Written by Elizabeth Sullivan
On my first day of Basic Yoga Therapy training with Indu Arora this summer she shared about the Sanskrit word, Swa-gatam, which means welcome. But it means more than welcome and I found I took it with me into my continued studies with Yoga North ISYI as I began my 1000-hour training with them this summer.
The unpacking of the word swa-gatam also means to practice self-pace. Indu assured each of us that we are welcome into these studies at our own pace, experience level, that there is no rush, and that we can not fool the path.
Sure I can memorize information, but this is not the full engagement of learning. Memorization is one level, but it leaves a gap, a visible gap, that to truly be seated in the knowledge it has to be seated in the self. This kind of knowing that Indu invites her students into means to “Walk at our own pace, regardless of others [pacing]. Honor pace, digest receiving. The biggest indigestion is not food, but knowledge. Let it not cause you indigestion. Chew it properly, no rush. Digest the information, use recordings. Radiate [the knowledge/teachings].”
So whether you plan to attend the upcoming Yoga North workshops with Indu, or are looking to study with Indu in other places like India or the Twin Cities, commit to the opportunity, experience the wisdom and teachings, and let yourself be steeped in them at your own pace so that you radiate the learning. With each learning we engage in, there is an emptying and a filling, a reordering and a deepening, let it be so.
Swa-gatam!