Throughout the night, in drifting consciousness, the whizzing dopplers of freeway traffic outside my window kept mingling with the rote memory recalls of newly learned asana, pranayama, mantras and shuddhi kriya techniques. In a way that only dreams can.
Here’s a quick little video one of the other students made to commemorate our journey together as yoga teachers in training. It was a very special time for us all. The “Whatsapp” group started during our training is still going strong. People who didn’t say two words during the two weeks training have blossomed into waxing poetic narrators.
You never forget your first time:
The first time I tried rubber (sutra) neti, the instructor actually snaked the rubber tubing up my nose and down my throat. That was cool; no problems. The problem was I had to reach back there and get it. Now that provoked a lot of gagging and almost barfing, with tears streaming down my face. But I got it after a few attempts. Heck, I wasn’t going to give up at that point.
The next day, I could wiggle the tube up my nose and down the back of my throat by myself (once you get used to that feeling, it’s not bad) Still, some gagging while reaching back for the tube. By the third day, I was a pro. Tube up the nose, grab from the back of the throat with no gagging. I got this! Next!
Another first – Vaman Dhouti but lucky for you, no photos of the event! 🤢
The thrilling spiritual experiences that a meditation pose affords me from day to day make it more attractive and beckoning than the comfort of a Barcalounger in front of a 52 inch flat screen TV, remote in hand.
When I sit in Siddhasana my mind gives a sigh of relief, and begins to meld into the background towing thoughts in hand. The pleasures of such a seat are the peculiar privilege of those god-intoxicated aspiring souls who seek salvation though yoga.
Yoga Teacher’s Training Class Photo Kaivalyadham 
Health Care Center Kaivalyadham 
Health Care Center Kaivalyadham – my room. 
Kaivalyadham campus 
Ayurvedic Center – Kaivalyadham Shuddhi Kriya (ShatKriya) yogic cleansing room Rubber neti – you never forget your first time! 
Vedantic chanting class with Dr. Rajani Pradham Morning meditation in Swami Kuvalayananda’s Cave 
Sunrise hike to hilltop over looking Kaivalyadham 
Sunrise hike to hilltop over looking Kaivalyadham 
Getting ready for Shuddhi Kriya – Yogic Cleansing – Trataka 
Class ready for presentations – Kaivalyadham
I gave my presentation on “Pranayama – The differences between Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and Hathapradipika.” that included a handy dandy comparison chart.
Ran into Dr. Bodhe in the library, and our conversation turned to Jesus Christ and agape love. We both agreed on Jesus as the guru and his message was love. The only people he taught the deep esoteric meaning to were his disciples and they were kicked out of the “church”, the masses for the most part were given easy to understand parables, as with yoga, you have to grow in self awareness before understanding certain concepts. And each time you come back to an idea or concept, you look at it with a different level of understanding and it reveals more to you. Jesus said, start with with milk
1 Corinthians 3:2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were …
I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for … 1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. 2I gave … I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
So while the disciples may have been kicked out of the church because the church did not see any money or consolidation of power for themselves in the teachings of Jesus Christ; I would say the same can be said of yoga today. It is under going a radical change from its truth and principles so that some people can make money and to perhaps a lesser degree now, consolidate power. Certainly, the sadhus and yogis of ancient times did not pay anybody to teach nor charge anybody to learn. They were solitary hermits seeking God on their own, passing their insights down from guru to student.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” ~ Friedrich Nietzche
This evening we practiced a new shatkarma (suddhi kriya) trataka. We pulled our mats up to form groups of four corners with a large candelabra in the center, and stared at the flickering candle flame, unblinking, until our eyes watered copious amounts of soul cleansing tears.