Education in Yoga: Foundation Course

I wanted to thank you for taking us through a fantastic month full of learning and laughter. Now I have many tools to keep it up and grow it. From my perspective, in which I was mainly interested to learn in depth about the practice for my personal growth and maybe teach in the future, the training was substantial, technical, and enjoyable. I appreciated the level of discipline instilled by the schedule and the content, I really was impressed by the teachers which gave us a good combination of knowledge grounded on the roots of the practice and the ability to relate it with our lives back home. Also, the support structure provided by all of you and the support staff (wellness center, restaurant, etc) was very helpful and nurturing as I (and very likely "we") felt that you paid attention to each of our personal experiences and details. The combination of rigor, high-standards with flexibility to accommodate the different levels of the practice and the philosophy behind it, resonated deeply inside me and is now ingrained in my mind.
Julianna, Washington DC, USA, (March)

I wanted to thank you for a very special time and education process I got during the TT course this last month. I also emailed Elonne thanking her as well, she was outstanding. The material, the professional level and personal touch and the overall environment passed my expectations.
This course, with no doubt, leveraged my practice and understanding of yoga and now it can be developed further. Hopefully I will be able to pass it to others.
Victoria, Israel, (March)

When student is ready, teacher will come. I absolutely believe in that.
I liked, that you made me to think about my attitude, poses, little details and practice in general. I felt that I made some progress with my asana, but I value more my progress in mental level.
This course helped me to find more focus. I have to focus even more on my studies. I love to study and now I have clearer view, what I should study more, so that I can maybe someday become teacher. I appreciated your small tips. I try to keep my armpits a little bit more open, I am trying to learn to change my breathing in jump through, my chin is up nowadays, when I am doing salamba sarvangasana... small details, but big difference.
Outi, Finland, (March)

I'm grateful to you for your teaching and sharing your experiences in this training course. I could learn a lot from you about not only the contents of the text but also how to teach Pranayama to beginners and how to answer for student's questions. All of them were great. Again, thank you very much.
Motoko, Japan, (March)

Thanks very much for the March Foundation Teacher Training - it was a very meaningful month for me!
Angelina, Singapore, (March)

Thank you Paul, I am in complete gratitude to you, for giving me the tools to take my practice further, and giving me the wonderful opportunity to teach. I'm giving thanks, asking for forgiveness and guidance everyday. Which has helped me stay connected, and given me guidance when I needed it most.
Zoe, Switzerland, (November)

The pranayama is awesome! I have only missed one day since I've been back in the UK - I can't believe the effect that it has on me. My sleep patterns have improved immensely and for the first time in a couple of years, I have no injuries, even though I'm practising asana every day too, which I put down to getting a better quality of sleep! So thanks.
Andrew, UK, (November)

I've read once , "There aren't any irreplaceable people, but there are unforgettable ones." And I've met a confirmation of this during the TT. Thank you!
I gathered so much small and big peaces of new perspective; bits of revelations. And I hope to come again, or meet again to gather some more.
Sincere regards!
Sonia, Austria, (November)

I didn't get a chance to say thank you for our amazing month at Yoga Thailand. I learned so much, both about yoga and myself. The pranayama is relatively new to me, but so helpful and strengthening - I already feel and difference and will continue my practice on and off the ship.
Becky, USA, (November)

Thanks so much for this one month. I feel grateful and cannot express my feeling. I hope we will keep in touch. I'm ready for my adventure :)
Aoy, Thailand, (November)

The course at YT was definitely a life changing experience for me and soon after that I did what I felt was right, I moved to the next stage of my life.
Patricia, Portugal, (June)

Dear Paul
I think you've just started the next teacher training course, I'd so love to be doing it again and can honestly say I enjoyed every single minute of it and just lapped it all up. The standard of teaching is so high and you really have a wonderful, well run place, the perfect environment for learning and being immersed in yoga. Can't wait to go back. So a belated many many thanks for a fantastic experience and I hope you've got another wonderful group to teach like ours!
Anthea, Ireland, (November)

I did the one-month yoga teacher training in November and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Paul and his staff are amazing and very accommodating. To be able to practice yoga every day in such a beautiful setting was incredible. The food was healthy and fresh and the pool and steamroom were added bonuses.
USA, (November)

It was a pleasure to participate at the teacher training and I am very grateful for all the experiences I made there and will make through it in upcoming times. I realise now even more the overall, intelligent approach of the yogic system. There is so much beauty in it. And still.. I know nothing..
You, Paul and Neil and Sarah and Lorraine are very great teachers. Giving space for sincere growth by demanding and gentle means at the same time. And for sure with a good sense of humour that emphasises the underlying ease of yoga. Thank you.
Iris F (Germany)

It has been 1 year since my Samahita Yoga Thailand Teacher Training. As I work and learn on this Argentinean jungle land, I have been reflecting on the extraordinary gift of learning this last year has been. So I write to you to pass along the sentiments of deep gratitude for everything you all gave to me. Thank you for ...... the guidance, the energy, the love and for all the work you do to share with others. The teaching I received there continues to guide me here in my practice, teaching, and living. I don't know if I would be able to do what we are doing without having been your student.
Kim G (Argentina)

It is hard to put into simple words, but thank you again for an inspirational TT training in February. I can't wait to come back to Yoga Thailand for more
Tanya M (Denmark)

I wanted to thank you once more for the TT training and for this wonderful gift of Pranayama. It has certainly changed my way of practicing - and my way of living every day.
Merja (Finland)

Its been 3 weeks since our group's TT graduated, I am missing YT already. I must say that I have had a most rewarding and wonderful experience during my stay in YT. I feel privileged that Samahita Yoga Thailand has been my training school and that you have been my teacher. Thank you for the knowledge you have shared to me, the experience you have given me. Thank you for the inspiration and thank you for being my teacher.
Gela (Philippines)

Hi Paul

Just wanted to say a huge thanks for the TT - it was a real personal journey for me on many levels. I've done many courses but this one truly came from the heart, it was a great experience and lovely to be looked after so well by everyone at Samahita Yoga Thailand.
Anna (Hong Kong), September 2008

Here a message to say thank you for so much inspiration, good vibes and such an interesting time at Samahita Yoga Thailand.

The Teacher Training was really everything I hoped for and I feel I've learned a lot in these 5 weeks. The schedule was quite hard sometimes but the beautiful and inspiring people and surroundings just make you strong again and I felt like a better person afterwards.

I'm still very dedicated to my pranayama practice, thank you for that and I've learnt so much in my asana practice, philosophy, anatomy.etc..I would like to do all the advanced courses right away! hahaha But I know everything will come in time. So let's just say : 'till later for now!

Namaste
Biki (Holland), September 2008

I just wanted to say a belated but sincere "Thank you" for an incredible 5 weeks with you. It was without a doubt one of the most special experiences I have had and I am very much looking forward to retuning in the not too distant future. It has been a bit weird adjusting to home life but I continue to keep up my daily practice of Pranayama and Asana in an attempt to keep myself relatively distant to the things that used to affect or bother me. 1 week in and I am succeeding. Life's good.

Also, your staff and all that are Samahita Yoga Thailand are truly unique, wonderful people. I feel blessed to have met them. Please feel free or in fact do pass my email address onto anyone who is enquiring about the course. I would be more than happy to reply.

Warm regards.
Helen (Australia), September 2008

I have been meaning to write for some time to express my sincere thanks for all the gifts I received from my stay in Samahita Yoga Thailand. It has changed my life in ways I never imagined physically and emotionally. My two favorite gifts were 1. a new way of being and 2. My Mula Bunda! Now that you have upgraded the accommodations I don't think you should change a thing about your program!

Pranyama and Asana are going great!!! I cut back on meat too which has made a HUGE difference in my practice. I thank the Universe every day for your inspiration and knowledge. I consider you both my own personal Gurus! Look forward to meeting you again some day!

Love
Sherri (USA), September 2008

I didn't get a chance to say a proper goodbye and thanks after the course ended but I've wanted to write for a while now and express my deepest thanks for all that you gave and all I got out of the course. I also kinda wanted to let it all settle a bit before I wrote - there was a lot to take in and assimilate and I feel like that process has at least started for me now.

I'm not quite sure when or how i fell asleep in my practices but somewhere along the way, I think that happened to me. And when you're not aware of something its very difficult to do anything about it and I'm pretty sure I would have continued along that path for the foreseeable future had I not made it to Samahita Yoga Thailand. So for waking me up from whatever coma I was in - thank you with all my heart.

That said, being awake doesn't necessarily make the work any easier! I still find it tough trying to keep up the energy and motivation for early morning starts when I know the day ahead will be long and intense but I think I've noticed a calmness in my daily attitude that I can only attribute to the pranayama and the calm start to the day. Its like I can see and feel all the mania and stress going on around me but I'm just not getting as involved as I would have in the past.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that for all the myriad of greater and lesser changes that I feel have occurred in my practices/life as a result of my time in Samahita Yoga Thailand, I will be forever grateful. I feel really luck to have had the chance to learn from you and I hope that our paths will cross again in the near future.

Take care.
Gillian (Ireland), September 2008

I am continually grateful for the opportunity that I had to study with you in Thailand. You are a truly an inspiring teacher with a Presence that demands dedication and Being. Every day I am thankful for you!

Now that I am back in New York and fishing around for a similarly inspiring teacher with such a holistic approach, I find myself selfishly wishing that you were still here in the States.
Rachel (USA), April 2008

My dear beloved teacher, I am doing very fine, and you got me so inspired that earlier obstacles/seductions are now of no importance, just not interesting. This is a life-changing experience for me. I am so so thankful for the guidance that I experience every day. I am so thankful to you for giving me the tools and inspiration.
Anke (Netherlands), April 2008

Once again, thank you so much for giving me that gift of five weeks. The amazing great teaching; good healthy food (I can't find food as good as Samahita Yoga Thailand in Hong Kong); happy, friendly people; beautiful beach; comfortable environment; fresh air. I was glad to be there. It really changed my life and let me find my true self.

Thank you very very much. I am looking forward to coming back to take the advance training, and to seeing both of you and your cute babies.
Marjorie (China), April 2008

When I left the course at Samahita Yoga Thailand, I felt totally ready to get on and teach, like I had all the right information, all the tools, and was ready to use them. I know this is not the case for many people after they complete teacher training in other schools. Many of them have told me so, and years later are still waiting to get enough understanding or experience to get started. So thank you for the depth and breadth of the course, and the confidence it gave me to go out there and get on with it! I know others on the course have felt the same.
Claudia (UK), November 2007

You have played a special part in my yoga journey. I deeply appreciate, admire, and respect you for your teaching and sharing of your wisdom with so much passion and light-heartedness. Through your great devotion you helped me take the journey into my own heart; to see the divine nature within us all; to understand happiness; and to know the true value of humility and gratitude.
Natalie (Australia), November 2007

I wanted to write and express my sincere thanks for all that you taught me over the last few weeks. I enjoyed every moment of it (even the exams). The dedication and passion the two of you have for yoga is beautiful. You are both an inspiration.

I look forward to sharing all I have learned from you and the YT team. Still a lot to absorb, but the magic of all this is that we never stop learning, always so much more to delve deeper into.

Much Love,
Em (Japan), November 2007

Thanks for a wonderful time at Samahita Yoga Thailand. It's so hard to explain, but I felt so much more balanced. It was a feeling of deep true happiness in myself. I hope everybody in the world gets that feeling once in their lifetime.
Sofia (Sweden), December 2006

I hope that you are both well and that things at Samahita Yoga Thailand are rolling along smoothly. Thank you so much for the incredible experience there. It was truly life-changing and amazing. I am very grateful for it.
Julie (Canada), December 2006

I didn't really thank you or say good-bye personally before I left, so I send you this short email. I want you to know that my back is much better and, as you said, it was a good learning experience. I probably grasped more from the course because of it!

I am stronger and more confident (on many levels) after the month in Thailand. I especially want to thank you for encouraging me to stay balanced, and to take the yoga a little further.
Natasha (China), December 2006

Thank you for such a truly inspiring and uplifting training. I now feel so much love for the yoga practice, and your inspiring teaching has really allowed my heart to feel that yoga is a best friend to me.

I'm continuing to enjoy studying Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and I feel happy every time I go to my yoga mat. I feel so grateful for all I learned there, on all levels of my being, and I am conscious of putting as much as possible into practice in my life.

The quality of the whole course was exceptional, including the knowledge that was passed on from you and the other wonderful teachers, and the energetic transference of what some of yogic life is about.

I look forward to coming back, hopefully in March. I will also do my best to see you at one of your UK workshops.

I trust all is going well for you and that many blessings are continuing to be given to you, your family, and in the wonderful service you are doing for the world.
Shanti (UK), August 2006

Thank you so much for the wonderful group pic. It brings back fond and vivid memories of the most positively transforming five weeks of my life! Back to the present life situation but with new inspiration and focus. You will be pleased to hear, Paul, that I've been getting myself out of bed consistently around five on weekdays to do my breath work and asana practice, and am grateful every time for your amazing guidance.
Kitty (Switzerland), August 2006

Thank you for the amazing experience I had at Samahita Yoga Thailand. Looking back, I am able to fully appreciate the intensity of my seven weeks at Samahita Yoga Thailand. I feel very special to have had that time there. I didn't realize the effect my experience would have on me when I came home.

The hardest thing is being pure and clean in a world that is vastly different. To be honest, it feels like a real struggle. I suppose it takes a while to figure all this out.

I hope to return soon.
Sarah (Australia), 2006

I just wanted to email you to thank you for all your kindness while I was there doing the teacher training. I would have liked to have gotten in touch with you sooner, but it is full-on season here and really busy this year. It has also been a little difficult to get back in the groove here. I feel like I am questioning more things since I have come back. I suppose it is natural after being in the environment (beautiful one!) of Koh Samui and Samahita Yoga Thailand.
Janet (Canada), November 2005

Thank you so much for giving me this chance to learn. It was a great experience for me. . . . People coming from different countries, of all different ages.

Training was not easy for me, but I learned lots of things-not only yoga for teaching or practice. You saw everything. You knew everything.

I'm very grateful for everything you told me. I'd like to go back to Samahita Yoga Thailand again someday.

I keep smiling.
Saori (Hong Kong), 2005

I want to thank you both for the amazing inspiration you have both been and for your dedication to the practice.
Gabe (Canada), 2004