Ayush Yoga Darshanam

I attended Yoga Darshanam 200-TTC in July 2012. It was an immensely intense month of very long days but the rewards were well worth it. My yoga practice has grown in ways that I hadn’t even anticipated; the far-reaching personal and physical challenges inherent in such an intense course, while at times trying in the moment, only serve to benefit one in the end in a myriad of ways, both on and off the mat. Santhosh teaches with a sincere and charismatic nature along with a unique depth of knowledge and set of experiences having growing up in an Indian village and even communing and living in nature for extended periods of time. As such, he offers a fresh and distinct perspective on yogic philosophy and life in general. I remember several Methodology and Theory sessions when he had us all in stitches – a great way to learn. Sujatha’s sessions instill in one a notion of tranquility and are conducive to a new understanding of chanting and pranayama practices. Early-morning asana practices were one of my favorite parts of the day because of her soothing voice, sense of calm, and peaceful teaching method; her sessions and manner of being added a new tranquility and serenity to yoga practice for me. Santhosh and Sujatha together provide a thorough and interesting course, covering so many aspects of yoga, including advanced asanas that some of us never imagined we could accomplish. At the same time they were patient, loving, available, understanding, and deeply knowledgeable teachers. Overall it was a pleasure to spend an intense month of learning and practicing yoga with the Yoga Darshanam program.

I emphatically recommend Yoga Darshanam to anyone who is interested in doing a course for either yoga therapy or to gain a deeper and broader understanding of yoga in general. The sheer knowledge, professionalism and expertise of Santhosh Kumar and his wife Sujatha always made me feel like I was in good hands. After talking to other yoga practitioners around Mysore, hearing their negative experiences, I knew by comparison that I had found the right place, something I naturally had apprehensions about before arriving. The program is well organized and I formed close friendships with everybody in my group. The compassion and special guidance that I was able to receive from the teacher has been invaluable in helping me to appreciate the deeper aspects of yoga and to understand it within the context of Indian culture. I don’t think this would be possible at any other school in Mysore. It is this personal interaction with the teacher, who truly does lead by example, that has helped me to understand what it means to live a yogic lifestyle. I would count the trip to Santhosh and Sujatha’s hometown as the highlight of my experience here in India. There I was able to experience village life from the perspective of a local and relax in a beautiful, natural environment with kind, smiling people over delicious home-cooked food, the whole time finding myself experiencing and doing things which I never could have imagined doing back home in Japan. Don’t miss this chance! In terms of asana practice, Santhosh is nothing short of a wizard at getting both beginners and advanced students safely and comfortably into positions which they might otherwise think impossible. In the short month I was here, I had several breakthroughs and made progress on every front with my practice of yoga. I now feel confident that I can go further on my own am looking forward to reaching more advanced stages using the knowledge that I have learned here at yoga Darshanam. Even if you are a beginner, it is good to join and practice in the advanced class up to your ability. Everybody is challenging themselves and working on something. We had an acrobat and a couple of dancers in our group who could perform incredibly advanced asanas, but also a couple of beginners who could do things that even the advanced students were unable to do. The supportive group energy in that lesson is tangible and exciting. You will be surprised at what you can do after properly warming your body up through the correct sequence of preparatory asanas, a specialty of Santhosh’s which I plan to replicate in my own classes. Santhosh was often quick to remind us however that yoga asana and yoga are not the same, and that all eight limbs of yoga are to be practiced with equal attention. It was this wisdom put into practice which made his personality so refreshing to find in a field that is all too often strained by unnecessary dogmatism and competition. His pragmatic and kind nature, perpetual smile and sense of humor made me feel like I was with a peer who was openly sharing (rather than dictating) the deeper aspects of yoga with me. Thank you Santhosh for everything! I will definitely be back to learn more from you in the future.