satsang

SATSANG

Teacher training session begins in Sun Yoga. And as this Foundation of mine grows (in its 11th year now!), passing on the mantel becomes very important. In corporate terms, it is known as ‘succession planning’. With each new teacher that emerges from Sun Yoga, the light grows that little bit more. Sun Yoga is my legacy. One lifetime is not long enough for me to change the world into a better, happier, and more joyous and fair place; today, there are 550 Sun Yoga teachers worldwide sharing the same vision.

To train a Sun Yoga teacher, it begins with Satsang. Satsang means “in the company of the wise”. Like Upanishad (“sitting close at the feet of the teacher”), it is very much a part of the ancient tradition of yoga. However, not many yoga teachers are aware of satsang, let alone lead it.
Recently, I held a satsang at a Rainforest retreat. More than anything, it is to get me in the right frame of mind for inspiring my new teachers-to-be. The 19 participants had never experienced satsang before, though all have attended yoga classes. My satsang was a tribute to someone who had inspired me very much and who had shown me how to fly to my dreams.

“For one hour, one month, the eternity, may I have the strength to take the risks when those magic moments occur, enjoying the happiness and growing from the suffering that go with them.”
- Antonio Castellano

Whatever our external façade there is fear (which can be a crippling emotion) in each and every one of us, that holds us back and stops us achieving our best. We make excuses rather than show others our fears; we make excuses rather than face up to our fears. Even in selecting the six for the final cut, I see several who let fear hold them back. I also see many who inspire me, and these are the six who made it to my list. Susanna from Finland who is travelling to this distant part of the world with her young son, Karina who strongly stuck to her path despite the many obstacles back in the UK and also Malaysia, Suesan who had waited for Sun Yoga, Sue who lost her husband and trying to make a new life, Nadia who is 33 weeks pregnant and Jasper (so young!) who refused to be frightened by me. I already see Sun Yoga in my six.

Like I saw Sun Yoga in Antonio Castellano when he attended his first ever yoga class with me: quiet, composed, fearless as he went through the strange postures calmly. And then later, by my side, as fellow students of yoga as we sweated on the mat at Bikram Yoga Jakarta. And then, unwittingly, I became his student, learning to be more inwardly focused and learn more about myself, the ever-changing landscapes in inner me.

I admire Antonio very much not because he is perfection but simply because he is always consciously working towards resolution of his fears and issues. He looks like a risk-adverse accountant, yet fear had never held him back from reaching for his dreams and going for what he believes in his heart (as far as I know).

This is a noble trait, because we are all born fearful, fearful of change (death of what we know, fear of death of identity), which is one of the main causes of suffering. This is something that even the wise are afflicted with:

Avidya asmita raga dvesah abhinivesah klesha [Yoga Sutra Pada 2, 3]

So really, we are all work in progress, born with so many fears. Some of us are courageous enough to be honest and admit to them, others make excuses opting for the coward’s way rather than growing spiritually by facing their fears head on. And in the words of Antonio, we grow from the suffering, therefore never be afraid to suffer! Make the best decision you can for the moment, and run towards your dreams full on! You can be a brave warrior without heroic deeds but by quietly facing off your fears every day.

Thus this man is a shining example of someone who is living in full awareness, rather than be oblivious, unawake, timid. This Sutra is embodied by him:

tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam [Yoga Sutra Pada I, 3]
tada = then, at that time
drashtuh = Seer
svarupe = one’s own nature
avasthanam = abides