As a recent graduate of a fabulous yoga training with 25 beautiful yogis and my dedicated teachers Jennifer Ellen and Matt I am still reeling in all of the life changes and beauty that was shared in those months together. We meandered through learning to teach and practice the science of yoga together. Through the twists and turns and the fun and the sad times. I honor each of you. Thank you for letting me be a part of your learning and lives. What an amazingly "austere" group of women and men!
Here's to you!
During the teacher training I can honestly say that I was overwhelmed by material we were to learn in conjunction with the roller coaster of emotions that I personally experienced and witnessed others in the training go through.
While learning the Sanskrit names for each yoga pose and pronouncing it correctly (which was harder than I thought it would be) and practicing Surya Namaskara A&B over and over and over and over and over...we honed our movement and teaching and skills.
We were introduced to and read the Bhagvad Gita, Gita Wisdom and The Yoga Sutras and The Radiance Sutras (a favorite that I read from as I teach each day) among others.
Light reading...haha. Each text a map and deeply woven with life long lessons.
We meditated daily and kept meditation logs. We met Lorin and Camile and learned that meditation doesn't need to be as austere as most of us thought it had to be. We learned that each one of us had misconceptions and struggles with meditation and that it isn't about having to clear our minds of any thought. It's a dance and a journey. As Katie so beautifully stated, it's about noticing a thought and gently following it, then lovingly bringing it back. As Lorin pointed out, even the Buddha's mind wanders. It's how we interpret and treat that wondering that is the meditation. In fact, anything can be a meditation. As Carolyn recently mentioned on FB, daily life with family and friends is a yoga practice.
Now that's powerful and beautiful!
We were introduced to Aruveda, the ancient science of self healing and to Arun, an intelligent, intense and dedicated Indian teacher of Aruveda. A part of this teaching is the practice ofdaily oiling of the body. This part I really liked when I took the time practice. According to Aruveda and Arun I am a Pitta Vata. My favorite oils to use are coconut and olive and avocado oil. The practice of oiling the body is quite luxurious and can also be messy:-) We were taught how to start massaging our bodies sometimes from the feet up and from one side to the other. (There are many different techniques that one can research about why and how to oil). Whatever your method the idea is to let the oil seep into your skin for about ten minutes and then take a bath or shower. In the shower no soap is needed. Simply let the water run over your skin and when you're done you can step out of the bath or shower and towel off.
This practice leaves your skin feeling wonderfully soft and subtle and allows for the oil to penetrate the seven layers of skin discussed in Aruveda. Netti Potting is another practice that I learned during our training. What a crazy feeling. I enjoy it now but when I first tried it I felt similarly to Nancy. I felt like I was drowning. It took a few tries and I learned how to tilt my head just right in order to let the water move through my sinuses and not feel uncomfortable.
We reviewed and learned anatomy from intelligent and embodied Jamie every Wednesday night. We played the adjective/letter yoga game...FUN!
We all rocked! We were all humbled and we all learned.
As I reflect on my yoga training I am thankful to have been a part of such a beautiful group of people. Each person so willing to share and learn in their own way.
I learned mostly about myself. I learned about patterns in my life and ways that I have tried to hide and protect myself in effort to avoid pain. I learned that true beauty comes when your love yourself. True happiness comes from opening up and letting your love and true self shine through. Moving into that terrifyingly beautiful fear. Introduce yourself to those fears. Go in and shake their hands. They might even become less scary and thankful that you're willing to be so bold to honor who and where they are.
With this healing comes the ability to let go. A practice I'm still very much working on and will continue to throughout my life.
Thank you to my fellow yogis, my family and friends. I am so very grateful.
Here's to learning and growing each day and to more dance parties!
Shanti, shanti, shanti
