I’ve surprised myself by the interest I showed in the non-physical aspects of yoga (i.e. besides asana,
pranayama, meditation).
Below are some of the topics that were discussed and my thoughts on them:
– 8 Limbs of Yoga
o To me, this is really a way of life. A good reminder of how one should conduct
ourselves (Yama, Niyama), how to take care of our body (Asana, Pranayama) and
stay in tune with ourselves (Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi).
– Dosha types
o Essentially a yogic personality profile, what’s interesting about this is that it
combined both personality as well as physical dimensions (e.g. build/frame,
sensitivity to temperature, appetite, common ailments, sleep patterns, etc)
o Theoretically, there are food that one should ingest vs avoid depending on your
dosha type – maybe one day I should try being more conscious about this and see if
there’s any impact!
– Chakras
o One of those things that some may attribute to the spiritual part of yoga (because
it’s intangible?).
o Personally, I have always been quite curious about individual’s energy, although my
logical mind is well-trained by decades of education to be skeptical about things that
cannot be observed
o Nonetheless, my friends and I decided to check out the aura photography which
allows us to see our chakra in the form of colours.
o Long story short, we were all rather intrigued by what our aura picture revealed
about us. I thought I would have more YELLOW/GOLD – maybe I can revisit this in 6-
12 months’ time?
– Yoga Nidra
o Was entirely unaware of this aspect of Yoga prior to the YTT, which sounds very
similar to hypnosis. We were reminded to be careful if we want to explore this
further, as it can be used with ill intentions.
o Wish we had more time to explore this in class though!
– Cleansing Techniques
o It was an eye opener hearing about this. I think I will think twice before signing up
for an yoga cleansing retreat!
o Of the 8 techniques shared, I am only comfortable with Kapalabhati and Trakata.
Trakata was not the most comfortable experience, but I think it is a good exercise for
the eyes.
o This was not covered as part of the cleansing techniques, but thought I would also
mention the “stomach vacuum” and “washing machine” exercises that we did,
which were supposed to help with digestion. Something that I would like to practise
and perfect as well!
Nge Hwee
200 Hour YTT Feb-May’21
