“When you are quiet you see everything with love”
Dharma Mittra
This past weekend I learned a form of yoga call Dharma Yoga. I signed up for a weekend workshop and I had no idea what I was getting into but I was ready to immerse myself in yoga and learn something new. After the workshop I did a little bit of research and found that Dharma Yoga is a graceful but challenging form of yoga that has roots in Hatha, Raya, Karma, Kriya, Bhakti, Japa, Laya, Jnana, and Ashtanga yoga. It emphasizes good health, mindfullness, and kindness with the ultimate goal of self-realization.
The workshop was lead by Camilo Garcia, a yoga teacher and musician who resides in Cali, Colombia. He realized his spiritual connection through music and sound and integrated that passion with his yoga practice guided by Dharma Mittra and Andrei Ram.
I learned a lot on Saturday and Sunday in this workshop because it though me a lot about conductivity through the use of the breath, mantras, chakras and attention. Camilo is an excellent teacher and guide. His instructions were very clear and easy to follow though it was an intense experience – my body was fighting the urge to distract itself, give up and lose focus sometimes, but I persisted and stayed with it throughout the classes.
At the end of the class on Saturday, Camilo invited us to join him on a Kirtan night with other musicians at a yoga center in Medellin. It was an ecstatic night of profound chanting and good company. The place was beautiful and it was filled with people chanting and clapping to the musical invocation.
On Sunday we did Hatha Yoga asanas and it was an amazing last class of the workshop. I was very inspired by the students and mostly by Camilo’s graceful postures. His technique was a sight to see but also I could feel a humbleness and one-pointedness on his practice. It was really helpful to be not only guided by him on every pose, but to also be corrected when I needed it. He really showed me how much I still have to learn and how grateful I am to have such a passion for my yoga practice because I know I am happy when I am on the mat and nothing else matters in that moment.
Have you tried a new form of yoga lately? if you are moved, please share with me what other forms of yoga you practice and what has inspired you about it.
Namaste