Each morning our yoga instructor, Martha, offered an optional early morning yoga 6:45 to 7:15 am. It was a nice way to start the day. She made it clear that she wanted people there 5 minutes ahead of time in order to ensure we were able to practice for a full half hour. Of course there were late comers who made lots of noise and people that were confused and didn’t understand the start time. Martha set them straight in a firm, yet loving tone and no one was late in the following days…or if they were, they were very quiet.
After early morning yoga, breakfast was available in the dining hall. All meals were buffet style. Breakfast always had eggs, some sort of meat (bacon, sausage or kelpasa)and grits (which were tasteless).
Our yoga class was held in a separate building from the conference center about a block away, down a steep driveway with lots of leaves. With the continued rain, it made the steep driveway pretty slippery, fortunately no one fell!
The set up of the first class was to introduce different types of yoga as well as defining yoga. Yoga means:
- To link or unite: this is the literal translation of the Sanskrit word yoga which means "to yoke," "to join," or "to unite." In practice this refers to the union of the individual self (the physical body and mind) with the universal, or the joining of the mind, body, and spirit. It seeks wholeness and integration.
- The stilling of the fluctuations of the mind: this is the classic, foundational definition from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Sutra 1.2). In practice this refers to the physical poses (Asana) and breathing techniques (Pranayama) are tools used to calm the mental chatter and emotional noise (vrittis) so that one can experience the underlying, peaceful, true Self.
- A time of self awareness and discernment: this is a modern and highly relevant interpretation of the purpose of practice.In Practice this refers to observing the body and mind in postures, breathing, and meditation, you gain self-awareness (a deeper understanding of yourself). This leads to discernment (viveka), which is the ability to distinguish between what is permanent, real, and helpful versus what is fleeting, illusory, and harmful.
Martha focused on how to set up a yoga environment. She flourished our room with calendars, ornaments, scents, and instruments to make gentle noises. It was very relaxing.
Our morning consisted of and overview of the Yamas or the five ethical practices or restraints [with communities]
- Ahimsa - non violence to self and others
- Satya - truthfulness, living according to your own truth
- Asteya- non-stealing, taking responsibility
- Brahmacharya-Moderation, observing sacredness in all things
- Aparigraha-non-hoarding, refrain from greed, non-grasping
We then moved on to the Niyamas - the five self observances [inward]
- Saucha - This includes purity of body, mind, and speech: cleanliness, internal and external
- Santosha - Cultivating acceptance and peace with what you have: contentment, non complacency (gratitude journal)
- Tapas - This is about self-discipline, burning away impurities, and focused effort: zeal, austerity, disciplined practice, planned follow through, heat
- Svadhyaya - The study of sacred texts and self-reflection/introspection: self study, the study of spiritual texts to promote understanding. Reflect together, the materials “What is spirituality?
- Ishvara Pranidhana - In essence it is about shifting your focus from "I and mine" to a greater, interconnected reality, finding deep peace by accepting that you are a part of something vast and being guided by that unwavering trust: devotion to a higher power, recognizing the divine in ourselves: intentionality, rethinking, your cultural lens
Each of the evenings at Montreat had some sort of organized activity. After this first full day of classes they treated us to the music of Sourwood Ridge, three string band veterans that perform traditional mountain music. I thought the music was pretty good.
When I was reading information about Montreat it clearly said that no alcohol was available onsite so I was quite surprised when after the Sourwood Ridge band was done, they served wine and cheese. It was a lovely surprise and I joined two women from my class that drove from Pittsburgh. They were very fun to talk to and learn about their background.
But 6:45 am yoga would come early so it was bed time at 9 pm.