Yoga Illumined Certification and Beyond
The journey of Yoga is extraordinary. My eternal gratitude to the lotus feet of all the Masters and especially Guruji, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, Ramamurti S. Mishra, M.D. Ma Bhaskarananda, a beloved teacher from Ananda Ashram said that the mind was like an infinite set of drawers: you open one drawer and there is another one inside of it. And her eyes would twinkle as she encouraged us to open the drawers as the answer to the mystery of our own psyches and beyond are within.
Do not seek illumination unless you seek it like a man whose hair is on fire seeks a pond. - Sri Ramakrishna
This was one of the first quotes that got me on the path of illumination. Yoga Illumined was always something I understood as a series of teachings. The fact that the world needs certifications for everything, has always been absolutely secondary to the actual yoga - which is a path of liberation and ultimately, transcendence.
There is something so delightfully mind-blowing about the practices and teachings of yoga because they are calculated to awaken and ultimately liberate, no matter one’s own initial sankalpa or intention for practicing. Most come to any spiritual practice from a place of suffering and wishing to transcend the world of difficulty and maya: delusion.
In my own exploration as a teacher of yoga, yoga studio owner, yoga practitioner and ultimately simply a being who wishes for ultimate liberation from maya, I have come to enjoy sharing the practices of yoga with others as more of an exploration, while allowing others to utilize the practices to experiment on themselves, their own psyches, minds and bodies. Community is an important aspect of what we build in Yoga Illumined: community based on boundaries and respect.
In this way, I have always crafted Yoga Illumined trainings and certifications as a path to allow for the individual to find their own way,
Studies in classical western philosophies helped me to understand that the “knight” ultimately moves away from the herd of knights on his or her own quest for the Holy Grail of ultimate oneness and peace. Yoga Illumined simply points the way. Yet doesn’t negate the fact that there are many other pointers along the way. Holy beings are everywhere. Yoga is not the only wisdom tradition and all mystical paths eventually converge no matter which language or culture represents it.
Yoga Illumined e-books, special thanks to Claire Warren for editing and design
What has happened to my own psyche, mind, body and spirit through the practices of yoga is something like putting iron into the fire and melting away hardness so that I may hear the songs written by the Universe within me.
And although the above may sound poetic and beautiful, putting an iron into the fire is not always easy and I have had many a dark night of the soul, despair and even good ol’ Post-traumatic stress disorder in this lifetime and throughout this practice. The innocent say things like, “oh you, who practices so much, yogini suffered from PTSD?” To which I say, “yes, and I got it from spending too much time with so-called yogis.” And then I laugh. Because the practices of yoga are only meant to poke holes into our own maya. For me, even the worldly yoga had to drop and all of the players in it.
I took a break from teaching yoga for a few years as the world and I needed the isolation and solitude that COVID provided. It was wonderful for me to face my own disillusionment in the quietude and inward pull that only a global pandemic or disaster can impose on the entire human population. We are not the only species on this planet but the collective ego of humans and destructive behaviors can certainly wreak havoc.
Always on the other side of all of the maya is leela, a divine play and the yoga prevails. There is such a humility and even a sense of glorious defeat that I have gained from these practices. This defeat has nothing to do with losing, but more a surrender to the shakti, this incredible power that resides within all of us. The work of yoga is to put the ego and the mind in their respective places, not at all front and center again and again. In other words, the yoga practices work not because I believe in them or due to blind faith but because I have put myself into the experiment of yoga and come out over and over again having gained more than I can ever imagine.
From decades of practice, reflection, work with my own trusted circle of wise beings and therapists, I offer the next evolution of Yoga Illumined: YI2.yoga. Those who practice and study yoga with me can take any of the series to earn a 200 Hour certification as a yoga teacher. The series will be segmented between 1. yoga self-study and 2. teaching practicum. These are very different and necessary aspects of learning how to share yoga effectively with others and in healthy supportive communities and environments.
1. Yoga Illumined - Awakening Series
This series provides the foundation for a lifetime of yoga practice and a basis for teaching others yoga.
2. Yoga Illumined - Abundance Series
A careful and responsible exploration of the material and financial aspects of a modern day spiritual practice of yoga, this series steeps the practitioner into mystical and subtle practices that are not commonly found in public yoga classes.
3. Yoga Illumined - Transcendence Series
This series is for those who have a daily practice of meditation and yoga. We will focus on leading Individual and group classes in meditation, mantra and transformation. To transcend the mind while engaged with the world and daily life is a powerful practice. This series will be open to those who have completed the Awakening and Abundance series.
Stay tuned as I release more and more of the series. You can find more information in classes, scheduling and purchase sections of YogaIllumined.com - link: Purchase classes — Sumukhi Devi.
In gratitude and with great love,
Sumukhi Devi