The Call of My Heart

                        

                         My Life Has Changed

I am totally surprised. Gobsmacked, even. I was resolute, a year or so ago, about giving up teaching public yoga classes and seminars. I was done, kaput, over it, finished. For many reasons.

My teacher, a Maori healer, asked me not to give it up, when he heard of my decision, saying that the yoga part is of whom I am. Obviously, I hadn't given up on the yoga, as you can see. Because I kept going with my blog. Which I love. I love this blog.

And, I am no longer affiliated to anything nor anyone with yoga. Most importantly, through stepping away from yoga groups and corporate ashrams,

                 I have become my own surety. 
                            
                I speak for myself, in yoga, on all levels.

And, it was through the training of the Maori healing that this happened. Not the yoga. Although, I am now my own surety with yoga, for sure. Totally ironic, really. I can see the humour in all of this.

And my spiritual yoga journey dramatically accelerated when I started my new Path, some years ago. Also ironic.

What I Used To Do

Part of my background, a b-i-g part of it actually, was that I trained yoga teachers. I wrote 4 training courses, and taught them. When I left where I was doing these, at the start of 2007, I sadly had to "let go" of all the wonderful people whom I had taught. Hundreds.

And Now

But, over the years, various people from those days, have tracked me down. Quite a few. To my delight. I have been truly humbled by this. Friendship really does endure through the various hiccups of life. 

And, a few months ago,  one of these amazing people, Linsey Smith asked me to do a seminar at her yoga studio. We did it together, and I finally felt free to teach properly, away from the dogma propagated by ashrams, books, or groups. Teach the truth, and in this instance, it was about chakras. Of which, I am a totally un-humble authority.

Naturally, we have another seminar planned.....

Between Then and Now, I Changed

But something has changed inside of me. A permanent change. I now want to call the seminar a Wananga. Wananga is a Maori word which means coming together to learn higher, sacred knowledge. Which is what I teach at yoga seminars, yoga sacred knowledge. It is my area of yoga expertise, along with training yoga teachers.

I have been going to my teacher's Maori Wananga for about 10 years. I love them. They fulfil me, on so many levels. Through doing this, I have learnt the relevance of bringing spiritual truths into our lives, in a practical, down-to-earth way.

Not just in meditation. Not just as The Dogma of Today, in yoga. But as a down to earth, real way.

It's a humbling day, as I write this post, for learning how to do all of this has also humbled me. Doing this has become an ongoing daily Wananga, for me.

And I want to use Te Reo (Maori language) for my seminars. As a name. I shall probably use both English and Te Reo. When I stepped out again teaching the chakra seminar, it was second nature for us to start and end the day, with a Maori karakia (in yoga we would call it a chant, but it's more than that).

We are doing a Heart seminar/wananga, using the yoga teachings. Some of which hardly anyone knows. It will be

"The Call of The Heart": "Te Karanga o te Manawa" 

Because I changed, I grew, into someone else. It just happened, and I had wanted so badly to traverse the Maori Path which came my way. Linsey has been learning Te Reo for a few years now, and trains in a very deep path of Maoritanga. So it suits us both, to do this.

But, I digress.

I have been asked to teach more yoga, in various ways. Not in public classes, but in private sessions, organised by another old friend, whom I also trained as a yoga teacher, many moons ago. I am so happy about this. Lucky me.