Upon my arrival to Asvattha as a teacher I felt immediately change the balance, my presence brought new energy and new demands by, above all, Women who attend the center, but not only; Also, practitioners immediately accepted my mode of conduct and have found the perfect complement to the proposed mode of Alberto.
although, In fact, the formation is the same, same teachers, same practice, in fact we both entered the practice in our lives and we declined according to our ways of being. First a man and a woman and their bodies. It could not be otherwise.
I speak from my point of view, and be "woman" is not granted, above all in this moment of history: It requires a good dose of awareness, self and comparison but, especially, acceptance. Acceptance of those qualities that culture and society continue to try to deny and repress with violence, and I speak not only of physical violence.
The yoga I've learned comes from a male tradition, obviously, as in most of the oldest traditions; I was aired mainly by a man, even if it is in "raids", on those occasions when "women" close to our tradition of practice led lessons, I found myself. Finally, of the indications that I could understand intuitively!
It's not about making comparisons, to think that women teach good for women and men to men, We must divide and normalize kinds, no: it comes to integrating mode and feel the internal resonance. In many cases, the keys came from a female voice, in many others from the male. It has always been the combination that I found a winner, without which I could not feed "my" inside combination, male and female.
The same thing they say students and students who can practice it with me than with Alberto: It is the mix to be powerful.
And so, by dint of saying, I began to think for a Asvattha Path of Yoga dedicated to women, He affiancasse traditional lessons. A path, he had a thread but, especially, many branches in many directions, with a common denominator: It is realized by women for women, with the women. This because, if it is true that the integration is to be successful, at this time women need and want to think about them, the identity of this female and its nuances, of his strength.
To this as the path symbol that is taking shape I chose Durga.
The myths of Durga are, obviously, many but it is often described as the one created by the confluence of energies of the major male gods, who invoke and arm themselves to fight a great evil that they are not able to defeat. This is how the warrior goddess of many forms defeats the powerful demon, armed to the teeth but with the benevolent gaze, while riding her lion / tiger, Sola. One of the names is the goddess, In fact, the self-sufficient, the inaccessible.
"She, of which even the being immense and the other gods can understand the form, It is called the Unknowable. She, of which it can not be found the limit, It is called the Unlimited. She, that is present in every place, It is called the One. She is the transcendental consciousness in all knowledge. It is the vacuum in all the voids. She, beyond that which is far beyond, It is called the Inaccessible (Durga)”
Devi Upanishad 26-28 in 'Myths and Gods of India', Daniel Daniélou
To start this process I, first thing, sought help for women who for years, for various reasons, They are put on this journey of self. Just my perception of inadequacy and need for challenge led me to seek partnerships to build new meanings, starting from the experiences of each, in your field and the hard way.
So I started proposing to Asvattha practitioners to devote one lesson a week, Monday, to a group of women: create the context for the experiences can move and grow and where each group can give its support and expertise and in which I will take what I have learned, that my yoga practice. I wish that the energy of the group combined with the desire to share, experiment and grow both then transported in other events and meetings proposed.
The first of which involves Laura Voltolina, friend and practitioner for many years, that will help us to explore the cyclical nature of our nature for Women, with a run of original encounters it has pursued for several years: La Luna nel Pozzo. It is 4 meetings concerning the 4 lunar phases and the corresponding phases of the menstrual cycle. The agreed dates of the route are all Sundays: 22 October, 26 November, 21 January and 18 February.
In addition to these 4 I asked Laura encounters the collaboration of "raids" to the way Monday to keep alive the thread of his practice in weekly lessons that we focus.
For the afternoon Saturday 2 December, Instead, we host Stefania Reins, woman in yoga for many years that will tell us about his experience, What has changed and how, and give us some suggestions on the size of the female in practice following several years, the tradition Saivite non-dual of Kasmir under the guidance of Éric Baret.
Then we will have the opportunity to listen to the contributions for the new year Laura Liberal, philosopher and specialized studies in Indology, that will help us unravel the mythological and symbolic level with a theoretical and philosophical enrichment, centering the discussion on the topic of the Goddess, that will be an opportunity for a reading of our contemporary.
I find that these meetings “theoretical” should also be open to men, not only as a matter of interest in the topic, but also just as an occasion for common reflection.
There will also be contributions which last year gave a first taste of the trail yet in nuce and which you are now defining: those of Salonga with the awareness insights on the perineum according to the method "Perineum, Movement and Integration ", and those of Carla Nataloni with Yoga Hormone, practice of yoga designed for women, targeted in particular to work the endocrine system to unlock and soothe some related problems, just, to the complex nature of the feminine.
The route "The Durga Yoga" is constantly growing and will be enriched by what we Parera on the road and meet our needs and desires.
There remains a path of Yoga, but also it wants to be a seed of reflection "political", a mode of expression of a need, Also just like inadequate response of meanings that today's society expresses the female and its forms.
Durga The same tradition is celebrated in its many forms during the Durga Puja, also called Navaratri, literally "nine nights": The festivities begin with the arrival of the new moon of the lunar month Ashwin (September October) and continue for nine days when you worship the nine forms of Durga, "It who is difficult to win", ranging from the austere and ascetic wisdom, benevolence, maternity and fidelity to the most fierce forms and guerriere designed to defend and to destroy.
in conclusion, a woman for how each of us can recognize.
I take this opportunity with this post to thank all yoga women I had the good fortune to meet in years, on all Sujati Lella Cattaneo who welcomed me to Oltrecielo giving me confidence and it continues to show strongly believe this to be a woman in yoga, one of the first in Pavia. In the heart Sarah Giarmoleo, my first teacher, who knew how to bring the size of the woman in our very intense practice, the same Jennifer Leroy with his smile and his ability to play, He knows more and make it read the practical seminar, even when very intense. Stefania reins and Marilia Albanian for the immense admiration. All women students of Swamiji I was fortunate to know over the years since I have been on the path of Yoga, one about Ruth Huber from my beloved Lisbon.
Special mention to my mother: if you are in this world Woman, At bottom, it is above all about you.
Manuela
➥ See also The Durga Yoga is one year old!
Tales of Mother Goddess – Amar Chitra Katha
