Graduation is Upon Us...
By John Dunbar 15 September 2008 06:33:00
"Better than any ritual is the worship achieved through wisdom; wisdom is the final goal of every action." Bhagavad Gita
Graduation is upon us...
Every time I participate in a graduation the graduation scene from Clockwork Orange comes to mind - the one where Alex is graduating from his rehabilitation program with Elgar's ‘Pomp and Circumstance' playing as he proudly struts his stuff...
It wasn't exactly the same scene here at Anantara Golden Triangle when the yoga teacher training students walked up to receive their diplomas from the general manager, Mark Heather. There were four new teachers in the group of six and two former teachers that were moving up to Level II. Everyone had worked so hard to complete the course. They all maintain their full-time jobs during the program so their days can be long, some as long as 12 hours.
The highlight of the afternoon was the Om chocolate cake. The diplomas immediately took a distant second when the cake was ceremoniously brought in. We couldn't take our eyes off of it. When it was time to cut the chocolate masterpiece, all of us held the knife together, and cut the cake, like newlyweds beginning their life together. In many ways we were doing just that because, as I said in my short speech to all of them, I would always be their yoga teacher!
I am very proud of the new teachers not only for the hard work they put into the program but for taking on something that really is relatively foreign to them. Even though yoga in Bangkok is booming, it is still relatively unknown here in the North. Anantara is the only resort in this area offering yoga to its guests. I encourage the teachers to try and teach some classes to their families or even go back to their old elementary school and volunteer to do a class once a week, just to try and get the idea of it flowing in young minds.
I will leave Anantara, Golden Triangle with the same sadness I experience when leaving an Ashram after a special time of shared yoga with new friends. The staff here are all very friendly and kind. I will miss them all and look forward to returning to check on the teachers in the winter. My next destination is Japan for a gathering of yoga gurus from various parts of the globe. But it's not all for yoga; I will also be attempting to climb Mount Fuji, a life long dream of mine. So stay tuned and perhaps soon I will post a photo of me on top of the mount of the Rising Sun. However if I don't make it to the top, we will speak nothing more on the subject!!!
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