dhamma Giri, the headquarters of Vipassana International Academy in Igatpuri, and would like to share with you about this experience. Have a look at the pictures from Dhamma Giri complex. (Pictures of the Meditation Halls are not allowed.)

For those who don’t know, Vipassana is a technique of Meditation taught in ancient times by Gautama 'the Buddha' himself, and preserved (in Burma) in its pristine form by a long line of teachers descended directly from the Buddha and it was brought back to India by S.N. Goenka, or Goenkaji as he is widely and respectfully referred to.

The technique involves the following observances and practices: Sila (morality), Samadhi (concentration) and Panna (wisdom).

And for those who think meditation is an easy job… that you just need to sit cross-legged and do nothing… you will be surprised to know that Vipassana Meditation is a hard work and that the 10 days course calls for a lot of effort and discipline.

In Goenkaji’s own words, one has to “work diligently, ardently, persistently, patiently but continuously, observing sensations throughout the body and remaining equanimous, understanding the technique properly, purifying the mind, to work out one’s own liberation from misery”.

More about the Technique

The technique of Vipassana is a simple, practical way to achieve real peace of mind and to lead a happy, useful life. Vipassana means "to see things as they really are"; it is a logical process of mental purification through self-observation.

From time to time, we all experience agitation, frustration and disharmony. When we suffer, we do not keep our misery limited to ourselves; instead, we keep distributing it to others. Certainly this is not a proper way to live. We all long to live at peace within ourselves, and with those around us. After all, human beings are social beings: we have to live and interact with others. How, then, can we live peacefully? How can we remain harmonious ourselves, and maintain peace and harmony around us?

Vipassana enables us to experience peace and harmony: it purifies the mind, freeing it from suffering and the deep-seated causes of suffering. The practice leads step-by-step to the highest spiritual goal of full liberation from all mental defilements.

About the Course

The standard meditation course in this tradition is a residential course of ten days’ duration. The participants commit themselves to staying on the course site for the full ten days, observing a rigorous timetable, maintaining complete silence (Noble Silence) among themselves for the first nine days.

(Individual Cells for Meditation around the main Pagoda)

At the beginning of the course, we take the five precepts as given by the Buddha to householders: to refrain from killing, to refrain from stealing, to refrain from telling lies (one of the reasons for the Noble Silence), to refrain from sexual misconduct (which involves the maintenance of complete celibacy for the duration of the course), and to refrain from taking any intoxicants.

We start with the practice of Anapana Meditation, that is, the observation of natural breath. On the fourth day, when some concentration has been gained, we switch to the practice of Vipassana Meditation, the systematic observation of the entire mind-matter phenomenon through the medium of bodily sensations. On the last full day, we practice Metta-bhavana, that is, loving kindness, or sharing with others the merits we have gained.

Important aspects of the practice during the course

Noble Silence – (means silence of body, speech and mind) one abstains completely from communication with others whether vocally, or physically by glances or gestures. By doing so one becomes capable of approaching mental silence.

Adhitthana – (means strong determination) to sit in a comfortable position of your choice for a full hour, observing sensations and remaining equanimous with a strong determination that you are not going to open your eyes, hands and feet.

Awareness and Equanimity – They are like the two wings of a bird. They should be equal in size and strength, otherwise it can not fly. In Vipassana is the same, being aware and equanimous should be the same in size and strength, otherwise it won’t work.

If you want to do a 10 day course of Vipassana Meditation you can get all information you need and make the reservation online at http://www.vri.dhamma.org/

That's it for now. You can write to me if you want more details and tips for the course. Take care.

Yoga Teacher Training Course (TTC 240 hours) - Chiang Mai - Thailand

Dear friends & Yoga enthusiasts,

Following updated information for our
Yoga Teacher Training Course in Chiang Mai.

Regular fee: USD 3,600 (Original price) 

For 1st Batch: From 4th June to 2nd July 2011
Discounted fee : USD 2,600
- (For accomodation in twin sharing)
Discounted fee : USD 2,990
- (For accomodation in single room)
(1st Batch is in progress)

Register now for 2nd Batch: From 14th July to 9th August 2011
Discounted fee : USD 2,200 (Best deal)
- (For accomodation in twin sharing - before 1st July)
Discounted fee : USD 2,600
- (For accomodation in single room - before 1st July)

(Registration open)
Regular fee : USD 3,600
- (For bookings after 1st July 2011)

- Fees include Tuition, Accommodation, Meals & Course Material.

- Please fill in the application form and make
on-line payment to reserve your place.
- Fees DO NOT include Flight Tickets

Please visit our Course Website for more information
and Online Registration:

http://www.teachertraining.wiselivingyoga.com

Please make your book in advance so to guarantee your best choice !!

Namaskar !!

The Middling Stages of Meditation – Part 3

In Mahayana Buddhism the aim of all efforts is not only to attain Self-Liberation, but to do so in order to help other sentient beings to rid themselves from suffering and cyclic existence, in other words, to help them to achieve liberation too. This is known as the ideal of the Bodhisattva.

In this line: “Bodhicitta is a ‘mental consciousness’ which is the entry way to the Mahayana path and is concomitant with its assistant aspiration that focuses on complete enlightenment for the benefit of others.”

Bodhicitta is of two types: conventional and ultimate. Conventional Bodhicitta is the cultivation of the initial thought that aspires to attain unsurpassable and perfectly consummated Buddhahood in order to benefit all wandering sentient beings. The ultimate bodhicitta is transcendental and free from all elaborations. It is extremely clear, the object of the ultimate, stainless, unwavering, like a butter lamp undisturbed by the wind.

This is achieved through constant and respectful familiarity with the Yoga of Calm Abiding Meditation and Special Insight over a long period of time.

Calm Abiding & Insight Meditation

It is very important to understand that:

“Yogis cannot eliminate mental obscurations merely by familiarizing themselves with calm abiding (Shamata) meditation alone. It will only suppress the disturbing emotions and delusions temporarily. Without the light of wisdom, the latent potential of the disturbing emotions cannot be thoroughly destroyed, and therefore their complete destruction will not be possible.”

For this reason, the Unraveling of the Thought Sutras says:

‘Concentration can suppress the disturbing emotions properly and the wisdom can thoroughly destroy their latent potential’.

The Unraveling of the Thought Sutras also says:

“Even if you meditate with

single-pointed concentration

You will not destroy the

misconception of the Self

And your disturbing emotions

will disturb you again;

This is like Udrak’s single-pointed meditation.

When the selflessness of

phenomena is examined specifically,

And meditation are performed

on the basis of that analysis,

That is the cause of the resultant liberation;

No other cause can bring peace.”

For this reasons, those who wish to attain the thoroughly purified transcendent wisdom by eliminating all obscurations should meditate on wisdom while remaining in calm abiding meditation.

The Heap of Jewels Sutra says:

“Single-pointed concentration is achieved by adhering to moral ethics. With the achievement of single-pointed concentration, you meditate on wisdom. Wisdom helps you to attain a pure pristine awareness. Through pure pristine awareness your moral conduct is perfected.”

A Yogi’s mind will be distracted to various objects if he cultivates only special insight without meditating on a calmly abiding mind. It will be unstable like a butter lamp in the wind. Due to the power of calm abiding meditation, the mind will not be disturbed by the wind of conceptual thoughts (... and) special insight eliminates every stain of wrong views.

The Moon Lamp Sutra says:

“By the force of calm abiding meditation, the mind will become unwavering, and with insight it will become like a mountain.”

Therefore, maintain a Yogic practice of them both.

Initially the Yogi should seek the prerequisites that can assist him in actualizing calm abiding meditation and special insight quickly and easily. So we’ll see those in the next post.

Namaskar !!