Word of the week: fast-paced
It’s hard to describe this week for two reasons:
1. I don’t have much time to write this blog post because it’s my last seva day at the Krishna Village and I have several things I need to finish off before heading back to “reality”.
2. This week has been so fast-paced everything feels a bit blurry.
It might feel like this because I am very aware it’s my last week as a YTT here at the Krishna Village so I am really trying to savour everything, whether it’s the amazing conversations over dinner, the sound of guitars playing in the garden, the smell of the flowers at the temple or the stunning view of the mountains surrounding the Village.
An extra layer of nerves …
This week we had our philosophy assessment where our names got drawn from a hat at random and we had to explain one aspect of the yoga sutras in front of an audience. We performed this assessment at a 1pm class, which meant that the rest of the Village was welcome to attend if they wanted to. This created an extra layer of nerves for many of us YTTs, however the volunteers, karma yogis and retreat guests were very supportive and lovingly cheered for all of us.
… and a breath of fresh air
While the philosophy assessment was hanging over our shoulders like a sack of potatoes this week, Krishna Village’s business consultant Polly McGee was a breath of fresh air lifting our moods like rainbows and fairy floss. She was so energetic, inspiring and positive I had a hard time relaxing during yoga nidra. I just could not help myself from thinking about all the new business ideas that spurred in my head from her ‘business in yoga’ sessions. To kick off her sessions, we all had to tell the group what our professional dreams were, which was an awesome exercise in itself, as many of us hadn’t told each other this before. Many had not spoken to anyone about their hopes and desires for the future, so it was a humbling and inspiring session where we got to know each other even better. It was cool to hear each others’ ideas and goals, and many synergies seemed to appear as we talked.
Ideas, goals and synergies
I really have to say my co-students keep impressing me: not only are they hands down beautiful and kind souls, they are also extremely talented in different ways. Artistic, creative, brave, generous, loving and passionate. I feel beyond blessed to have met these unique individuals. We all agree that we have become each others’ teachers – we have learnt so much from each other over the course of these six weeks!
A famous saying goes: “You are the average of the five people you spend most time with”. If I’m anywhere close to being the average of my 11 co-students they’ve made me the proudest little Norwegian on Earth!!
Flowers, laughter, tears and hugs
It’s been an emotional ride this week (the story of our lives here at the Village) from nerves during our assessment, to excitement post Polly’s yoga business sessions, to pure relaxation during our Thai massage session to tears and laughter in our gratitude circle on our very last day of the yoga teacher training. The gratitude circle, which was a celebration for us graduating as yoga teachers, was one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve ever had. We were sitting in a circle sharing what we were grateful for, while chanting in-between. It was flowers, laughter, tears, and hugs everywhere. The energy in the room was so filled with love you could literally feel it. And that’s the special thing with the Krishna Village: the place is simply filled with love, support and compassion.
That night, after my great friend James Bird gave an intimate, acoustic concert around the campfire for us at the Krishna Village pizza night, I looked up at the stars just outside my bedroom to soak in the stunning view one last time. The stars shine so bright here… There are no city lights competing for attention, there’s only the stars. I closed my eyes to listen to the silence, the singing from the frogs and cicadas, some quiet chatting and laughing from my roommates. “May I never forget this sound and the fact that it’s the simple things in life that count” I whispered to myself and walked into my dorm one last time…
