Formal yoga teacher training is now over and a few things have become apparent to me.
Backtracking to why I went into this from the beginning. I wanted to deepen my own yoga practice, learn more about yoga and see where it took me. Then the course started and like everyone in it I got caught up in the teaching aspect. But here's the rub: I never actually wanted to teach it, just learn it.
So midway through I had some conflict with myself then around late November I told myself to think again about why I started the training. And it came back to me... I didn't want to TEACH yoga -- especially after we heard how you have to hustle to get students and break into a world full of would-be yoga teachers, etc... reminding me of the hassles it was in my 20s to be in Japan and have to hustle for English students (which I did willingly then in order to stay in Japan, sometimes even taking trains an hour from my home to get to a class). I didn't want to do that anymore. Plus I was retired from teaching (public school) and didn't really need to find more work. So I relaxed and just learned what I needed for myself.
So here is some of my take away from 5 months of yoga teacher training:
1. I don't want to teach yoga.
2. I like to and want to keep going to other people's yoga classes because it relaxes me and helps me in my own practice.
3. I learned a lot about my body and its weird alignment with poses and how to help myself ease into a pose to a fuller extent.
4. I learned that my body type is just as good for yoga as a young thin bendy person's and that whatever I did, it was my yoga.
5. I learned more about breathing and meditation and yoga philosophy and have some areas I want to continue my learning in.
6. I learned to be more patient in class and to see how my first impressions of some people in the class changed over time.
7. I made a few really nice friends that I hope to stay in touch with.
8. I learned that from now on my experience with yoga will be different (in how I see a pose to how I see the world) and I am grateful for that.
9. I learned it is ok to express gratitude for things and that being more positive helps me stay grounded, no matter what people around me are like.
10. I learned how to face some of my fears (handstands) and how to work within my own abilities to over come them. No I still can't do a handstand but I have learned more of what my body needs to do and how a lot of it is practice and patience.
I probably learned a ton more but those are the 10 things that came to my mind as I sit here thinking about the class. Maybe the thing that I realized most of all is: life and everything we do is yoga, not just the poses. Yes Michelle, It is truly ALL yoga! Thank you for an amazing experience!
