Rancho Margot - Yoga Teacher Training(YTT)

Yoga Teacher Training @ Rancho Margot, Costa Rica

"I learned so much during my 4 weeks at Rancho Margot.  I learned about asana, breath, my complicated relationship to meditation, sutras, yamas, niyamas, I learned about all of you and I learned so, so much about myself.  I thought I had myself all figured out - but no one ever does.  

The idea that as sure of ourselves as we are we can only root down so far because we need to be able to bend - not break - when the wind changes.  I had known myself so well as an unshakeable, strong, independent woman and then I opened myself up to being seen and loved.  Then I found myself crippled and sad and helpless.  I think my old self would have hated that version of me - if I ever even let myself get to that place.  But I don't.  I'm trying to hold these feelings with compassion.  Knowing that I can and will feel like this again and it's okay.  I will eventually come to know some other version of myself that is completely seen and unconditionally loved by someone else and I will love all of the versions of myself I meet along the way on that journey." Danielle, December 2012

Ivannia and her yoga teacher training reminded me that the universe has its own timing to deliver our dreams….she had wanted to do her teacher training a year ago, and events unfolded such that she decided an important aspect of her life needed her time,  this was the weekend the training was due to start…

I was impressed with her "deep dive" into her soul and for the following five months, she read all the recommended readings for the training…

and so the story continued, the next teacher training was with me, and and sure enough her commitments needed her attention, and once again she surrendered that this was not the right time…

Mario, ivannia and irum

Then one day just like that, first Mario asked me to be his teacher, and the same afternoon I mentioned to Ivannia, if this is time for her as well; she had already said to me one day "Irum, I know that I want you to be my teacher"…and it happened…

Ivannia and Mario came into the YTT, centered and ready to flow…for three weeks we laughed, and did yoga and more yoga, we were all sore in our bodies but there was no stopping us…I learned and I shared, and the light shone on all.  Revelations, and sharing continued… then the day when they taught their first session, my faith was sealed.

"The YTT in Rancho Margot allowed me to be fully immersed not only into the wildness of the rain forest but also into the deepness of myself. Starting the day with a silent meditation guided me to the real meaning of Yoga. This awareness made me realize that yoga sessions can be the opportunity to share and guide souls, minds and bodies to join and find the path for their purpose in life through surrender and awareness.

The Yoga Philosophy sessions were so pleasant that it was like having “tea time” with your best friends sharing about your journey. It was during one of these sessions that I had my “click moment” when I recalled when Santiago in the book“The Alchemist” found his treasure, the one that he had very close to him but he wasn’t able to see. Fifteen years later, I found mine. It had always been there.

I will always be thankful to Irum for introducing me the wonderful practice of meditation and for sharing her Light and knowledge with me.

Rancho Margot will always be the blessed land that allowed me to find my treasure.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti"…Ivannia Esquivel    

Ivannia, Brianna, Mario and irum

"Looking back on my teacher training at Rancho Margot with Irum, I will always remember the wealth of knowledge, intellectual and experiential that I took from those 5 weeks. The environment, the energy, the food, the people, the understandings I grasped from that journey will stay with me for a lifetime. I see that Yoga Teacher Training as a base for living with awareness. I can now take what I learnt, and intergrate it into my daily life, and live a yogic path. I can share my practice with others as well. Being able to volunteer and teach at the Ranch was a very worthwile experience as well, which gave me confidence to know that I too, can share my practice and provide a great yogic experience to others.  

Moving inwards and working with the Chakras an awakening experience that brought me into a new magical world inwards that changed my preceptions and the events that occured outwards.
I am thankful for the patience Irum had with me and grateful for her abundent generosity." Brianna Fitzpatrick

Jennifer and irum

irum, Jennifer, Paula and Sandy

Fran, Rosalie, irum, Sharon, Mary, Debbie and Katherine

Pond Deck at Rancho Margot

it all started about 4 months ago...

Sitting in the library at the ranch I decided to read my Oracle cards, I am not sure why... I was just sitting and meditating and some unresolved question raised a doubt so I looked around, to support this quest in myself, to seek an answer i opened a card from the Mayan Oracle Reading Book.   

Number 7 - "open your lotus to the world" and "you are the gift"...WOW!!! some of you know my relationship with the lotus flower, so I wanted to read more, and this next phrase jumped out to me " catalyze the mystical power of the 7 chakras to divine illumination"...This was enough to lead me deeper into the exploration, hence began another set of selecting and reading seven cards for the chakras..."something unexpected is coming, that may dramatically change the course of life, fate is touching to move through identification with self to open consciousness", this was the chakra one reading, where our security, our nurturing and the feeling of being grounded resides.  By the time I was on the fifth chakra, I was holding my head in my hand, the stuff that I was reading, was so powerful, that I actually felt the earth move, I just decided to let it rest...

Since that day, life just began to unfold in ways that were closely aligned with what the cards were speaking to me..."notice the metaphors of daily life"... "be aware of where you are drawn, for there you will find unique opportunities"..."the unbridled bird knows freedom by soaring on the updraft"..."be as spontaneous as the wind"..."move with the current of change"..."presence is simple, like being caught in the moment by the beauty of nature"..."expect to be sparked by the memory of a long felt dream"... "life is a grand adventure, each lesson is an opportunity to grow"...

One such event was the arrival of a big yoga group to the ranch.  The week that this group was there, I was teaching and leading the morning sessions, including the 6 am meditation.  Many of the retreat participants joined me in the session.  I did not realize then that the few hours spent with two of them, Fran and Rosalie,  would catalyze me to where I am right now, sitting, in a beautiful room, in the home of Rosalie Grazzini, as I write....I arrived here two weeks ago, and immersed myself with six other yoginis in yoga teaching and learning....

Fran who received me at the airport, took me to her retreat and I walked into a pathway strewn with rose petals, I had no words left...

Debbie Norris, of The Mindfulness Center, where we have spent many long hours, her own spirit and presence both light and strong, as we learn together she brings so much of her own knowledge, wisdom and experience into the teachings. 

Rosalie and her beautiful family, have welcomed me into their home and life, like we have known each other for a lifetime.  To do justice to this experience, I will write the Grazzini family experience separately... 

The three days that were spent at the retreat have been very powerful.  So much of "unmasking" has happened, which allows us to move deeper into our practice.  Fran opened her beautiful retreat to us, and this morning concluded our stay, by sharing how this was her "Field of Dreams", she had built this space, and we came, as the manifestation of her dream.

What I would like to share with you is the letter read by Fran Cohen on Friday, as Rosalie, Debbie, Mary, Sharon Kathryn and I, sat in her beautiful retreat, log cabin, yoga space in the Moyaone reserve, we were spending the days immersed in the forest, receiving the openness of nature to deepen our yoga and the journey within.

May 7, 2011

My dear fellow Yoginis,

I am writing to express how much your presence here, in this space means to me. When I was at Rancho Margot in February of this year, I came from a yoga class that was held on a platform overlooking a pond at the foot of the mountain which shelters the ranch on its eastern side. While the class had begun with the sun, it was interrupted by a magnificent misty rain (not surprising since the Ranch is located in The National Children’s Rainforest.) Some people left, but others continued and witnessed a swarming of “blackbirds” swooping and diving into the pond, as though they had choreographed a dance to entertain this audience.

I left the class and returned to the bar area and the music that was playing was Carly Simon’s, “Blackbird”. The words to the refrain are:

Blackbird singing in the dead of night 

Take these broken wings and learn 

To fly, all your life you were only 

Waiting for this moment to arise. 

Every chakra in my body responded and at the moment, I didn’t even understand what a chakra was! And who should arrive at that very moment, to absorb this message with me? Irum. Irum, of Life is and I am! Irum, our teacher!

So, too, I have been waiting for all of you to “arise” and join me in this moment.

But the moment that I celebrate with you today had another beginning. Seven years ago (yes seven) our dear friend Linda Weiner passed away. We had been visiting Linda at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Linda with her extraordinary enthusiasm and optimism said to me, “Fran, you know what I am putting at the top of my To Do list when I get out of here? Meditation!” Linda would die two days later. Neither of us could have known and neither of us would have accepted that would be our last time seeing each other. When we left the hospital, I returned to the cabin and put my energy into clearing the forest and it was at that moment that I saw the magnificent potential for what is today the, Life is and I am yoga studio.

So I dedicate this sacred time and space to Linda and I thank her for planting the seed of inspiration in me as her parting gift. I dedicate the purpose of this space for healing through acts of love and kindness.
Together, while you are here, we will walk in silence to the “Grandmother Tree”, where I will read these words of Linda and of all the ancestors that each of us holds in our hearts.

Seek me on the wind Beloveds, and see me in the 

Sunrise and sunset, touch me in all whom you meet. 

Dance the fire with me, because we are the flame 

Of hope and the promise of fulfillment! 

You are…..the I AM” 

Pa’Ris’Ha’
Wisdom Path Teacher/Cherokee/Caucasian

Namaste

After the yoga in Wien - Jan 2009

comments from the amazing attendees:

"The year 2009 has begann very good because of you. It was a great chance to meet you and making yoga and sharing energie with you. I hope we could stay in contact and can making again yoga somewhere in this beautiful word.

What was very speciall in your yoga: first of all was the melodiy of your voice. It is unbelivably calming. and the positiv approach made me very happy. Specially when you said " thats your body, you have to love it" is great. Sentence like "there is no way to go , no one to be" ist extremly relaxing.
Thank you for being here and give us this wounderful possibility" .
Zohreh Pahlavani"

....."thank you very much for that opportunity to be a few hours with you and do Yoga in that soft way. I had each time very good feeling during and after the sessions. on last Monday I had very deep head ache and the breathing method you learned me was a very good help to manage the situation".......Mehrzad

"You are our guru and we all are very thankfull to meet you. You have make us another people. When I go home, I´m really different person, I can sleep now and I wake up every day full energy and without any pain and ... . I´m looking forword very happy to have a breakfast and to do something usefull for me and for a job, what wasn´t the case before. I´m very happy to meet you all to have a yoga!".......Anja

"Although I was not able to do any yoga it was really interesting to watch your exercises. Even more interesting was to observe (your word!) how yoga changes you, how one becomes a totally different person, how your face becomes spiritual beauty from inside and how your whole self becomes really gracious and harmonious, like a piece of art.
Your exercises seem so easy and effortless and you have an especially good way of transferring this ease, calmness and inner harmony onto others. It was a really interesting experience for me – thanks a lot.".......Almaz

"Dear Irum,
thank you so much for your lessons, if you would do this regularly in Vienna, I would come running :-)
It was a big surprise how good I felt and - for me - after years a comeback to meditation
as well - and I will continue at least to give myself more space for that (promised myself)
Staying together after was amazing. After such a relax obviousely one is talking about
things one wouldt not do."........Lisi