5 Months in Coimbatore, India
Donation protected
India and Beyond 2.0: The Path of a Yogi
“Joy is a natural phenomenon. Misery is your creation.” –Sadhguru
In the fall of 2014, I embarked upon a new, vibrant, and amazingly uncomfortable journey. It was my very first trip to India; one that had been in the making long before I even knew what a chaturanga tasted like. That experience allowed me the space to be more vulnerable and more trusting than I had ever been before. It truly was an experience of a lifetime.
Before I departed, many of my “teachers” honored me with unwavering support in numerous ways, not to mention the original "India and Beyond" GoFundMe campaign. It was the first time I’d ever done any sort of fundraising and quite frankly, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of so many – particularly those of you whom I had met only once or twice – if at all. In the end, I had raised over $4,000. It essentially confirmed for me that, through the practice of yoga, I was manifesting something that was beautiful and meaningful, that had no superficial boundaries.
Ultimately, my intention for going came down to this question: “If I want to become a true yoga teacher, where should I go to study?” However, I did not go to India simply to do what some might consider to be standard or customary; as it relates to – say - staying at an ashram, or, seeking out a yoga master/guru, or even signing up for one of the seemingly endless offerings of (yoga) teacher training programs across a land that is held sacred. No, that wasn’t why I went. I went there to let go of being “TanO”, if you will; to peel back the layers that would allow me to meet my essential self. Thus, my plan was to - in effect - have no plan; to be void of any unnatural script or arbitrary obligation for "doing" more and "being" less. This brings me to the point of this message. India and Beyond 2.0 (as I have cleverly dubbed it) is the next phase of my continued journey into becoming someone who has earned the title of yoga teacher.
With that said, I have set (and spoke) my intention to be enrolled in the Isha Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program for 2018 and it has already begun to reverberate! It is a 21-week residential program (from July 27 to December 21), in Coimbatore, India. The cost of the program is 10,000 USD. www.ishayoga.org.
Moreover, I am, again, calling upon anyone who believes in what I’ve been up to – as a yoga teacher for the last seven years [and counting] - and who wishes to make a contribution in any way. Please feel free to contact me with any ideas, questions, comments, suggestions, etc. I am, and will be, forever grateful.
Finally, in all that I have come to know, I realize that I know nothing. It has long-since been my wish to study the true essence of yoga in an environment that is best suited for such an endeavor.
Namaste
“Joy is a natural phenomenon. Misery is your creation.” –Sadhguru
In the fall of 2014, I embarked upon a new, vibrant, and amazingly uncomfortable journey. It was my very first trip to India; one that had been in the making long before I even knew what a chaturanga tasted like. That experience allowed me the space to be more vulnerable and more trusting than I had ever been before. It truly was an experience of a lifetime.
Before I departed, many of my “teachers” honored me with unwavering support in numerous ways, not to mention the original "India and Beyond" GoFundMe campaign. It was the first time I’d ever done any sort of fundraising and quite frankly, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of so many – particularly those of you whom I had met only once or twice – if at all. In the end, I had raised over $4,000. It essentially confirmed for me that, through the practice of yoga, I was manifesting something that was beautiful and meaningful, that had no superficial boundaries.
Ultimately, my intention for going came down to this question: “If I want to become a true yoga teacher, where should I go to study?” However, I did not go to India simply to do what some might consider to be standard or customary; as it relates to – say - staying at an ashram, or, seeking out a yoga master/guru, or even signing up for one of the seemingly endless offerings of (yoga) teacher training programs across a land that is held sacred. No, that wasn’t why I went. I went there to let go of being “TanO”, if you will; to peel back the layers that would allow me to meet my essential self. Thus, my plan was to - in effect - have no plan; to be void of any unnatural script or arbitrary obligation for "doing" more and "being" less. This brings me to the point of this message. India and Beyond 2.0 (as I have cleverly dubbed it) is the next phase of my continued journey into becoming someone who has earned the title of yoga teacher.
With that said, I have set (and spoke) my intention to be enrolled in the Isha Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program for 2018 and it has already begun to reverberate! It is a 21-week residential program (from July 27 to December 21), in Coimbatore, India. The cost of the program is 10,000 USD. www.ishayoga.org.
Moreover, I am, again, calling upon anyone who believes in what I’ve been up to – as a yoga teacher for the last seven years [and counting] - and who wishes to make a contribution in any way. Please feel free to contact me with any ideas, questions, comments, suggestions, etc. I am, and will be, forever grateful.
Finally, in all that I have come to know, I realize that I know nothing. It has long-since been my wish to study the true essence of yoga in an environment that is best suited for such an endeavor.
Namaste
Organizer
TanO Mazi
Organizer
Washington D.C., DC
