Picture this. A non-Indian yoga teacher reciting Sanskrit shlokas (religious couplets) like ‘Om Bhurbhuva Swaha, Tatsa Vitur Varenyam, Bhargodevasya Dheemahi, Dhiyoyona Prachodayata’ with utmost dedication and feelings. These teachers profess that after learning ‘yogasanas’ (yoga positions) and going deep into the Indian way of spiritual life, their lives have changed immensely for the better. Their desire to help others has made them be recognized experts in this field. Lin Kaplan, who teaches transcendental meditation in schools of Connecticut, summarizes the reason non-Indians would choose Indians as their gurus (teacher) to learn yoga and spirituality. She says, “India is the home of Vedic knowledge. A person who is born and raised there has spirituality and higher knowledge in their DNA. So if one wanted to learn this, then he or she would go directly to the source. And it would definitely be an Indian guru.”

For some, having an Indian teacher just happened by coincidence. Shankara Newton, a yoga teacher who teaches in West Hartford, Conn. said that he happened to go to the Kripalu Center in Lenox, Mass 20 years back. “My father expired when I was 12 and I was in tremendous pain and anguish. I didn’t know what I wanted. When I was 18, I went to the center. My first guru was Amrit Desai. I stayed in the center for five and a half years. There was something different about Desai. He was 55 and looked like he was 15. He pursued spirituality and like me, his students just showed up at his doorstep, not knowing what they wanted,” he describes.

Divyajyoti, who teaches yoga in Middletown, Conn., had a similar beginning too. She also began learning yoga 40 years back. “I practiced yoga with Guru Amrit Desai at the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts for 15 years. My husband and I then followed Satya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, India to gain knowledge of Vedanta. I have been to India eight times to experience Sai Baba,” she says.

Different things about the Indian culture and spirituality have inspired the teachers. Kaplan was inspired by the intellectual understanding at the deepest level of Vedic knowledge, which is imparted by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. “Being extremely practical, he gives techniques to directly experience what the Vedic texts are talking about. He is always eager to share his knowledge for people to hear and use it,” she says. The single thing that has inspired Divyajyoti is to be detached from the drama of everyday life and provide service to others.

This group of disciplined people, despite their non-Indian origin, has enriched their lives immensely with what they have learnt from their Indian gurus. What qualities have they imbibed from the Indians, which they impart to their students? “The two biggest qualities I learnt from guru Desai were love and self acceptance. I learnt not to criticize and judge myself. My guru was very sweet and love-centered. I feel that westerners are desperate to learn yoga for self love and self acceptance and so I teach with this intention,” explains Newton. Divyajyoti says that she has learnt Sanskrit shlokas with its deep meanings and interpretations. “I make it a point to teach these shlokas and yoga techniques that are true to Indian heritage,” she comments.

Kaplan passes to the students exactly what she learnt from Maharishi. “He taught the technique of transcendental meditation. I make it a point to say the same words that Maharishi said when he taught me. I teach this technique as it is really simple and it always works,” she says. Kaplan further adds that she sees this technique having a very good effect on school children. She is amazed that in just one or two sessions, the children find peace and silence.

In the course of their journey to know more about the divine, some have also changed their names. “Once when I was meditating, I had heard Sai Baba calling me ‘Jyoti’. Swamini Lalitananda gave me the name six years back. There was a naming ceremony to change my name. They fed me honey and gave me new clothes and Swamini whispered my new name in my ear,” she smiles. Knowing that she had heard a part of the name already while meditating, once the new name was conferred on her, she felt very comfortable. Divyajyoti says that she feels like she is the divine light, which is what the name means. “This name dovetailed my understanding of Vedanta and made me feel more comfortable to the ashram living and yogic lifestyle,” she says.

Newton, whose name was Clifford before he was christened Shankara, said he changed his name because he felt that if he changed his name, he would attain God and moksha (divine liberation) faster. “At the Kripalu center, I was given the name ‘Kishore’. After some years, when I asked Amma to give me a name, she started saying ‘Shankar’ loudly and repeatedly. That is how I got my name,” explains Shankar.

Despite learning from Indian gurus, a difference in their nature of teaching is seen at times. “Many Indians have evolved greatly in yoga and spirituality. Sometimes, Indians are not used to the material abundance in this country. They are also not used to the level of dysfunction in western families. It is to attain stability and spirituality that westerners surrender themselves entirely to their gurus. And it so happens at times that the gurus get lost in money and power,” says Newton. On the contrary, Kaplan feels that it is Indians who can show in the best possible way to attain enlightenment. “Here, we do get books that explain moksha and divinity. But since Indians have spirituality within themselves, they can guide a person from ignorance to liberation,” she says.

Centers to contact for learning yoga

1. WestHartford Yoga

West Hartford, Connecticut

Phone: 860-953-YOGA

Website: www.westhartfordyoga.com

2. CVHTS Temple/ Hindu Temple

Middletown, Connecticut

Phone: 860-346-8675

Website: www.cvhts.org

3. Transcendental Meditation Program

1-888-LEARN-TM

Website: www.tm.org

-- AMISHI SHAH

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