Page 95 - Adhiyoga Purana

Cathy’s Journey with Adhiyogi – A Teacher’s Teacher
Cathy Banfield, a highly respected and experienced Registered Yoga Teacher in Virginia, had been practicing yoga for years, with four significant journeys to India in search of authentic teachings. Yet, despite her advanced level and deep roots in yoga, she still longed for a teacher who could offer her truly personal guidance—someone who could meet her depth of experience and help her explore the subtler, more profound dimensions of yoga.
Her search ended when she met Adhiyogi.
Studying with him for over a year, Cathy quickly realized she had found not just a skilled instructor but a true master—one whose understanding of yoga as a complete science was both vast and precise. Adhiyogi offered her a level of insight that continually surprised her. Just when she thought she had explored the limits of a certain topic, he would open new doors of knowledge—be it in asana, philosophy, Sanskrit chanting, or the cultural roots of Indian spiritual practice.
Cathy cherished their philosophical discussions and saw Adhiyogi not only as her teacher but as a spiritual guide and even a brother. She admitted that after years of international study, she had been skeptical of finding someone in the West with such a deep and lived understanding of yoga. And yet, here in Virginia, she found exactly that.
“It would take me more than one lifetime,” Cathy wrote, “to learn the techniques that Adhiyogi considers familiar.”
Her story stands as a testament not only to the rare qualities of Adhiyogi’s teaching but also to the transformative power of an authentic teacher-student bond that transcends geography and lineage.
OM Shantiḥ.
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