I’ve been practicing yoga with regularity for the past two years, but I hadn’t considered teacher training because I never thought of myself as a teacher (of any kind). I also didn’t think that I would be physically capable. There are several poses I still can’t get into, whether it’s a lack of strength or a mental barrier. The whole proposition intimidated me, and yet I decided to do it anyway. I’m in Week 3, training at the Yoga Bliss studio, which is filled with amazing yogis that follow all the limbs of yoga, not just the physical ones. I’m thankful I found them, and that I’m sharing a class with excellent humans who are just as eager to learn and grow.
So far, I’ve been surprised by how quickly it’s had a positive effect on my yoga practice. The incredible thing about mindfulness is it can start working immediately, all that’s needed is practice! I feel reinvigorated and have already had a couple of epiphanies.
I’ve missed being in a structured learning environment.
I’ve been out of school for 13 years, and although I’ve taken a class here and there, I haven’t devoted a ton of time to ongoing education. Somewhere along the way, I’d convinced myself that you didn’t need a teacher to learn things. I felt that webinars and online video courses were sufficient, that they were just as effective as being in a classroom.
I was wrong. The dialogue with your teacher and fellow students is invaluable. We all have different learning styles, and it’s interesting to see how these manifest in different people. It’s particularly helpful when the goal is to learn to teach! We’re explaining things to each other and hearing it back in different ways. It’s great!
I’m stronger than I thought I was!
After the first full week, this thought kept creeping into my brain: I’m tired. As Week 2 started, I kept hearing this in my brain. But here’s the thing, I still went through with class. It made me realize that we tire much faster in our brains than in our bodies. When we tell ourselves we can’t do something, it’s an impediment, our bodies have capabilities beyond what we can envision for them.
The amount of yoga I’m practicing is also helping me build strength faster. Part of this experiment was to see what regularly focused attention would do to accelerate growth in my practice, and I’m curious to see where I’ll end up, and if I can sustain it. Although, I’m trying not to get caught up in expectations or outcomes. I’m practicing non-attachment and taking it one day at a time, and attempting to live in the present as much as possible.
The other day, after it had rained, I was walking my dogs, and I swear the world looked like it was in HD. It was only a moment, but my senses were heightened, I could smell the soil, hear the wind, feel the cold air on my face, and we were just there, EXISTING. But it was only a moment, and then my monkey brain moved on to other things. The goal is to increase those moments and learn to stretch them out. Let’s see how it goes!
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