Holy Yoga Batman! Lecture 2

My first week as an official yoga teacher trainee was amazing!! I felt so alive and so at peace all week long. Day after day I've been working on my homework (anatomy is tedious but fun, Donna Fahri is my new favorite person, and I need to get more pumped about reading Iyengar, but whatev) and my own personal practice. I feel great physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, all of the above!!

I thought I was done "studying" in May, but really this yoga training is quite time consuming. Of course, all time spent goes towards my 200 hours (and possibly even my 500 hr certification in years to come) but I didn't expect it to be so much. We're required to complete a minimum of 45 hours of personal practice with an instructor. According to my calculations that means I have to attend 4 1-hour yoga classes each week. OY VEY that's a lot. Add onto that my minimum of 20 mentoring hours, 5 volunteer/service hours, 45 retreat hours, 32 lecture hours, 48 Asana Intensive hours, and an unlimited amount of non-contact hours for personal studies, home practice, etc...Holy Yoga Batman is right!

Despite the fact that I'm once again going to have to be pretty strict about my time for the next 3 months, I'm still totally stoked on all that we're learning. Tonight at lecture we talked about the 8-limbed path (for a brief overview check out this website: http://www.focalpointyoga.com/8_fold_path.htm). It is all very interesting and basically coincides with my general foundation of morals and values based in Christ. There is a lot to digest and its all somewhat overwhelming, but so enthralling. Each week I will challenge myself to invest in myself and be more aware of the Yamas and Niyamas. To start off this week I will be focusing on my Ahimsa which is defined as being kind and compassionate to all living creatures (including myself). This includes refraining from violence in words as well as actions/thoughts, forgiveness, and having regard for all beings. I feel like this one should be pretty easy for me for I feel that I am already a pretty kind and compassionate person, however, I know the struggle will be in remembering that this applies to my words, thoughts, and actions towards MYSELF as well! What a concept...

In addition to all this yummy new knowledge in my mind, I also have a mentor! Her name is Lindsey and she is a doula (check out her website: www.ocdoulas.com) as well as a childbirth educator, a student midwife and a yoga teacher. She teaches pre-natal yoga as well as mommy and me yoga. I will be interning with her on Wednesday evenings in Tustin, hopefully starting this upcoming week. I'm extremely excited to go and observe and eventually take part in teaching her classes.

There's no Asana Intensive this week (whew!) but next week we have lecture on Friday night and AI on Saturday day. I feel so much stronger than last week and feel so much more energetic. It's pretty darn exciting I tell you! My only concern is getting all these hours in, but I know if it's meant to be then God will make it happen!

In honor of being in tune with my ahimsa this week here's a little poetry... (I found this on the same website I listed above about the 8-limbed path).

Om Shanti (let there be peace).

What I Am

I am lovable and capable.

I full accept and believe in myself just the way I am.

I am a unique and special person. There is no one else quite like me in the entire world.

I accept all the different parts of myself.

I’m already worthy as a person. I don’t have to prove myself.

My feelings and needs are important.

It’s OK to think about what I need.

It’s good for me to take time for myself.

I have many good qualities.

I believe in my capabilities and value the unique talents I can offer the world.

I am a person of high integrity and sincere purpose.

I trust in my ability to achieve success with my goals.

I am a valuable and important person, worthy of the respect of others.

Others perceive me as a good and likable person.

When other people really get to know me, they like me.

Other people like to be around me. They like to hear what I have to say and to know what I think.

Others recognize that I have a lot to offer.

I deserve to be supported by those people who care for me.

I deserve the respect of others.

I trust and respect myself and am worthy of the respect of others.

I now receive assistance and cooperation from others.

I’m optimistic about life. I look forward to and enjoy new challenges.

I know what my values are and am confident of the decisions I make.

I easily accept compliments and praise from others.

I take pride in what I’ve accomplished and look forward to what I intend to achieve.

I believe in my ability to succeed.

I love myself just the way I am.

I don’t have to be perfect to be loved.

The more I love myself, the more I am able to love others.