The Necessities of Success: One Mantra at a Time

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Durga Devi yoga teacher

All successful people have their own experience, pain, bonds, sacrifices and lessons which have been given by life itself. Durga Devi is the given name to Denise Teperino by her beloved teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life. She is one of the top ten yoga teachers in London. She is a former dancer and a competitive gymnast who grew up in New York City.

She arrived in London from the USA in 2005 to help open the first Jivamukti Yoga Centre with Manizeh Rimer. It took time to find her place in the UK. Although she had to face tough challenges in her life during the last 20 years, she still stood on her yoga mat and chanted her mantras through her soul and to the room, to the air, to the Universe every day. What is the secret of her success? Persistence, faith, passion, humility? I think you will redefine the meaning of the word ‘success’ at the end of this interview or you will redefine yourself. Who knows? We are all transforming. I’m curious about your opinion.

What is the meaning of your given name?

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Goddess Durga

Durga Ma is a warrior Goddess who came into the world at a mythical time when the world was, just like we experience today, in great imbalance. Riding on a tiger, she entered the battlefield of chaos, greed and conflict rooted in an unfathomable clarity of vision. Through our devotion to truth, we discover an unshakable capacity to take leadership of the vision in our hearts, and not to take it for granted or hold it as lesser. Willing to stay in the discomfort of birthing the next step of evolution, rising rooted from the depths of love, we gather the strength, clarity and resilience needed for the times ahead. Devi is the Sanskrit word for goddess, meaning ‘heavenly, divine, anything of excellence’.

Do you feel anything like that?

I try everyday to the best of my ability! I think that being an athlete in my younger years helped to attain both an inner and outer discipline and strength which I’ve always brought to my practice and life.

You arrived in London in 2005. How do the Americans and English differ?

The article was published in the Issue 3 of BOAST MAGAZINE. You can download the digital edition here. Or you can purchase the print edition here.

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Boast Magazine Issue 3

A lot. I find that the English take more time to “warm up” to you, as Americans are generally more open. But in the 15 plus years of living here I have acquired many wonderful friends from here. New York differs from any other city around the world, even from the other states in the USA. I may live in the UK but I will always remain a New Yorker.

What is your experience, who turns to yoga generally?

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Durga Devi with her students

I have had all sorts of people come to yoga. In New York when I started practicing there were loads of “arty” types coming to class. Musicians, dancers, painters, actors and even drug dealers! So many kinds of people who for the most part just desired to become better people.

You were introduced to yoga in 1994. How has your life changed since then?

I think it’s made me a much stronger person on so many levels. It has not been easy and I still struggle but having a solid foundation in my practice, I’ve been able to deal with events such as 9/11 ( I was in NY at the time and saw the towers burn down), a divorce, full hip replacement (in London thanks to the NHS), a house fire where I lost all of my possessions and now, here we are all in the middle of the global crisis as we know it.

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Durga Devi yoga teacher

Which mantra was your first one?

Let go, let God! – my mother taught me. She is definitely my first Guru.

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Lord Ganesha

Which mantra is your favourite?

There are so many I use on a daily basis depending on what kind of energy I need to draw in. But you know mantras can be our negative thoughts as well, we have to be careful. The ancient mantras help us to find inner peace and harmony and during the mantra meditation we need to be grounded, connected to the Earth with all of who we are.

Which mantras would be helpful during this year?

Ganesha – Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha: the Lord of new beginnings and he who as one removes obstacles psychologically and spiritually keeping us in a grounded place. Shiva – Om Namah Shivaya : the Lord of death and destruction, endings and beginnings, transformation which is powerful enough to solve the problem personally and worldwide. Ganesha is actually the son of the Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati. Both can be a great benefit to all.

What was the best moment of yoga in your life?

I am very lucky to have come from a yogic lineage via my teachers Sharon and David, as they had their gurus who had also come from a sacred lineage. During my early practice in NY, I met many beings including highly revered and respected saints. Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Amma, Yogeswari (Estelle Eichenberger), Manorama (sanskrit master) and Joan Suval (both direct disciples of Shri Brahmananda Saraswati). The doors to Bhakti yoga were opened by Jai Uttal, Bhagavan Das and Krishna Das.

Do you see any connections between yoga and a successful life? Do you feel successful?

Success is defined differently to everybody. Some see it as material, status, physical success I guess. I do not really define success, but the happier I am in helping others (students) become happy is the biggest reward of all. Maybe that could be for me defined as success.

The article was published in the second issue of BOAST MAGAZINE. You can download the digital edition here. Or you can purchase the print edition here.

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Boast Magazine Issue 3

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