Day 4 at Isha Yoga

Its Day 4 today and I am pretty much getting used to this 5 AM wakening. Honestly, I am starting to enjoy the early start.

Today, the trainer took us through the regular routine of all the prelim exercises. After this, we were trained on certain activities that need to be done during Shambavi. I am not going to give in details of this portion too because I feel that it should be done only under the guidance of a Guru. It was a good experience in understanding how these things work and how to sustain them.

Post to this, we again had a long session of lectures from the trainer and Sadguru. Today, the trainer was also speaking on Rudrakshas. I was pretty much drawn to this subject owing to the basic fasination I have towards anything spiritual. Just to give you a brief on this topic; Rudraksha is the seed of a tree type predominantly found in the foot hills of Himalayas and in Nepal. There are different types of Rudrakshas, based on the number of lines it has on its surface (Mukas or face). It ranges from one face to 21 faces with the 5 face Panchamukhi being the most common one. Each type of Rudraksha seems to have a unique benefit associated with it. The size of the Rudraksha also varies and the smaller the sizer, costlier it is to buy. We were told that Rudrakshas are very brittle in nature and in order to harden them, one needs to keep them immersed in Ghee for 24 hours followed by milk for another 24 hours. After a little pondering, I decided that I should buy a Panchamuki Mala for me to wear.

We were earlier told that Day 5 is The Day in this training program where in every participant receives "Diksha" from the Guru for Shambavi Maha Mudra. Day 5 being a Sunday would be a full day program starting at 6 AM. We were asked to assemble at the Besant Nagar beach at sharp six in order to start off day 5. We were also informed that we can bring in friends and relatives in the morning and they can be a part of it.

So, I am signing off now with all anticipation for Day 5. It looks like it would be a fun day with a lot of learning.