My Name is Simin. I’m a Reiki Master and studied meditation and yoga in Switzerland. Here is how my yoga journey began and where it has led me so far.
My journey started in 2001 when I could not run due to my second pregnancy. I had to find something that is also beneficial to my unborn baby. My dear friend, Kris asked me if I would like to try yoga with her. Frist, I tried to ignore her offer, but as the days went bye, I was getting frustrated with myself and finally, I said yes to her, but I was very nervous to try something new and not familiar with the language. The first class I attended, the teacher led the class through various yoga contortions an strange breathing patterns that would occasionally cause me to giggle self consciously. I am not sure exactly what style she taught, back then I didn’t even think to ask, yoga was yoga! Either way I was hooked. I don’t know what it was exactly but yoga gave me something I could not find anywhere else.
I took a break after my pregnancy, but after a short while, I had this overwhelming sense that something was missing and I was compelled to seek out another class. Once again I ended up in a yoga class and with my second teacher yoga meditation, quite the unexpected yoga instructor.
The focus of this class was more meditation than movements and I had a hardest time to set for the time he asked us and going through your life stories! My body and mind started to react differently. I studied and practiced with my teacher on and off for about three years, during this time, he installed a lot of knowledge in me that would come to understand as the years went by. He also introduced me to a more spiritual form of yoga called Kundalini yoga.
Kundalini yoga is not like a typical yoga class you find at your gym or local studio. We didn’t do a single down dog, which might surprise some yogis who are used to Vinyasa or hatha-based yoga. Actually, asana (yoga posture) was just a small part of the practice. So what exactly is Kundalini yoga and what do you do?
Here are my experience with Kundalini yoga practice:
“Kundalini yoga is a powerful ancient practice that helps us elevate the mind by clearing the subconsciousness, We are reconnecting and communicating with our inner intuition. In Kundalini yoga, we practice pranayama, meditation, asana and chanting. This sacred combination is very powerful and activates the glands, cells and senses.”
The theme of the day was letting go of old patterns that no longer serve us and replacing them with new, healthier habits. “We are habitual beings and we have gained habits in our childhood that are not serving us. The way to shift and reprogram our mind and habits is by adding new ones that will take over. Kundalini yoga and 40-day meditations empower us to break a pattern. The consistency and passion allow the life force energy to increase and create a momentum to shift.”
It’s normal for emotions to get stirred up and you may even shed some tears. During the workshop we practiced a kriya called “conscious rebirthing,” which was a wild experience. Our teacher led us through the practice and let us know beforehand that we may find that tears start to flow. During the kriya practice nothing seemed to come up for me at first, but immediately after we finished he instructed us to come to child’s pose, and that’s when the floodgates opened! The tears came right out. But it wasn’t a feeling of sadness; rather a feeling of release and peace came over me. I have never experienced anything quite like that before!
“This kriya empowers us to clear the fears we took on at the time we were in our mother’s womb. It is very special to clear what does not belong to us. The tears we all experienced is part of the release and represents the inner child’s understanding that it is time to clear these fears and connect to the true self.
“In Kundalini yoga we believe that, at the soul level, we are all perfect and pure, the challenge is with the mind and our sense of identity. I always keep reminding myself that we are already perfect and healed; we just need to remember it by clearing the mind.”
Sometimes successfully, other times not. But the practice comes in the practice itself, what we learn on the mat and what we take into life is what is important. Not the fact that we can or cannot sit in lotus or get our legs behind our head.
So here I am today on my own once again, trying to incorporate everything I have learnt from every one of my teachers when I jump on the mat. The voice I hear and the guidance I receive changes each day.
The training itself was covered all the aspects of pranayama (breathing), asana (postures) and meditation. Physically it was hard but it was the mental and emotional stuff that almost made me give up. It was an intense overwhelming experience but I made it through, as did all the other amazing teacher trainees who completed the course with me.
I have been blessed with so much knowledge that it is hard blend it all together, a harmony of voices from a bunch of inspiring human beings. If there is one thing I have learnt from all of my teachers (both directly and indirectly) it is that it is essential to listen to my own body, to myself.
So it is with you, as much as you can be told and shown certain things only you know what is right for you. You can be guided, you can be led, but in the end it is up to you. I wish you blessings and joy in your journey and would be honored if I can help you along the way.
My intention is that by practicing yoga and being committed to these mindful practices and doing the deep work that’s necessary on ourselves, we may develop the empathy necessary so that we can go out to the world and be more loving, more truthful and more integrated human beings, to surrender to the Divine within and within all. And if we are open, to begin to expand our perspective and understanding in a way perhaps we hadn’t been able to realize before.
Namaste
