What makes Ayurveda Yoga Academy special?

What makes Ayurveda Yoga Academy special?

 written by Talia

Some weeks ago my Teacher asked, "What makes this place special?"

I froze. Because of you and Master. But how could I say that aloud and how could I even explain that?
Words melted in my mouth.
"Contemplate on this," she continued.

I did but for a long time nothing felt right. So one day I asked a fellow teacher. She replied that she had been to other studios but none like this; "here is warm and welcoming". Yes, but in my hometown, there were studios like that... So what was it for me that "makes this place special?"

Last month a close friend visited me. She said it was easy for me to come into the studio because I had been seeking a teacher (*see note). That was true, yet I shook my head. Words flowed from my lips: "when I first arrived, I came to the studio every day and that wasn't because of the Yoga Master or Wonjangnim. I didn't speak with them much, but I came to be with people at the studio. People interested in healing, life and happiness. I just enjoyed being with them and as we sat together, they shared about their practice with Master and Wonjangnim.
[For here is a space where we can go deeper than just socializing and discussing ideas ~ because our Teachers have walked further on the Path* than we have]. (*see note)
Now some of those wonderful humans who I originally came to meet are back in their countries. But I still come to the studio for the same reason:

 I come to be with the people at the studio!

Sometimes I speak with general members, sometimes with Master or fellow Teachers... and it doesn't matter if we don't speak the same language! What we share is beyond words isn't it?  We don't need to discuss yoga or healing work. This is about:
Love, connection, relationship.

Ayurveda Yoga Academy can be just a studio space, but it is a living thing filled with energy, and inside that is a community. Some people might come in and out so quickly, but there is so much care that the Teachers put in for every member. This is a place of sincere love. This is what makes Ayurveda Yoga Academy special to me.

Note:

*The Path of Yoga (or The Way, as called in Taoism) is a path towards Enlightenment, Nirvana or Liberation. The achievement of such is to cease Mind. Up until recently, I have been quite ungrounded and so I sought out a guide for personal growth and healing. I am so grateful to have stepped onto this Path with my Teachers here at Ayurveda Yoga!

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Below are a few words from some of those who have now left to pursue their own ventures back in their hometowns:

"Life is full of movement and change. When we are not aware, we easily get swept by the highs and lows, going this way and that way, and back this way again. This was my general state; confused, chaotic, anxious. I didn’t recognize the anchor within me until I came to Ayurveda Yoga Academy. More than a place that is actively teaching me something, I got to experience what true steadiness and centering is just by spending time at the studio. The more you show up, the easier it is to come in. The more you go in, the more understanding there is about stopping the movement of the indecisive and fickle mind. Through the practice of being present with Master Kim, Wonjangnim and other practitioners, I got to have a taste of something that is eternal and non-changing, that can be found deep within me and all of us. Ah, this is the ‘at-home’ feeling that is within us, no matter where we go. And when we move through the world with this understanding, then the world becomes a studio and practice space. Thank you Ayurveda Yoga for showing me the path to freedom and guiding me to walk by myself." ~ Miishil, California, USA

 

For me the studio has been a place where I could build my strong base (in asana, in teaching, in life, within myself...) with the guidance of my incredible teachers and a supportive local and International community. To me it [this] means grounding. At first I found it with my teachers at the studio. Now I'm better able to cultivate it where ever I am. I could feel from the moment I walked in [the studio] that I had found something special, and it remains that to me even years after I've left that physical space. ~ Michellé, South Africa

Sometimes it happens that the teachers coincidentally coordinate clothing colors ~ 

This day we had some fun taking photos in our yellows & greens ~

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