Foundational Vinyasa Teacher Training - 200 hours, Full- Time August 2017
This is the first of a five part series - read on and stay tuned for Week 2!
Week 1: Fresh Starts and The Importance Of Kindness
Week One is done and dusted, and I can safely say it’s been the fastest week of my life. It seems like only yesterday I was nervously waking up on Monday morning for my new beginning. Now I am somehow a quarter of the way through the training, with 17 new best friends and a mind that has been blown just a handful of times! Yep, it’s been a big week.
Deciding to begin my yoga teacher training was not something I took lightly (does anyone ever?) but it was something I was committed to wholeheartedly. So it’s no surprise that it really did feel like first day of school on Monday, complete with butterflies in the tummy and a much-needed pep talk (this time from my boyfriend rather than my parents). But after a few days, arriving to the studio each morning felt like coming home to a new, warm & fuzzy (and all female!) family.
The daily yoga practices have been both refreshing and challenging (depending on how many hours of sleep I got the night before) and it has been incredibly enlightening to look back on the practices and see what we are learning about in our theoretical classes reflected in our experiences. Lightbulb moments are a daily occurrence, and they are a beautiful thing to witness in the women around me.
These lightbulb moments are sometimes big and bright, other times more slowly upping the dimmer switch. And they’re not just physical - so much of the foundational philosophy that we have learned this week has already started to tweak little things about the way I see the world and think about life. Going into teacher training, I set the intention to be open to change, and to be kind. And this week, although my mind has been open, it’s the kindness that I’ve seen permeating throughout my life.
From listening to my body and make choices that are the best for how I feel in the moment (12 hours of physical practice in 6 days is a little more than I am used to!) to smiling and chatting with strangers on the street, I can feel myself softening and being more present, both with myself and the people around me. Practicing the yama of ahimsa (non-violence, or kindness) I’m trying (key word: trying) to be less reactive in my relationships and to really listen when people talk. I’m having more baths. I’m cooking more plant-based meals and also not shying away from a little treat if it happens to come my way (who am I to turn down cheesecake when it appears in front of me?). I’m connecting with new friends in an open and honest way, and sharing hot chocolates with old friends who are so inquisitive about this path I’ve just started heading down.
To feel like this after just one week is a testament to just how much we are learning (it’s a lot) and the energy both Nicole and Rod bring to the classroom, as well as all the sunny staff at InYoga. Not to mention the big hearts of my fellow teacher trainees.
For the first time in a while, I’m skipping the Sunday night blues and savouring the sunset, enjoying the moment while also eagerly awaiting the week that lies ahead. Bring it on!