First Teacher Training Weekend

This post was written in my journal back in November...just posting to my blog now....

I completed my first weekend workshop yesterday and wanted to write about my experience while it still fresh in my mind (and in my muscles…ouch!)  First, let me explain that I am going for my RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher )200, which is the first level of certification recognized by Yoga Alliance.  The program consists of 200 training hours that are built through workshops, practicum hours and self study.  When I started researching programs in the area, I basically decided on the one offered by Maureen Miller at Living Yoga in Concord, NH before even speaking to her.  I loved what I read on her website www.livinglifemakingchoices.com , loved the structure of the program and just felt it would be a perfect fit for me.  When I met Maureen at the studio it was definitely a cosmic connection.  We immediately clicked and have so much in common.  Our brief meeting at the studio turned into a lunch that stretched on for hours at the Bagel Works.  What really got us jabbering is the fact that Maureen just started her own life/health coaching practice, which is something I have always dreamed of doing.  She is awesome and since we are so much alike, I guess that means that I am pretty awesome too J  Anyhow, there happened to be a teacher training workshop that very next weekend and  Maureen encouraged me to attend.  I decided to ride the wave of energy I was feeling, jump right in, and am so glad I did.

While driving to the studio that sunny, cold November music, the first song that played over my Sirius radio was Glow by Donovan Frankenreiter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwznGu7y8JU(and yes, the inspiration for the name of this blog!)  I immediately welled up with happy tears, as this song has become my own personal anthem as I work towards shedding layers and allowing my true self to shine.  I just love the words and upbeat melody.  Whenever I hear it I also think of my beautiful daughters, friends, family and really all of humanity and wish the same for them.  It makes me boo-hoo every time I hear it. ( I know, very sappy but I can’t help it.)

The weekend started with a morning Primary Series class at the studio (www.livingyoga.com).  While I have never practiced Ashtanga Yoga it is very similar to Power Yoga (Power Yoga is derived from Ashtanga.) Let me insert a side story here that when I signed up for this training, I was not even certain what Ashtanga Yoga was.  Maureen told me in general terms what it was, but I liked Maureen so much and had such a good feeling about everything that I truthfully did not give it much thought.  The style of Yoga was secondary to me; primarily when searching for a teacher training program, I wanted to make sure that I connected with my teacher and the philosophy of the program.  Well let me just say that Ashtanga Yoga is AMAZING, perfect for me, and just another very obvious sign I am in the right place.  Certain postures/sequences were different but overall the class had a similar flow to the Power Yoga that started my love affair with yoga.  The temperature in the room was cozy but not stifling hot, which I actually prefer.  The instructor was so inspiring.  Her name is Beth and she is the owner of the studio.  She is tall, beautiful and totally commanded the room.  She regularly travels to India and is becoming fluent in Sanskrit.  To hear her chant was like listening to music.  Anyhow, the Primary Series consists of the same postures performed in the same sequence every time with vinyasas between almost every posture, which makes it very flowy, fast and challenging.  I was a little lost given it was my first Primary Series class but was also hooked.  And the class WORKED me; I was so tired and sore afterwards, but also blissful!

I realized the first weekend that I was going to need to let go of judgments I had about my body.  I found myself wanting to be perfect in each asana and worrying that my legs are too long or my feet are too flat to ever be “good” at yoga.  How silly that is.  My body is perfect as it was created and yoga is for EVERYONE.   Enough said about that (but still working on it :-)!

This particular weekend was technically the last weekend of the year-long program.  But since you can enroll and start at any point, it happened to be my first workshop.  It focused on inversions, which are so fun.  I love standing on my head and being upside down.  I believe it helps you see things in a different perspective. I love the space at the Living Yoga Studio.  It is so warm and cozy and smells softly like incense and as new as I was to it all, I felt like I had come home.
 
Another sign that this is indeed where I am meant to be was a friendship I developed almost instantly.  When I signed up for the training and Maureen saw where I lived, she said "Oh, I am pretty sure one of the other students in the class lives in Francestown."  I smiled and nodded politely but was thinking in my head "She must be mistaken.  NO ONE lives in Francestown and on top of that, the studio in Concord is almost an hour away."  Sure enough, the first morning I arrived she introduced me to Sam who does, in fact, live in Francestown, about two minutes from my house.  We carpool together and she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met.  I feel so thankful that our paths crossed. 

Intro and Background

I decided to start this journal as a way to process and document my experience as I begin a yoga teacher training program.  But the idea quickly transformed into a bigger vision.  If anyone knows me you will know that I am not very savvy when it comes to technology but I thought it would be really cool to start a blog and a fun, practical way to keep friends and family in the loop about what I am up to.  However, again, a bigger vision came into focus.  With my decision to enter into a yoga training program came a long awaited realization that living an authentic, purposeful life is available and attainable to everyone, including me.  It feels amazing and I want to share it with anyone who is interested.  I sincerely hope that something here will resonate with someone and bring him or her one step further along in their own personal journey towards awakening to their authentic selves and living lives full of peace, happiness and contentment.  I am not claiming to be an expert although I do have a deep passion and interest in the field of personal and spiritual growth and development.  Primarily, I am just human like everyone else trying to make the most of this life that I am blessed to have been given.  There is an unlimited amount of potential for personal, physical and spiritual growth through yoga and everyday life experiences, and I look forward to sharing what I learn!

My Yoga Background

I started practicing yoga about seven years ago at a Baron Baptiste Power Yoga Studio in Merrimack, NH on a recommendation from a friend.  I clearly remember my first class because it (or shall I say “I”) was a complete and utter disaster.  If anyone is familiar with Power Yoga, you will know it is a fast paced, very flowy and extremely physical style of yoga.  On top of that, the temperature in the room is cranked up to almost 100 degrees.  Probably not the best choice for a beginner but you have to start somewhere!   Anyhow, I remember the instructor adjusting me on practically every pose (or at least the poses I attempted to get into.)  I didn’t even know how to do the most basic postures, such as downward dog, and I felt so awkward.  I lacked body awareness and had no concept of how to twist & lengthen into these foreign poses, and my extremely tight muscles were not allowing me much freedom to do so.  Not understanding that one of the main philosophies of yoga is non-judgement, my ego was crushed as I compared myself to all the Gumby-like bodies in the class and attempted to muscle my way into all the poses.  It’s a good thing I did not end up seriously injured.

Despite this, I went back.  It could have been my perfectionist nature wanting to master this yoga thing, but looking back I think it was the beginning of a long curiosity surrounding the ancient practice of Yoga.  At first, the benefits I perceived from Yoga were purely physical.  Baptiste Power Yoga is a workout like no other.  It increases your heart rate while building incredible strength and flexibility throughout every muscle group in your body and since my clothes and hair would literally be drenched with perspiration after class I was convinced I was sweating out any yucky toxins in my body.  I felt incredible after practicing this type of yoga.

According to Deepak Chopra in the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga “If the practice of yoga provided only these physical benefits, it would fully justify its place in our lives. However, at its core, yoga is much more than a system of physical fitness. It is a science of balanced living, a path for realizing full human potential.”

These words sum up exactly why I have decided to immerse myself in a teacher training.  Do I want to teach?  Possibly.  I love the idea of sharing yoga with others…particularly Yoga “off the mat.”  But primarily I cannot wait to witness the personal spiritual and physical growth that I know will occur in the next year.  I  intend to use my experience to help others with their own personal development and truly cannot think of any other type of work that would bring me such joy.  So even though this leg of my journey has just begun I am already experiencing unprecedented peace and contentment in my life because I know I am on the exact path I am supposed to be on.  I guess I have always been since everything I have experienced has brought me here.