TriYoga continues to grow throughout Taiwan, and one of the strongholds of TriYoga teaching and practice is in the central Taiwan city, Chiayi. The D’s gave their first teacher training here in 2009, and return regularly to continue to share TriYoga with the growing community there.
For this visit, Santoshi gave a 5-day Level 2 Teacher Training, introducing the Water 108 sequences. Many of the attendees were part of the first group of teachers in Taiwan, with ‘newcomers’ joining the teacher training group every year. John was able to join for one day of the training before he traveled to Beijing for the “2015 International Famous Yoga Teachers Grand Ceremony” in Beijing.
Teachers enjoyed the increased strength, flexibility, and focus they found in the Level 2 flows, and many of them began incorporating new postures and sequences into their classes right away.
In addition to the teacher training, Santoshi also gave a 3-hour workshop as part of the International Yoga Day celebration. The workshop was organized by the Chiayi branch of the “Healthy Yoga Association”, a government agency that subsidizes yoga classes for residents. Many of the students have been studying with TY teacher Judy for years.
As with any trip to Taiwan, the fresh and varied vegan foods available were a highlight. This visit, Santoshi learned to make “AiYu Jelly” — a naturally sweet jelly made from the seeds of a fig. She was also given many zong-zi, a triangular packet of steamed sticky rice and nuts, that is the traditional food of the Dragon Boat Festival, which took place on June 20. Her last night there, Santoshi shared a meal with host and translator Judy (who has studied with the D’s in China, and at TYC Santa Cruz), her husband Andy and daughter Yi-An (who was three when the D’s first came to Chiayi), and Si Hua, who travels from the north eastern corner of Taiwan to study TriYoga at every opportunity.