January 29 – February 5, 2022
by Maria Sevostianova
I’d like to share my impressions about Kumar Kumari course held in Dzamling Gar in early February under the guidance of Laura Evangelisti.
I am quite new to the Yantra Yoga teachings, though being a Chinese medicine practitioner, I’ve been applying yoga therapy principles and designing practices for my patients following Shri Krishnamacarya tradition.
In this tradition, when we work with children, we never teach any breathing techniques – the practice is built mostly around vinyasas (sequences), and also sometimes we can use a personal mantra with visualization ( mostly to help a young student to overcome some psychological impediments.)
So I was fascinated to learn how a great Dzogchen Master of our times, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, has incorporated a seed mantra of the Six Spaces of Samantabhadra into the sequences for children through breathing.
Actually, ten sacred syllables – Om A Hum, Ham, A À’ Ha Sha Sa Ma – are interwoven into the breathing pattern of the Kumar Kumari practice. Both into the inhalation and exhalation, which are done both through nose and mouth. It’s all absolutely incredible!! Every element is revolutionary and should be mastered with great care and precision, and not only by a few lucky children. The Master was saying it was the practice for the future generations – and I have a feeling that He meant not only children.
As for care and precision, we were very fortunate to be guided by Laura Evangelisti, who is an outstanding teacher and practitioner, and her life long connection with the Master and His teachings, as well as her loving kindness and humility, made our course a beautifully flowing, intense and enjoyable experience.
In our exclusively female group we had several experienced Yantra Yoga teachers who also worked with Kumar Kumari teaching children. Nataly Nitsche, Ilaria Faccioli, Valeria Spasskaia and Lena Kalistova held half a day sessions each with our group guiding our practices and sharing their ideas. We really had so much fun in those workshops! I think all of us wholeheartedly enjoyed playing games, showing animals and following quests proposed by our gentle instructors! Letitia did supervision sessions during our course, which was very educational for all of us.
Valeria
Leticia
Katya Farrington held a voice workshop with the group that helped us to get connected with a possible scientific explanation behind the breathing/chanting techniques introduced into Kumar Kumari by the Master.
On the last day of our course we were rewarded by Laura’s reading of her wonderful story – translated into English by Alessandra – about the adventures of two Tibetan children, Nyima and Dawa ( Sun and Moon, to stay in tradition ), and their little yak. I think Rinpoche would have been delighted to hear how Laura, his long time dear student, has built a fairy tale around the ten sacred syllables of Kumar Kumari – and thus made them easy to remember and difficult to forget!
I sincerely hope that we’ll be able to keep up a joyful and positive vibration of our Kumar Kumari course and of our group, keeping the practice in our bodies and breath and sharing it with the community, children and other kinds of ‘future generations’.
