Find out a little more about David Swenson and why he is inspiring so many worldwide and has been for so many years!
Below I share some highlights during my time with world-renowned Yogi / Author David Swenson along with some words of wisdom he has shared about what it means to be a Yogi, commercialisation of Yoga, and what inspires him to keep practising and keep teaching Yoga.
David will be visiting Queensland for the first time in a couple of weeks, with his other events/workshops in Byron sold out, make sure you book in advance to attend this very rare opportunity to spend time with one of the most experienced, light-hearted and yet humble Yogis of our time. This weekend immersion includes something for everyone regardless of your level of experience. It also includes an extra module by request for teachers or those who are interested in assisting, supporting and the sharing of yoga in different forms.
I first came across David when I hosted a Movie Night on the Titans of Yoga many years ago, I remember being immediately engaged, curious and found his joy and passion for Yoga contagious.
While spending time with him overseas it wasn’t only the depth of learning about the Yoga Poses and the practice, it was how mindful David was that stood out for me. His gratitude for not only the practice but every single person in front of him, with no sense of entitlement is something worth sharing I feel. In a room of over 50 people, David had remembered every single person’s name with correct pronunciation in less than 12 hours of being with us and this continued for the full duration of the training (there was only myself and one other person who had English sounding names as we were in Asia, which made this even more impressive as this no doubt took a great skill, and that skilful action from my perspective was that he cared enough to pay that level of attention) Although an interpreter was there for the training Davids ability to be present, care and connect was the “yoga” in action. What was evident from his stories and way of being was there was a certain depth and quality of mindfulness that has come from embodying the practice over time.
Davids inspirational teaching methods, unique conversations, enthusiasm and humour for having a healthy perspective about things we all may go through are valuable and worthwhile.
Many may not have had a chance to practice or learn from David as he has not visited Queensland until now so I’ve shared some of his responses to some great questions asked by Dani Ceccarelli during an interview with David for Australian Yoga Life.
What does it mean for you to be a yogi?
DS: For me it’s someone who leaves a place a little nicer than when they arrived. It’s how I interact with the world around me and with other people. If you can do all kinds of yoga postures but you’re a mean, nasty, selfish person the rest of the day, who cares? Asanas are not the goal, they’re the training ground. By using the body and breath, we learn compassion and patience for ourselves, and hopefully those values translate into how we connect and interact with other people.
Since 1973 David has been inspiring others here is a snippet of his personal ethos insights
In the early days, I travelled from place to place. I slept in the yoga rooms at night, stayed in youth hostels, or slept in parks. I had this personal mantra: ‘one is a class’. If one person shows up I’m going to give them all of my energy and heart, because that’ll be the greatest advertisement. Yoga teaching as a vocation is new, and I never forget to appreciate this. I get to be around people that want to improve themselves.
Davids response on the commercialism of Yoga and how its changed over the years since he started practising and teaching
DS: It’s all good! Commercialisation of something just means more people hear about it.
People come to yoga for all different reasons, but the yoga works regardless of why you start. Once you start breathing, and moving, and trying to follow the principles of yoga, it has an effect.
There’s something else that you come away ‘feeling’ that’s better left to experience rather than read about. With David traveling most months of the year, and the stream of invitations he receives to teach around the world, I am so grateful that David said yes to coming to our part of the world. This also means that those who may not normally be able to see David unless they travel overseas can now experience one or two fun filled days of learning and you will definitely ‘feel’ your body.
Hope to see you there
Sincere Gratitude
Tammy
Thankyou and credit to Dani Ceccarelli and AYL (Australia Yoga Life) for anyone wanting to read the full article contact AYL.
Thankyou to Elieen Hall who has helped do a lot of the leg work to allow this to all happen and for including Yoga NRG as part of Davids Tour.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE from AYL