We are beginning to sprout above the ground! Yay!
Picture Source
Karam Pad – The Second Stage – The Stage of The Apprentice
“The yoga sadhana of exercise and meditation needs to be done day after day, under mood after moon, during social situation after situation. This gives the apprentice the ability to establish a perspective regardless of how the conditions around the practice changes.” ~ Yogi B
This is the stage where we become aware of the need for our own personal growth and we consciously begin to deal with both the good and bad karmas in our life.
The most important thing for student in this stage is action, doing and practice over a wide range of different concrete situations. This is the stage the student begins to learn the various nuances of the practice as they appear in various times and situations.
The student begins to gain experience and practice of noticing several different senses at one given time and is able to focus on those multiple senses. This is an essential skill of the student to establish before moving to the next phase. For example, a student in the beginners stage might start with simple meditation to learn the basic posture. The next phase might be Kirtan Kriya where the student has basic meditation posture PLUS chanting, visualization, and mudra changes throughout the meditation.
The apprentice will have many experiences to draw on and can learn quickly because there is something to compare to the current situation. Karam Pad is a time of working close with a mentor who will test and challenge the apprentice to help them grow and truly understand the practice they are undertaking. This is a time of deep growth and learning for the apprentice.
This is a great time for the apprentice to study the works written by role models of the practice and to connect with a sangha (spiritual community) who can share experiences, wisdom and inspiration to the apprentice. It is ideal the apprentice has a mentor who can offer support and challenges as well.
My Experience of Karam Pad
Many of these stages I can see in different areas of my life which I feel many of us can as we look back. It’s interesting to witness and look back upon, for me at least!
As I did more research on Karam Pad I realized the teacher training I did at Yoga West is/was this stage for me with Kundalini Yoga! Which is pretty cool! I didn’t even realize I was in that stage when I was taught this in my training but now it seems like the program falls under this stage pretty clearly.
I think I’m still in it in some ways in the Kundalini world but I feel I am transitioning into the next stage right now…
What was your Karam Pad stage of your practice? Did you undergo a one on one training or was it a group setting?
Research Sources
The Aquarian Teacher KRI Level One Instructor Textbook (Primary Source)
Hari Singh – At the Feet of the Yogi
Steps Along the Path
