It is hard to explain my love for Amrita Yoga as I feel that it runs very deep. Largely, it was the first and greatest bridge that moved me to Amma’s love and teachings. I will try and be practical and not too abstract in explaining the aspects of the Amrita Yoga Retreats that were meaningful to me.
Yoga Asana classes
As a yoga teacher, it’s never easy to come to a yoga retreat as a new student. Yet somehow, my usual criticism vanished and I was able to just take everything in with a beginner’s mind. I was very happy to see the incredible combination of body precision, breath, flow, and class themes that were interwoven so well together.
Yoga Staff (teachers, assistants, and administration)
From the moment of registration I always felt I was in great hands (besides Amma’s). The yoga teachers were clearly very knowledgeable, well versed in both teaching and in their own practice. But I was also very moved by their humility, feeling they were allowing Amma to teach through them.
Satsanga
All of the Satsanga were a perfect entry point to begin to understand what is being taught in the ashram, including the people in it, and what Amma means to them. The satsanga gave me a lot of tools to begin to grasp this vastly foreign world and how I could connect to it.
The Yoga Shala and Yoga Community
While the crowds and lines waiting for Amma, are no doubt impressive, I tend to get a little lost in these situations. Being within smaller space and smaller group, all going through a process together, helped me to feel more at home in the ashram at Amritapuri.
Group Darshan
It will be impossible for me to know why but the darshan I received with the yoga group was of the most important moments in mylife.
Group Seva
Besides being able to serve, which is obviously great in and of itself, the group sevas were yet again another wonderful opportunity to meet the different departments of the ashram, along with the people and the stories behind them. These stories were all very inspiring and heart opening.
It was also a great opportunity for me to see which kind of seva was really calling me. I was blessed with meeting Supriya at the Tulsai Garden, and I was then matched with a Seva to which I dedicated myself for the next two months (until I left the Ashram). The garden is now tied with Yogashala as my favorite places in the Ashram.
Self Practice and Love for Yoga
Even after 12 years of yoga asana practice, I came to India a little confused about why I was still doing yoga. My understanding of yoga has deepened and my practice softened and the love has been restored after the Amrita Yoga Retreats.
While I know nothing is outside the working of Amma, I still feel really lucky and grateful to have come into Amrita Yoga at Amritpuri in the presence of Amma.
Author: Emma Kayne
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