The month of the TTC (teachers training course) in Quebec was a very good, purgative, occasionally cathartic, and joyful experience. Nothing like a little discomfort, misery, bliss, laughter, failures and successes to bring 30 strangers together.
The teachers we loved and admired. The view, the food, the air, the silent walks, the evening bonfires, chanting, meditation, the stargazing, the Saturday night talent shows and company of those we shared this with is missed. It seems like a dream, as all such things do. Then again, according to Vedanta, it IS a dream. So much for that. lol
I love crow variations... they make me feel like a kick-ass breakdancer! Kapow!
Happily, I have two others from the course here in Toronto with me. I've made arrangements for them to teach with me at my dojo and Scadding court community centre.
So, some interesting observations:
I am ready to fully practice TCM, and acupuncture again. I did a fair bit of it at the ashram and it felt great to get back into that modality. I am looking forward to it.
After the advanced pranayama, my old dim mak elbow injury and broken right jupiter finger injury resurfaced. Neither of these injuries healed properly and I've always had trouble with them, but it's been over 15 years for both and I hadn't felt the intense soreness and discomfort since they were first injured. Especially the elbow, I was paralyzed for a month before it started to heal, and thus, bend....but only a little bit at a time, and man was it ever painful. Holy cow....don't ever get dim mak-ed people. It sucks.
These energy blocks never healed properly and the pranayama was finally getting to levels deep enough to address that. It was working. I felt really sore in these areas for about three days, then suddenly it was much better. The pranayama is REALLY cathartic - it altered the regular course of my menstrual cycle, my blood pressure and normal body temperature.
There is a reason you are told not to mess with this stuff unless you have a good teacher or you really know what you are doing. It was due to intense, and I mean intense qi gong and pranayama exercises that I got into a bit of trouble in my early 20's - I basically had to "check out" and move to the mountains of BC and live with monks in utter silence for months on end to learn to "cool down" and regulate my body once more. It was the only time in my life where I was a bit frightened that I had managed to do something to myself that I (possibly) couldn't get out of. Another term for what I experienced is known as the "kundalini syndrome' - if you don't take care of it, you can go insane, no joke. It's painful physically, and maddening mentally. Thankfully, I found the answer in the ashram library up in the Kootneys, you can reverse the unpleasant affect of kundalini syndrome with venting exercises. Many old Taoist texts will speak on this. I was very lucky to have found the remedy.
So, I am looking forward to doing the Sadhana intensive next year. (Basically TONS of pranayama, but you have teachers assigned to "watch" you and make sure you are maintaining mental stability. Not everyone finishes this course, now I know why...) It will clean up A LOT of stuck or blocked energy. If only two days of pranayama began the healing process of such old blockages and massive martial arts injuries, imagine what two weeks of day in and day out pranayama will do! Then again, I might become insane, apparently that is one of the possible side effects....a risk I am more than willing to take.
I left Val Morin at this time last week. It is a Sunday afternoon. My journey is taking a turn and opening new doors....doors I want opened. So, I continue my training and work towards the next ego breaking, reality shattering, no sleep for four weeks ashram experience.
peace, Hari OM
YF
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