Practical ways to recharge your Yoga Life...

We had  a series of Yoga Teacher Training Courses until the end of July 2014 for four months. And now it is a break time. This is the time to recharge our spiritual batteries and rejuvenate ourselves. Hence I would love to share the way we use this quality time. 

You give more when you have more!

That's right. You can give more only when you take more. If you remember your first few months of being yoga teacher, you were so enthusiastic about your career and were into everything that was related to teaching and practicing yoga.
As you get experienced in your yoga teaching, there is a danger of being in your own comfort zone. If you are good in what you do and you are praised by the students often, you start feeling that there is no need for you to learn more. You have learnt almost everything and you just need to teach. 

But you are wrong. Learn more whether form videos, books, teachers or just self practice. If you do not have new intakes, you will be limited in your teaching. Your students start feeling that your classes are no more interesting, but same!!! Big point to worry... 

Recharge your batteries to be energetic!

As a yoga teacher, you can not be unhappy, angry or negative. You have to be happy under all circumstances, motivated and positive. People look at you as a source of inspiration. Hence, you might be a bit frustrated / tired of being so. This might reflect in your teaching. Hence you need to recharge your spiritual batteries for which you can find out a few ways... 

Here are a few that you can choose. 

1.Take a week off to out from your place. Go to a remote area/outskirts of the city if possible. Stay there for a week where nobody disturbs you. Do nothing! Do not carry books/music etc. Just carry a yoga mat. You can keep your morning practice and practice nothing but the present moment for the entire day. Do not think about your past / plan for your future. Just stay while enjoying the breeze, your walking, eating and sleeping. 

2. Take some time to go away from the city to introspect about your life. This might include your thoughts, your dreams, your life until now and your unfulfilled wishes. A three day - self retreat would definitely shed some light on unexplored aspects of your personality. 

3.Stay in a lonely place for meditation. Meditate the whole day and days together for at least three days. This resembles Vipassana meditation. You will just meditate from morning to evening. This can be extended for a month too if you are capable and time permits too. 

Meditation

4. Dedicate a week time to practice pranayama and studying a part of yoga sutras/hathayogapradeepika etc.. After your morning practice, make sure you won't get distracted but will either study/practice pranayama. This practice can be done for a month too which will enhance the quality of your yogic life. 

Practice Pranayama

5. Visit India. If you have a month's time and can afford to travel to India, visit the spiritual places. Do not roam around only the travelling destinations which are influenced by the travelling vibes. You can choose to visit places such as Dakshineshwar (place of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa), Tiruvannamalai (Spiritual place of Sri Ramana), Mysore (Abode of Ashtanga Yoga), etc... 

There can also be other ways to recharge your spiritual aspect so that you get yourself happy, motivated and inspired. These experiences will surely reflect in your teaching on the mat back home. These regular sessions (once in six months/an year) would definitely elevate your quality of yogic life. 

These are a few ways that we follow after every now and then so that we can teach effectively and students feel inspired to take yoga as a life style. Hope a few would help you too in the path of yoga...