Dear Yoga, do you still remember me?
It’s been a while since I blogged about yoga. Thought the moment arise when I was practicing on the mat and things came up on my mind and I wanted to reflect and blog it.
Last year, I completed my teacher training in Ontario and was certified as a 500YTT yoga teacher with an emphasis on yoga therapy. At the beginning of the year of last year, I was very avid in going to classes. (Maybe not as many classes as David) but I completed enough classes that put me in a state of bliss and motivation.
After my 300 hr teacher training, I learned a lot more about different body types and how the mind frequently fools us about what we really need as opposed to what we think we need.
Take for example, our training. Most of us there always requested a more yang practice even though, our schedule was to do restorative. Even after learning about the different doshas we inherently embody and may require a more balanced practice and nutrition, some of the yogis there end up doing what they think they need; a yang practice followed by a nice starbucks coffee! HA!
In my quest to become a stronger teacher, I must also become a better student. It was by force really and my mind is constantly asking if I’m doing the right thing. Although after the pass year of becoming more like a student, I think I’m slowly getting it.
I’ve stopped practicing regularly at a yoga studio. Don’t get me wrong, we should still practice and get out there and mingle with our community and fellow yogis. But as a teacher needing to know why students have certain restrictions (can’t touch the toes, very stiff in certain areas), I started doing what I didn’t want to do. I slowed down.
I stopped competing with myself and kept challenging myself to do ‘x’ number of classes, teach ‘y’ number of classes and achieve a billion things on my agenda.
I practiced more slowly and felt each posture flow from one to another. When I started getting stiff, I thought of the number of ways that led to this. I reduced postures to the main mandatory ones that fit me.
The outcome? I feel less stressed, more creative and extremely patient with myself and others.
Do I think of yoga any less? Absolutely not! But I’m definitely up to something. MUhhahaha..
My thoughts are that once again, western society has taken something great and will continue to exploit it fully and completely. But as a student of yoga, living yoga doesn’t happen only on a yoga mat. It happens every time we breathe and allow thoughts to flow in our minds.
Namaste.
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