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oneModule

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Module 01 Learning Objectives

1. Provide students with a welcome from the founder of Santosha

2. Explain the intentions of their training course

3. Orient students with the structure of the course

4. Provide students with an understanding of the groundings upon which the teachings of the course are placed

5. Introduce students to a range of significant contributors to yoga throughout history

INTRODUCTIONModule1

Copyright Santosha Yoga Institute v3 All Rights Reserved 2015 4

A Message from Sunny McKenzie-Richards, Founder and Director of Santosha Yoga Institute

I am so grateful for this journey that I have been allowed to share with each of you. Love this path you have now begun. You will find it leads you back to your true self, peeling back the layers to find your true happiness … Yoga is this path.

My gratitude for my teachers, Sri T. Krishnamacharya, Neem Karoli Baba, Ganesh Mohan, Gary Kraftsow, Krishna Das, Ram Das and each and every past and future student that blesses us with their presence, is endless and filled with love. May I remain humble, as we walk this path together and may we always keep the teachings sacred, and may we find a way to give back and support others.


‘My yoga practice has allowed my mind to become quieter, giving me the patience to grow into a healthier

me. Each time I step onto my mat, I connect to that deep state of peace, allowing the stresses of life to melt away with each breath I take. It is this feeling and place that I hope my students can find as they move through their own

journeys in yoga.’

- Sunny McKenzie-Richards


Welcome

Welcome to Santosha Yoga and congratulations on making the decision to deepen your yoga practice and share the gift of your knowledge with others.

Santosha is indeed honoured to have you with us during your course and we welcome you into our growing Santosha family.

Patanjali is the author of a definitive text on yoga called The Yoga Sutras. In it, he defines yoga as ‘chitta vritti nirodhah’, which translates as 'stilling the fluctuations of the mind'. Patanjali offers the eight limbs of yoga as a path that allows stilling of these fluctuations, attaining freedom, liberation and bliss.

The second limb of the eight limbs is Niyama and these are personal observances that we should make on our yogic journey. ‘Santosha’ is one of Niyamas and it means contentment. In our time, we can interpret it as equanimity, peace, tranquillity, acceptance and being happy with things the way they are.

Sunny McKenzie-Richards, the founder and director of Santosha Yoga Institute has a background as a professional surfer. She combined her love for both the ocean and yoga to create a haven of wellbeing at Santosha. Since Santosha beginning, it now offers one of the most comprehensive yoga teacher trainings, pre- and postnatal, children and teen’s, yoga nidra, yin yoga and much more online and in some of the


world’s most beautiful locations. Santosha offers unique yoga and surfing, retreats for individuals and families, at a range of stunning locations as well.

This 200-hour study program covers everything from yoga history and philosophy, the eight limbs, anatomy and physiology through to running a successful yoga business. It requires a commitment to learn not only about the Art, Science and Philosophy that is yoga; but also, to learn about yourself.

You will come away with increased knowledge, improved skills, keener awareness, a deeper appreciation for yoga, new friendships and a rejuvenated sense of self. You will come away with Santosha.

All the best on your yoga journey,Sunny and the Santosha team.


Introduction

Congratulations on your decision to become a yoga teacher. The team at Santosha wishes you the very best as you take these exciting next steps toward your goal

of helping yourself and others become healthier, stronger, happier, and more at peace through the practice and discipline of Yoga. We are here to support you and support your journey. We can always be contacted should you require support .

The Santosha Online Yoga Teacher Training 200 is divided into modules, each of which will take approximately 8-9 hours to complete (except Module 1, which is an introduction). The entire online course will require approximately 180 hours of study, practice and reflection.

Each module provides you with an overview of a number of key concepts that, as you shall soon find, are going to prove vital to your personal and professional yoga practice. Therefore, study each concept with care, and take time to respond with seriousness to the journal entry prompts that you will find within each module. These prompts inspire you to thoroughly engage with the material as opposed to simply memorizing a set of facts. Through journaling your reflections, you will also gain confidence in your ability to articulate and explain advanced yoga concepts. Please respond to them and send them in as they are completed to [email protected] as a PDF with your name and the journal entry number only in the subject line.


Starting with Module 2, you will be prompted to complete a comprehension check at the end of each module which will ensure that you have mastered the material. Be aware that a significant portion of these comprehension checks will assess your understanding of the key concepts throughout the course. Please send your completed checks through them to [email protected] as a PDF with your name and the module name and comprehension check only in the subject line as you work through them.

Being a part of the the Facebook community will also allow you to share you learning, challenges, questions feedback and inspiration.

Please note, if you are yet to complete the foundation assignments, please get started on these before proceeding. Once you have completed them, book your first skype meeting with a Senior Teacher and then get started on these modules and associated course assignments.

Happy learning, and best of luck!xx


Origins of Yoga

This yoga teacher training is not just another yoga training. We are dedicated to you understanding the truth of the path of yoga. Your teachings come from

the incredible Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) who is also known as ‘The Father of Modern Yoga’, the teacher of teachers.

He was born in the south of India, in a Brahman family and was trained in the study of the Vedas by his father. The Vedas are the basis of what is known as Hinduism. He was an avid student and obtained various university degrees in different subjects such as the vedas, ayurveda, astrology, Indian Philosophy and yoga.

He traveled to the Himalayas and Tibet to study with the great teachers and to deepen his yoga knowledge. For years he studied the Yoga Sutras and practiced asanas and pranayama, a practice he kept doing up to his last days.

Krishnamacharya was married and had six children, although he lived a strict, monk-like discipline. He practiced his rituals, Yoga asanas and pranayama daily, as well as teaching yoga to his children, students, different personalities and even the royal family of Mysore.

The basis of Krishnamacharya’s teaching was ‘to teach what is appropriate for the individual’. He probably would have been surprised by the way yoga is taught now, in


big groups. However, Krishnamacharya could very well see and understand how the times were changing and he himself, would use some ‘marketing techniques’ back in the day such as stopping his own heartbeat, which he would call ‘propaganda’. Despite this, the ultimate purpose of yoga and Pranayama is, however, to still the fluctuations of the mind.

Krishnamacharya was probably the first Yoga Master to introduce the concept of ‘Vinyasa’. Vinyasa means ‘step-by-step’ or ‘putting one thing after another’. It consists of moving from one asana or position of the body to the next, linking breath with movement which makes the yoga practice more dynamic. This also shows how Krishnamacharya brought certain innovations to the evolution of yoga, since in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (one of the oldest yoga texts) the concept of Vinyasa was not mentioned.

A good asana practice also should include staying in a position for a few breaths, since physical and mental benefits come when we are able to breathe long and quietly, while holding an asana longer. Krishnamacharya also applied and taught yoga as therapy to help people with illnesses or injuries.

Krishnamacharya devoted his life to the practice and study of yoga. He was a scholar but also a vivid practitioner, a healer and a teacher of teachers. He passed away peacefully in the quietness of his home on February 28th, 1989.


Students of Krishnamacharya

Krishnamacharya had many devoted students. A few of them became really well known in the West, they travelled to America and Europe to transmit Krishnamacharya’s teachings. Some of the more well-known of these were:

• K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009)K. Pattabhi Jois started studying with Krishnamacharya since he was a teenager. Krishnamacharya would take him for demonstrations and K. Pattabhi Jois would also teach at the yoga shala of Krishnamacharya.

• B.K.S. Iyengar, (1918-2014)T. Krishnamacharya was married to B.K.S. Iyengar’s sister, they were brothers in law. He asked B.K.S Iyengar to come to Mysore to practice yoga to improve his poor health at the age of 15.

• Indra Devi (1899-2002) Originally from Russia, she was very attracted to India from a young age and travelled there and was accepted by T.Krishnamacharya as his student, making her the first woman (outside of his family) to study yoga among all the other male students. Indra opened a yoga studio in Hollywood, making yoga very popular among the celebrities of those days. Later she moved to South America (Mexico and Argentina), bringing yoga to South America. She could teach yoga in many languages which was useful for spreading her deep knowledge of traditional Hatha Yoga, as taught to her by her guru T.Krishnamacharya.

• T.K.V. Desikachar (1938-2016) He is T.Krishnamacharya’s son and student, although, before he studied with his father he went to University and completed his studies in Engineering. He studied yoga, Pranayama, Philosophy and chanting with his father. He wrote the famous book, The Heart of Yoga; Developing a Personal Practice. The core of Desikachar’s teaching is to adapt the practice of yoga to each individual, just as his father taught him, considering the changing needs of the individual at each stage of their life. Gary Kraftsow, Leslie Kaminoff and Mark Whitwell were students of TKV Desikachar.


• Indra and A.G. Mohan A.G. was a personal student of Krishnamacharya for 18 years. He is one of the few to obtain a yoga certification from Krishnamacharya. A.G. Mohan is the author of various books about yoga therapy and he also wrote the book, Krishnamacharya, his life and teachings, a beautiful, almost diary like book of the relationship between A.G. Mohan and his master Krishnamacharya. Indra Mohan, the wife of A.G., has been practicing and teaching yoga for more than three decades now. She is one of the few people who received a Post-Graduate Diploma in Yoga from Krishnamacharya. Known for her serene demeanor and her skill as a yoga therapist, she is a source of support and wisdom to her many personal students. Together the couple travel the world to share their wisdom and knowledge in workshops and trainings. A.G. Mohan together with his wife Indra, founded Svastha Yoga and Ayurveda, and they still travel the world spreading the teachings of Krishnamacharya.


Santosha Yoga Institute’s Teachings

Above: Sri T.Krishnamacharya


Journal Entry 1

You have just invested in a course that’s teachings will impact all facets of your life. It is always important, when starting out on a new journey, to reflect upon what it is you hope to get out of your learnings (intentions) and how you will ensure you can make the very most of the experience. Below are some reflective questions to consider and answer thoughtfully. Take some time to think, meditate and carefully answer each.• What do you hope to get out of this course? • How much time will you have for self-practice and how will you create

time?

‘Yoga is an awareness, a type of knowing. Yoga will end in awareness. Yoga is arresting the fluctuations of the mind as said in the Yoga Sutras (of Patanjali): chitta vritti nirodha. When the mind is without any movement, maybe for a quarter of an hour, or even quarter of a minute, you will realize that Yoga is of the nature of infinite awareness, infinite knowing. There is no other object there.’

- Sri T.Krishnamacharya in an interview with A.G. Mohan


Foundation Assignments to complete or continue with

See the Assignment Tasks document in the Online Resource Centre for full details for each assignment listed below:s

1. Daily Reflections (not submitted)2. Daily Self-practice (not submitted)3. The Power of Now Assignment4. Additional Reading Assignment5. Anatomy Assignment6. Samkhya Philosophy Assignment

Documents

one - Santosha Yoga Institute · oyright Santosha Yoga Institute v ll ights eserved 4 A Message from Sunny McKenzie-Richards, Founder and Director of Santosha Yoga Institute I am