ME, MYSELF AND I

I was twenty one years of age and my internal environment just didn’t feel right. I had been an ill child who suffered from epilepsy, asthma, and had a low immune system which resulted in constant flu’s and colds. I was a spiritual seeker who tried numerous things good and not so good, to try to find the truth, self and God realisation. I did what a “normal” girl of twenty one does, and went to pubs and clubs in Essex and London. I used to question : “will my body always feel this awful, with low energy levels, will my mind always race and bother me with unbeneficial thought waves”?

I started Yoga when I returned from my travels.  My friend decided we should go to yoga to “chill out” from being commuters in the city of London, she laughed a lot at the postures and the effects from them. I did too, but found that my mind and body began to experience wonderful reactions to yogic asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing) so I continued alone and in classes and courses.

I moved to Cornwall to study and get away from a hectic lifestyle, which resulted in an enlarged liver. I started Ashtanga yoga with an excellent teacher who trained at a well established centre in Lanzarote, this form of yoga was Iyenger or power yoga and had a marvelous effect on my exterior body, it toned my internal environment and my liver became healthier, but alas did not equip me spiritually.  I then planned for my journey to where Yoga originated, the land of sages and mystics, India.

At 28 I was a typical student with low funds so I chose the establishment which had the lowest fares and the highest quality training. I knew that when I left my father at the airport with the look of horror on my face that the next seven months would be the toughest of my entire life. The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, (Bombay to the British) requires 210 days attendance.  As a foreigner one has to live in the ashram and participate in all aspects of yoga.  The first aspect was karma yoga which required me to pick up leaves and clean toilets, at the time of being an egotistical individual I refused and said that I had come to learn yoga not pick up leaves.  I later learned that one has to surrender the ego to sincerely practice yoga and become a good teacher. Kriya yoga (The Yoga of Hygiene) also benefited my state of health and has helped strengthen my immune system.

We were allowed out of the ashram once a week, were not allowed to watch TV or read newspapers and lived the yoga way of life constantly by discipline, rules and values (see background).  I can certainly say that I got what I had been looking for throughout my life, not only cures for my childhood and current illnesses, and a certification from the International Board of Yoga to teach, but something that is all of our birthright - Peace.

Thank you to all my students who had the discipline to come to every class to help in their health and well being.  I think one of the most wonderful times was when a client of mine told me her on going health condition of glandular fever had improved since doing yoga, another moment that makes you realise life really can be beautiful was when I taught a free class in Harlow and over one hundred people turned up.  When we all sat in Sukhasan (see asana's) there was an overwhelming vibration of peace. I am so pleased that there are people out there who are in search of their birthright of inner peace through Yoga practice.

May I also thank my parents for all their help and support and to my dad for making me a stage so that I can see all my students at the back, no matter how much stretching I do I still am only four foot eleven!

Love and light

Clare 

Posted by Maria McGhie on 24 September 2002