Foundational Vinyasa Teacher Training - 200 hours, Full- Time
This is the third of a five part series - read on and stay tuned for reflections on Week 4!
Everyone said we’d cry in week three, and they were right. They didn’t warn us about the pre-9am Black Eyed Peas booty shaking, but that’s OK. Life is full of surprises.
This week saw us diving into the heart chakra and air element, exploring all things backbends (with a dash of handstands) in our asana practices. Nothing like a split-second of that upside down feeling in the morning, am I right? Terrifying and exhilarating in equal measures. I know I’m not alone in my nervousness around backbends, but our approach this week had me seeing them in a whole new light, and also feeling them in a whole new way. Our teachers talked to the feeling of being supported by the air around us as we opened our hearts, and I realised I needed to take that same trust and surrender to my life off the mat as well. Turns out what you learn in yoga might just apply to real life - who would have thought?
If last week was about confidence, for me week three was about trust. I’ve definitely had moments (more than a few) of stressing out about what to do after teacher training, but this week I was able to feel a bit more comfortable with the inevitable unknown and go with the flow a little bit more. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop striving and working towards what I want, but I’ve just realised that the effort needs to be balanced with the ease that comes with trusting in the abundance of the universe. Effort and ease, sthira and sukha. These yogis might just be onto something.
As we near the end of our training, I am both excited and nervous about what lies ahead. I’ve been journalling every morning after our practice, and I wrote this during the week, after we spoke about intentions and fresh starts. “I think this is the time to create the life I want to live. A life of love and friends and family and giving back and yoga and meditation and connection and good food and reading and writing and great conversations and swimming in the ocean and feeling the sun shine on my face and doing work that feels good for me and the world. Such a bloody exciting feeling. Fresh starts. Abundance. This is my intention.” Reading that now gives me a tingly feeling in my tummy (hello third chakra, is that you? FINALLY?) and I’ve realised that it’s only after surrendering and letting go (and maybe doing cow and cat to the sweet sounds of Prince) that I can feel this kind of clarity.
So all that to say, things are slowly falling into place, in their own strange way. My perspective on life and what happens next is shifting, while physically my practice feels better almost every day, filled with more awareness, strength, courage and self-care. Our session with naturopath Tabitha McIntosh had me assessing how I fuel my body, and our lessons on language and how to communicate within a class has made me more mindful of my words than ever before. My eyes have been opened to the subtle arts of mudra, mantra, pranayama and meditation, and I can’t wait to keep learning about these magical members of the yoga family. Shit is getting juicy and real and I kind of never want it to end.