Amongst the sea of Russian tourists and the waves of hippies
from all over the world, surrounded by
palm leafs on a rooftop of Famafa “resort” in the village of Arambol I’ve
discovered an Ocean on Knowledge.
They say in India
that, “Your teacher comes to you.” Of
course, they say a lot of things and when I arrived in Mumbai, I paid
little attention to this saying, thinking only that it would be nice if
I didn’t need to research schools etc, if I could just have it all laid
out. On my second day in the country, discussing
my love for Yoga in the lovely company of the mother of a friend of a friend
who was my most gracious host, I was casually told:
“Ahh, yes, my good friend is a professor of Yoga! Brilliant man, he comes from the sports
background, managed finances for a huge company and trains athletes. He comes to our building to teach yoga
regularly. In fact, he’s coming over for
dinner Monday, would you like to meet him?”
Nirupa, since the day met, always casually offered THE thing that was
needed, whether it was the warm hospitality of her home, including her very own
bedroom, kind and wise conversation to settle in a freaked out new arrival, or
a teacher. It always came at a perfect time too, when needed, just like that
Monday dinner. It was the first day post
the wedding I had come for to Indian and my last day in Mumbai.
At dinner, Dr, Ganesh Rao turned out to be a warm geyser of
knowledge, and it wasn’t just on yoga.
Though an intense man, when he got into his subject, his kindness shone
in his smile, his easy laugh and clear concern for the well-being of those
around him. Knowledge is often delivered from a distance, since those that are
fortunate to have it often acquire a very large ego in the process of study
that places them on a perceived mountain top from where they “graciously”
deliver their address. Dr. Ganesh shared
succinct juicy morsels of lore in the same way he offered a second helping of
the chapattis that were next to him on the table. The subjects of philosophy, Russian
literature and meditation moved with the ease of our hands in our plates,
eating Indian style. Gurdijieff http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gurdjieff a
fairly obscure Russian meditation philosopher, turned out to be second
nature! I was recommended books that
would make his work much easier to understand and carry me over the dense
stumbling blocks of his original writing.
The explanation of the “third eye” was offered from a precise
physiological and historical point of view, removing the mysticism and
inserting logic.
Two months later I met him in Arambol, Goa. Along with the Arabian sea
I discovered the ocean of knowledge that is Dr. Ganesh. For seven happy days I ran across the beach
to sit at his feet on yoga mats in a rooftop yoga studio where he taught two
yoga philosophy classes daily. He was a
guest lecturer in a yoga training course, and I was a guest student. Fortunately, I was also allowed into the
other teacher training and regular classes as well, and so a pranayama (yogic
breathing practice), an iyengar-based vinyasa and a hatha flow classes rounded
out my days.
With my YTT certificate out of the way in US, I have the
luxury of learning for the sake of understanding, not driven by a prescribed
program with an end goal. Experiencing
it for the first time in life in Dr. Ganesh’s class, I felt free while taking
notes! It is quite powerful to learn
driven by your own will, desire and interest, and not a diploma, job training,
or certification requirement.
Dr. Ganesh went in more depth that any of my previous lectures
or training. A professor of Yoga in the
University of Mumbai, a therapist, Naturopathic Doctor, a PhD in Philosophy, a
Master of Finance with the background of a professional soccer player and
athlete, and a few other degrees, his material made sense on all levels. I learned about his acronym accolades only
during the last day of our class, he paid it all little importance as his
passion was humble knowledge. The physiological aspects of the subject were
explained together with the historical, philosophical and spiritual. His lectures and our brains were all systems
go.
After each class, the yogis in training and I marveled not
only at the material but at the teacher and man. His lectures were delivered with crystal
precision, succinct, organized and without a single note or outline in
hand. It was as though he was reading
from some internal computer screen, spelling out complicated Sanskrit and
English words, providing exact definitions, going off track to answer our
questions and then moving right back to the precise point where he
stopped. Yogic breathing and concepts of
matter were explained in terms of physics, yogic precepts on life in terms of historical
context and culture. Common misconceptions
of yoga and life were revealed in class, and there was at least one moment in
class for each one of us where we discovered a higher truth for ourselves, an
explanation for something we were struggling with in our own lifes, and an
alternate way of considering a problem in our own practice. Dr. Ganesh taught with a smile, and his love
for the subject spread to his students from the very first lecture. .
Marveling at the depth and breadth of knowledge, I asked how it was
acquired.
“Reading is my
passion, and I believe that everyone in life should do what they really like!”
he said smiling.
As a young man, Dr. Ganesh had a brilliant career in both
soccer on a professional level, finance on a corporate level and a passion for
knowledge. He continued to pursue all
three, excelling with promotions. After
making himself financially comfortable in corporate, and despite a great future
on the ladder, he put in his resignation one fine day. When asked where he was going, he responded:
“Nowhere, I am just too happy and comfortable here.” It was time to move on, and after sustaining
an injury on the soccer field, he devoted his life to his passion for learning
and understanding. He said that he
rarely accepts social engagements and only sleeps for four hours a day,
dividing his waking time between classes, yogic practice and study. After learning this I felt even luckier that
he accepted the dinner invitation that Monday when we met, since it was a rare
occasion.
Dr. Ganesh was a true pleasure to be around, a happy calming
presence that we all cherished perhaps not for just the knowledge that he
possessed, but for the joy that he received from his life and work. It wasn’t just the material he presented, but
his love and appreciation of the subject and of life in general that made those
around him feel comfortable and warm.
Most of the students in the course met with him individually to discuss
their own problems and life aspirations, instinctively seeking his advice and
company as something rare and precious to be cherished while present.
They say that people often go through a personal
transformation in a yoga training course.
Often it is out of sheer exhaustion and being pushed beyond the
limits. However, in the week of Dr.
Ganesh’s lectures, the “Aha” moments that we all had were quite priceless and
frequent. He made Patanjali’s sutras come alive and interpreted ancient
Sanskrit with precision and satisfaction that made us smile at the simplicity,
elegance, and wisdom of the teachings. Yoga was revealed to us far beyond
ancient technique for well-being, or philosophy and history. We discovered a way of life and relationship
to ourselves and those around us.
As the course came to a close, during my one on one with the
teacher I felt overwhelmed and daunted by the immensity of what I did not know
in yoga. I knew that I’ve just dipped
one toe into the ocean and I felt overwhelmed and unequal to the teaching
task. Dr. Ganesh left me with these
parting words:
“You must teach, it is the best way to learn.”
very inspiring...
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