Yoga Teacher Training: Halfway There!

Yay!  I am so happy to finally get the chance to sit and write! It’s been too long, Internet, too long.

So, here’s the scoop: I have been taking yoga teacher training classes Saturday’s and Sunday’s for the past 5 weeks and it has been amazing. I am not finished just yet, but the incredible self-observing journey this has taken me on is one that I am grateful for. I, too, am eager about what this all means at the end of it!  I cannot yet generalize my whole experience since I am not a time traveler and have, well, not experienced it all, but I want to share with you my journey thus far.

I don’t know whether to say that my life at the current moment is crazy good or crazy bad; therefore, I will just label it ‘crazy’! Having a full-time corporate job, finding a new apartment, packing, starting to move, going to yoga on the weekends for 14 hours and then yoga during the week for at least 6 hours (total of at least 20 hours a week, if you’re keeping track!), attending family events, attending friend events, being a wife, and finding time to just breathe (*breathes*) has been a little… crazy! You’d think that yoga was relaxing (it is!), but this teacher training is definitely isn’t; it’s quite intensive and like a part-time job! So I guess I’ve been, for the past month, been working 1 full-time and 1 half-time job- mamma mia!  But. all. worth. it.

My Experience:
Rather than me go on about how each week was and go off on a tangent, I want to share with you my entries in my journal that I have been keeping (don’t worry, they are short and to the point!). But just see how crazy of a roller coaster ride this is (I was surprised!):

Week 1
Saturday: “Definitely feel more ‘spiritual’. Learned lots about energies and chakras. Learning about our bodies and the water we have within, how energies affect us and how we affect others was cool to learn. The universe is such a beautiful, mysterious, place. Day one: happy success!”

Sunday: “Learning all the asanas (postures/poses) today was great. Such detail and precision. Super physical, too. I am going to be sore tomorrow, I know it.”

Week 2
Saturday: “Had to open up about ourselves today; it was interesting and made us reflect. Learned more about bliss. History of yoga was very interesting to learn -definitely a lot of info- who knew it was so conflicting!”

Sunday: “Loved learning about ‘respecting’ someone else’s body by using your hands to correct someone’s posture and how to be confident in it! Never knew yoga was just more than a pose… there are corrections, adjustments, modifications, contraindications, and enhancements! Seriously getting schooled here”

Week 3
Saturday:
[before class]: “More asanas today. I want to just be outside and enjoy nature. Can I skip yoga? I feel like I have no time. I want more sleep, I’m so tired. I had pasta last night for dinner and feel heavy (I rarely have pasta for dinner).”
[after class]: “I feel so much calmer, have so much more energy; I just want to go out into the world and live and be happy! We did a lot of asanas and learned more in-depth about them. I am going to be sore, I know it.”

Sunday: “I’m so sore. And had to do more asana training today! It’s all very interesting, but why do I feel like I put myself into a bootcamp! Yoga is not easy. Why am I here again? Why can’t I be outside and play…”

Week 4
Saturday: “Today there were more asanas. I can quickly correct someone into their proper alignment, that’s for sure! Also, who knew sun salutations could work up such a sweat! I feel more muscular.. How did I gain 5 lbs.? Isn’t yoga supposed to make you lose weight? Nevertheless, we learned soft chants today. Voices are so pretty, life is filled with such beauty…”

Sunday: “Zen Yoga is so interesting and different. Who knew you could become more aware of your mind and body through the simplest, yet most effective postures/moves. You also have to focus a lot, and that makes you breathe harder and sweat! But the freedom I feel is so amazing! Not to mention the benefits my kidneys, lungs, and liver are apparently receiving from these moves – yay healthy organs!”

Week 5
Saturday: “More history of yoga. It really gets you thinking. And, at the same time, gets your gears going. Who are we? What is this ever-changing yoga thing? There is so much to learn about it! And all fascinating! I just wish I had more time to spend learning…”

Sunday: “Ouch. Backbends all day. I am going to be sore again tomorrow. But, I have to say, I do love all of this hard work. Can’t wait to go home and share with my husband. I’m going to make him do wheel pose.. muahaha! ;)”

Being at the midway point, I must say, I can see the light at the end of this tunnel and one of the things that I cannot wait to get back is that of my weekends again! That time really is precious!

Yoga, though, has taught me to really live in the present – and it really is so important!  So while I cannot wait to have my weekends back, I actually can wait.  Because this journey I am currently on is one that is here and now.  And I am taking it and embracing it! I won’t ever get to live this same experience again!

My training has been a major time commitment, a major discipline of study, and a major use of energy (both mentally and physically!).  There is a lot of homework, lots of reading to do, and lots of practice that goes into it, but I am having so much fun along the way by learning more about myself and pushing myself.  Not only that, but I am safely teaching those near and dear to me a stretch or two every now and then (it’s probably more now than then, especially on this yoga high I’m on, hehe), but it all feels so rewarding and makes me feel so blessed.

All in all, my journey so far has helped me really look at life a different way and the biggest one is this: there may be challenges in our lives, yes, but the biggest one of them all exists within us.  We all have the opportunity to be who we want to be and feel the way we want to feel, so don’t ever let anyone dictate to you otherwise.  Don’t allow outside pressures to stress you out and don’t let your ego get in your way.  Be humble.  Take it easy or don’t care at all. Everything in the universe has its time and place. And the machine we all have, our bodies, is one that, when cared for properly, will give it the power and strength it needs to properly care for our minds.

Live, love, and be happy.  Take today and make it the best today ever.  Because it’s the only one you will ever have.

I have just a little more to go on my teacher training journey my friends, so stay tuned, stay humble, stay true to yourselves.  And, above all, remember to stay brave.

Namaste,
Loren.