34. Yoga Teacher Training - Part 1

There are many inspiring things that refill my cup - yoga is an important one of them. I'm dedicating this blog post to my previous yoga experience, and the preparation for an upcoming Yoga Teacher Training to refresh my knowledge. As an illustrator, drawing is a natural way to capture what I'm learning and so I'm using my drawings to fold yoga deeper into my memory.

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A Yoga Teacher Training course is typically a 200hr month long training to explore the philosophy, practice and refinements to become a yoga teacher. I completed a YTT back in 2013 but to be frank, I've forgotten a lot of the information and I never did it to become a teacher. So I found a course here locally in Windhoek, and booked myself in to get back to the basics. This is a chance to delve back in, meet other like-minded yogis and start building some teaching skills.

One of the requirements in preparation for this course YTT course was to complete 20 hours of yoga classes with other teachers. So of course, I loved the challenge and it became a fantastic opportunity to do yoga on my travels through Spain and then in Cape Town on my way home to Namibia. I printed and bound a little A5 Yoga Journal booklet and brought it with me on my travels to document it all.

After each class, I drew a pose or muscle, and scribbled out a couple of notes. Sometimes I highlighted the sanskrit names, or noted alignment signs. And I always had each teacher sign to confirm I completed a class with them. Sad to say, I lost this little booklet. But not before I could turn it in for credit - so it served it's purpose very well! And thankfully, I saved these two photos to share here.

The classes I did along my travels were wildly different experiences. First, it's always a bit of a hunt to find yoga studios in Spain. Most of them I found via google maps or via instagram. Then, I had to pre-book a lot of the classes directly with the teachers via whatsapp! No anonymous drop-ins until I got to Madrid. I crammed my yoga outfit in my backpack as we toured around and made a plan every day to leave my tourist activity with plenty of time to arrive at each shala to settle in before the class. To be honest, it was a bit exhausting to fit it all in, but also uniquely charming to see all the different locations for these yoga studios - second floor village shalas, back garden spaces, big boxy studios, and pokey little community centers!

More interesting to me was that each teacher sets a particular tone and delivery for yoga - so that the asana practice really does feel different every single time. (Caveat: this might be due to the many existing different style of yoga. e.g. hatha with long holds, vinyasa with breathing emphasized, or yin with cold slow fascia release, etc.) But I also find that each teacher brings their own personality to the presentation of the yoga. Serious. Playful. Curious. Inspiring. A teacher has the capacity to shape a yoga practice into something very unique. And each of the teachers I met along the way were generous and kind to me, answering questions and giving advice. Here's the main takeaways I took from each of their classes:

@anarodriguez_nuestrashala @ahimsayogaysonido

@nacho.kaleta @eva_zavala_yoga

caridad fernandez @maxinebeimel @karlsten.yoga mimi thurgood

Thank you to each of you for sharing the practice with me. It's was heartwarming to feel a kinship with others who also geek out over yoga. I gotta say although I really do love my personal practice at home - it was also a nice change to be with other students, to follow different rhythms, and to remember the wide variety of yoga that exists.

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Writing this post made me reflect back on the many yoga experiences I've had along the way. Every place I've lived has given me an opportunity to study in different studios, with different styles of yoga, and with different teachers. Each of them have shaped my personal growth. So indulge me while I list my previous teachers and thank them for being pivotal to me on my yoga journey:

Thank you to my intro teacher, unknown, @winterparkyoga. I came to you on a whim as a burned out and under-slept college coed working 3 jobs. I entered the candlelit studio oblivious and proceeded to spend an entire hour furiously looking around and trying to keep up. At the end of the class in savasana, I awoke from a deep sleep as you knelt by my head to massage the nape of my neck with lavender oil. I came out of class with a strange high - totally blissed out and very confused about what the heck just happened.

Thank you to my iyengar teacher, uknown, @centralyogastudio. I was studying abroad at University of Technology Sydney and I had no idea what Iyengar meant but you were the closest studio to my dorm. So I bought a membership package and started coming to classes on the regular. I smirked every time you were pouty about alignment and posture and brought out new toys and props for poses. I only connected the dots after 6 months of muscle memory when suddenly my personal practice took on a whole new level of power.

Thank you to my jivamukti teacher, unknown, lost studio near george V metro. I loved how you laced each class with personal anecdotes and inspirational quotes throughout the practice. It helped me simultaneously get out of my head and into my body and feel something deeper than just movement. Every class felt like magic and I always left class with a buzzy happiness that kept me afloat amidst rainy days in paris.

Thank you to my rocket intro teacher Peter @pringsverdyoga who hosted a Rocket Yoga class every week around the corner from our apartment in Copenhagen. The playful challenge of Rocket was richly satisfying to both me and my partner. In particular, I was floored by your humble honesty about your own personal growth. After a year in your classes, I decided to ambitiously jump into a Rocket YTT. A hearty thank you for not dissuading me from trying.

To my rocket teacher training host Lita @litasattva for receiving me in Lisbon alongside all of the other teachers for the Rocket YTT. You model a very inclusive and holistic experience of yoga. You shine with a naturally open, approachable and welcoming soul. I'm grateful for your presence then and continued advice since.

And then of course, my gratitude to David C. Kyle @davidckyle who authored the Rocket Vinyasa Foundations to share the original Rocket sequences of Ashtanga that Larry Schultz arranged. It was illuminating to train under your guidance during the Rocket YTT. Thank you for all the moments you let me doodle and literally draw out your wisdom into panel comics. Thanks for letting me be mischievous!

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Finally, a thank you to all that have come before to share their knowledge - yoga is what it is because it has been handed down for thousands of years. So many hands, so many hearts.

I'm grateful to each of you,

smarti