By Leslie Anne Franklin ,  September 2007 , Sydney, Australia.

Meeting  Swami Santhi  Santhiprasad was a life changing experience for me. I had been taught yoga by many teachers in many styles during a twenty year period. When I came to the School of Santhi  in India and experienced Siva Raja Yoga, I felt as though everything I had  previously learned  in yoga integrated into one. I recieved a full outlook on all styles and yet could understand all these styles from a physical, mental and spiritual outlook. Many questions I had doubted within myself and my path had been answered. Santhi looks into the true science of yoga from the  traditional devotional sides of yoga as well as adding his own philosophy.

Santhi is not only a true master of yoga but a spiritual teacher. I gained alot more than I thought I would pay for. I, through experience in the course learned to reach a very calm state of being through all the meditation techniques and expressions. I learned that to be a good teacher one must experience the state of being that you want to lead your students towards. I wanted my students to experience freedom and joy by doing yoga. This is the gift that Santhi gave to me.

From the first week of arriving back in Australia I had enough confidence to commence classes and now have taught over 1000 people yoga from many backgrounds and on many levels. I will definately join Santhi in India to  commence the teacher trainings level 2 and 3.  

   " open your flower"

Last July and August I took an adventure of a lifetime to learn, feel, and pray. I went to a land of swaying coconut palms, a land of coconut curry, a land where at various times of the day you hear chanting on loud speakers, dogs barking, church bells and tuk tuk engines roaring. You can smell the fumes of the automobiles, jasmine, nag champa and ocean air. The sights are all in full spectrum color; beaches, elephants, and children dressed in ragged fluorescent garb begging for a school pen...The first week I stayed in Kovalam, Kerala, South India, at a place called The Beach Hotel, downstairs from a german bakery. I traveled by foot back and forth from this place. I met a Indian taxi driver who walked with me. He showed me the fishing village, the local Ayurvedic family clinic, as well a the famous Kerala backwaters. I really felt at home this first week. I enjoyed the chaos and bliss of Inian culture. The food, oh the delicious food. The spirituality flows vibrantly through it is its lifeblood. I ate then I prayed, again and again. (needless to say I did not return home a single pound lighter, though I was stronger.)

With these two elements I felt at ease and very safe.Monsoon season was among us as I started the yoga program with a great yogi by the name of Swami Santhi Santhiprasad. Upon meeting Santhi I felt even more a sense of peace, he appeared to be glowing in his white Kerala dress. His aura was pure and gentle, like a guiding father. I was open to receive his teachings. I also had the blessing of meeting the other students from all over the world. There were five of us. One woman was from , another was from , and the other was from  and a South Indian man (who recovered from polio with the help of Ayurveda and yoga) and me from sunny and cool Northern California. We all drove to , about an hour south of Trivandrum to Rafiq's Place (a thatched roof resort that could only be found on foot.) This was my home for the month of August. The next day after our initial meeting the program started with a bang.he program was indeed intense, through this intensity bliss was found. This was the way... We woke up every morning at five and started our day with meditation, mantra chanting, and pranayama. Next we did anywhere from 2-4 hours of asana. Then of course we ate rich curries for breakfast. After breakfast we studied yogic theory, anatomy, physiology, and some biology. Again we enjoyed more delicious Indian cuisine, usually a 6-8 course dish that is eaten by the right hand and served on a banana leaf, the dish is called Thali. Following lunch we studied more yogic philosophy as well as the science of yoga. Then we learned more meditation, pranayama, asana, and mantra for another 2-4 hours. After our evening of practical practice we enjoyed a plethora of Indian cuisine nightly. Usually after dinner we would either sit under the stars around the dinner table and talk for a few hours or we would return to the thatched roof gazebo that we called our classroom for bajans, Sanskrit songs, and mantra chanting. Usually between 10 and midnight we would fall into a restful sleep or deep meditation until the next day a 5 am. This went on for the whole month of August.

At the end the month we all went through huge transformations physically, mentally, and spiritually.I felt more vital and relaxed than ever before! I received a yoga teacher certificate with honors as well as a new name from my teacher, he called me Pavitra Mayi (meaning one who dwells in purity). I felt more confident and at home in my own body as well.Leaving was hard and a part of my spiritual heart will always reside on the sandy, South Indian beach where my physical body sat in peaceful, blissful meditation. Now at home in sunny Neveda City, California I am happy with my family, dog and of course a job and school. I am delighted to be offering myself selflessly to the community. I wish to share pieces of this bliss lead light with anyone who may want to walk on the path to a more flowing life.

I am offering a FREE Surya (sun) Yoga class on every sunny Sunday in  at Pioneer park on the field. Class will start a 10am and go till noon with a 10 minute break half way through. The practice will include prayer, mantra chanting, sun salutations, pranayama and various asanas (poses), as well as some guided meditation at the beginning and the end. I will introduce many tools to reduce tension and relieve stress that will go with you throughout your life.

Rachel Levesque

"yoga life becomes simple and bliss filled"

 
By Nirmala Mayi, September 2007, Bali, Indonesia

 

About four months ago, I reached a point in my life where I needed a lifechange. I was depressed and looking for avenues to heal myself. I had always been interested in yoga and had practised yoga since I was 16 years old. I had always dreamed of going to India to study yoga to become a teacher. One day I was looking online and found the 'School of Santhi'. The site somehow attracted my attention and I made an enquiry. I was impressed with the immediate response from the school. I had to look at timing for the course and my finances however and life went on as usual and I became caught up in my own world and put India out of my head. One day when I once again was feeling down and out, I received an email from Santhi Santhiprasad who was the master yoga teacher at School of Santhi. He in short asked me if I was coming to India to do the course. Something about the timing of the email and the way I was feeling made me ask myself if I could do it or not. The course was starting in two weeks and I had alot to prepare to go but a voice inside me was saying 'yes, you can go..just do it' So I raced around like a mad idiot for two weeks and was on the plane to India two weeks later. In that time I had clear communication with Santhi and he provided me with all the information I needed to know. His calm and intelligent voice reassured me that I was doing the right thing.

When I arrived in Trivandrum India I was greeted at the airport by two of Santhi's staff. I immediately understood that I was in safe company. They had organized accomodation for me up until when the course started. The accomodation they chose was clean and affordable. They escorted me to the hotel. One hour after arrival I recieved a phonecall from Santhi welcoming me. He advised me that we would be meeting the night before the course for a overview of the course syllabus and then continue on to the place where the training would be held.

I arrived at Santhi's School. Here we were introduced to Santhi's Swedish wife, Ingrid and some of Santhi's students. We were a small group. One American, one Scottish and one Dutch girl. And myself, an Australian.Four students in total.Santhi opened the group with a meditation and then continued to tell us about the course , the daily schedule etc.  The place of the one month teacher training was to be held in accomodation at Varkala beach which was one and a half hours by car north of Trivandrum. 

There was no problem with paying Santhi. Everything was clean and honest and above board. Santhi is to be totally trusted on that level.

So we soon after the talk with Santhi got in a few cars and drove to Varkala.

When we arrived in Varkala, it was night. I felt a little disorientated at first but soon understood that we were in a villa type situation right on the beach. We each chose our rooms. The rooms were clean. With a double bed and clean bathrooms, no hot water though. But not many people have a problem with this. I didn't. The Indian climate can be humid and hot and one does not need hot water.

Santhi told us we had to meet in the Pavillion in the garden  at 6am. The staff at the  villa woke us all up at 5.30am. I arrived at the pavillion (which was an excellent huge space right in the middle of the garden)  and Santi was there waiting for us. We opened each day with a meditation for one hour. Santhi's presence made us feel very calm. He guided us directly into deep meditation and silence. Already on the first day there was a sense of unity betweeen us, the students and Santhi. After mediattion we started asana's. Watching Santhi do asana's was impressive. We were in the presence of a yoga master, there was no doubt. I felt a wave of relief and grace and thanks simultaneously because I had chosen to do this course or it had chosen me...whichever way I was smiling! I thought the asana's were easy and basic (having done many classes) but I knew that this was the first day and I told myself to take it easy. We stopped to eat breakfast.The villa had it's own private chef and they gave us a very generous breakfast. We could hear the fisherman and the waves crashing against the shoreIt was beautiful.There was an abundance of wildlife, birds, squirrels, even mongooses!!  Our first breakfast was an opportunity to get to know the other students better. I felt at ease with the girls and it looked as though we would all be getting on well. Santhi and his staff Kanakan (who also joined the group with us) ate breakfast with us at the same table always.In fact every meal, we ate always together.

After breakfast Santhi started his teachings. We sat and listened and picked up our pens and took notes. Santhi spoke clearly and distinctly. We understood that yoga was not just a practice of perfecting asana's but a whole way of living, a deep and intense self study into the mind body and spirit. One the first day, the dutch girl had a breakdown and started crying. Santhi explained that there might be tears within this month. That certain things we learn would trigger emotional response. We found out that the dutch girl had problems with her mother and something was stirred up inside of her that morning.

We then breaked for lunch and once again we were offered amazing vegetarian cuisine..in fact in the whole month almost every day there was a new dish. It was very rare that the chef would repeat the meals. Breakfast lunch and dinner was always a new feast.

After lunch we would sit for more teachings and then at 5pm we would start asana's until 8.30 and then dinner and bed.

In total the yoga asana's lasted for about five hours a day. At first I thought they were very basic but as time moved on we went into much more difficult and intense asana's. Every day we built on top of what we did the day before. Santhi was very patient with us. We had the opportunity to be ourselves and if we had problems we could express them. If Santhi saw the asana needed correcting , he would correct us into the posture. We learned over 60 asana's within the month, where as most yoga schools teach only about 16 asana's. We had to learn the sanskrit names of each asana which was challenging.

Our 30 days went on as did as  the first day,  a mix between asana's and teachings.

By the second day I realised that I was in the presence of a spiritual master and I could not believe how lucky I was to have an intense month with a small group with such a person.

We covered so much in the month. Kundalini yoga was the most interesting aspect for me. Santhi would spend one day going through each chakra. This is different however from the 'kundalini yoga' that I was expecting to learn. I thought that it might be the same yoga as what was taught by 'yogi bhajan' in America but it was very different. However saying that I have never done Kundalini yoga with a Yogi Bhajan teacher as a teacher training . Although I have done many 'kundalini yoga' classes. In Santhi's kundalini yoga classes we would go in depth into each chakra and learn its elements, its aspects, its healing properties etc. We are learning with Santhi, Kundalini yoga from it's most ancient source. The information that was given to Santhi was given through a lineage of masters and we are learning a very pure form of Kundalini.

We also learned Sanghya yoga and the three guna's. Ashtanga yoga and the eight steps of Pantanjali, Tantric yoga, Bhakti yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana yoga, Raja yoga, Pranayama breathing techniques, Kriyas, Samskaras, Samadhi, Mantra's.The list can go on and on.

Santhi also provided us with an anatomy and physiology university professor to teach us the body. He also included a priest to properly teach us mantra's.

Santhi was available to ask any questions at any times. This yoga course I understood was more a course on personal spiritual discovery more than anything else. Of course saying that,please don't misunderstand me.  It is an excellent certified yoga course too!!. As I learned all the processes I learned so much about myself. Sometimes Santhi would speak and he would use stories that reflected  exactly my own life stories. This happened not only with me but with the others in the group as well. We were deeply touched by his words. Many times there was tears and many times laughter. We all transformed after the course. We all even looked different. Lighter! As if some weight has been taken away from our lives. There was a glow in our eyes. We just slowly slowly in the course peeled off alot of layers, that were holding us back.

As we experienced the teachings within our own selves..we become teachers who experienced information for themselves!  In turn we understood more on how to teach..because no teaching is appropriately taught if the teacher has not yet experineced what she/he is teaching. This is most important in teaching yoga.

We all improved our asana's greatly. By the end of the month I was doing postures that I was unable to do in the first week.

The last day was examination time..The exams were not easy. We however all passed..phew! And receievd our certificates that night. The course was ended by a certain celebration in transformation which I shall not say anything about except that I am a new person after that night and the 30 day course.

This course was the best thing I have ever done in my life. I bow down to Santhi and to all his masters  who have been before him.

With Love

Nirmala

"celebration in transformation"