Conducting Yoga Classes at Pema Thang Guest House, Dharamshala, India

Location: Pema Thang Guest House, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala (city), Himachal Pradesh (state), India

Moving from Upper Bhagsu to McLeod Ganj
I would have stayed up in Upper Bhagsu if not for Manu's heads-up about a possible yoga teaching opportunity at Pema Thang Guest House in McLeod Ganj. I met with the soft spoken manager, Jigme, and we came to terms about me staying at the hotel and teaching yoga in exchange for web promotion and a split of the proceeds. This is wonderful. Not only do I get a roof over my head but I also get to deepen my practice, meet people who attend my class and also put loose change in my pocket. I also welcomed the change in scenery from the tranquility of Upper Bhagsu to the hustle-and-bustle of McLeod Ganj. I took it as my tapas to walk from Upper Bhagsu all the way down to McLeod Ganj with all my 25-kilo luggage!

Pema Thang Guest House
I was given a spacious ensuite room with a view of the Kangra Valley. There was wifi within the hotel surrounding. Filtered water was provided for at reception. With a water kettle, I could make my hot tea in the morning...something I welcome. The hotel was in the heart of the McLeod Ganj, but in the quiet area, just a short walking distance from the residence of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. I was close to the main temple and market. It was a perfect setting. I couldn't be more grateful.

Yoga Shala
The yoga place was more of a multi-purpose hall with lots of chairs to accommodate a small convention. Yoga mats were available but needed to be cleaned. The floor was wooden and windows were ample for cross ventilation and sunshine. There is however, a 91-year old lady living at the lower level so jumping or excessive noise was not allowed (she passed on during my stay there).

Starting from Scratch
Yoga used to be offered at Pema Thang but the former teacher passed-on. It would have been a lot easier if I simply replaced a teacher with a regular following. I had to start from scratch - putting the word out to let people know yoga is offered. Posters for printing were made and I put up a banner on all my websites. Most of my friends who were interested were too far out into Upper Bhagsu. The first day, no one showed up.

Participants
My 2nd day class was attended to by an Indian couple in their late 30s who have never done yoga before. They were stiff and a little out of shape. But I was glad to see them try something new while on holidays. It was a good validation to see them back the following day with their teenage daughter with them. I could feel their enthusiasm as they recorded the entire class.

Most of the participants were in-house guests of the hotel except for 2 Italians who saw the poster and dropped-in. They wanted to attend more classes, but expectedly as travelers, they were there only for a few days.

the Bandhari family - a family who does yoga together, stays together

Theoreticals and Foundation
As first timers,beginners and even those with experience, I found it more important to get them grounded on the theoreticals first - because studios don't usually touch on them. What is yoga? Why do yoga? What are the benefits? This was followed by basic foundations into the practice - taking the asanas all the way to their safety edge, synchronizing breath with motion, mindfulness in the poses, observing body sensation with a calm and equanimous mind, and putting the intention. I took them to basic asanas while applying all the elements at the same time. In short, I take the trouble to debunk the myth for newbies that yoga is not what they see in Instagram poses.

Ideally, I would like to have a morning class for beginners/first timers and an afternoon class for intermediate/advanced practioners. This should make everybody happy - including me.

with Bob, Yoana and Sandra

Inspiration
On top of all the theoreticals and foundational elements, I had to inspire them to make them want to continue the practice even after leaving Dharamshala and back to their normal lives. At the risk of showing-off, I gave them my age and the unusual things I can do. I demonstrated a 2-knuckle one hand handstand underscoring strength and vitality. I stressed upon them that continued practice of yoga, pranayama and meditation, replaces medication, replaces visits to the doctor and replaces hospital bills. They won't get sick and they won't get old - my body was my own compelling example.

with Abha Singhvi who attended my last class before my departure

Ending Thoughts
I found it odd and interesting for a Filipino like me to go to India and teach yoga to Indian nationals. It felt like teaching an Italian how to cook pasta. But as a yoga teacher at Pema Thang Guest House where guests are mostly Indians, that's how it happened.

I do hope that the yoga classes I conducted served as seed for their continuing practice. Health is wealth. With yoga, sickness is a thing of the past, ageing slows down to an turtle's pace and vitality is restored. As my yogini idol, Andrea Paige says, "the new paradigm is not about being healthy because you are not sick but being healthy because you have vitality and energy back into your life."

--- TheLoneRider
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

ps - If you want me to participate and write about your yoga studio or your yoga practice, email me. For my complete yoga profile, you can visit this page: YOGA by Gigit

Next stop: In Search of a Tibetan Yantra Yoga Teacher

Dharamshala Map

Dharamshala (city), India

hotel

• Pema Thang Guest House & Restaurant - central McLeod Ganj location, quiet area, Kangra Valley view, near Tsuklakhang (main temple) and market
  Dharamshala, HP 176057 INDIA

---

»» next story: In Search of a Tibetan Yantra Yoga Teacher
»» back to Yoga
»» back to Homepage

ARCHIVE: 2024 | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR

1970 | 1973 | 1975 | 1976 | 1979 | 1981 | 1996 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ALL BLOGS