Route into yoga teacher training – during Covid-19

My route into yoga teacher training (YTT), didn’t quite go as planned.. I set out in Jan 2020 on an Ashtanga Primary Modified 200hr YTT course with @jamieyogatrainings & @dianabrook aimed for delivery over a 9 month period with one weekend a month of face to face training.

In March 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK & we entered lockdown & life as we all knew it changed dramatically. This started a new phase of life & being, socially distancing from loved ones, with fear & uncertainty about what the future would hold. I am not going to go into impact of that here.. that is a whole other story!

The yoga however was put on hold. The course was suspended until it would be possible to return to some new kind of norm & this is planned to restart in July 2020.

Initially I focused on trying to strengthen my yoga practice & improve alignment & flexibility. Eventually my motivation started to wane & I started to lose some of that initial drive I started the year with.

So.. I decided to try another (hopefully complementary) path & signed up for the @myvinyasapractice online 200hr YTT in June 2020. It was a whole different approach & self-directed with daily self-reflection coming back to truth ‘a divine being in a human experience’.

The last 5-6 weeks took a whole new turn. Through the course, I’ve learnt so much about how yoga is a part of daily life & beyond the asanas & how it touches on all aspects of being. Bringing back the importance of connection.

Today I submitted my final 3 mini classes on the teachable platform. I have 8 hours of zoom workshops left to watch & then planning for my final 1 hour karma yoga class followed by reflection & just maybe I’ll be one step closer to being able to teach & share the practice of yoga with others.

This eve, feeling gratitude. Gratitude for what was, what is & what will be. Remembering it is this present moment & stilling the mind that is precious on this journey of life.

Sending love & light 🙏

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First experience of practicing Ashtanga Modified Primary Sequence in yoga teacher training

I have been doing yoga for many many years, which was what took me on this journey to teacher training. However, my previous practices, I soon came to realise were not full Ashtanga & had always been much slower & less physically intense.

Following my first physical practice of the full ashtanga modified primary series was like nothing I had ever experienced.

At one point it felt like never ending torture. My body felt like jelly & my mind was mush. Trying to coordinate my physical body with the instructions was almost impossible & I felt all movement became random & I was physically weak.

I felt relieved to get to the sit down poses, which in my head felt easier.. how wrong I was. The rolls back into vinyasa was something I was not ready for & seemed to be at least two moves behind the instructions.

From that first practice, I learnt more about myself than I had in any other practice. I enjoyed the twists, folds & holds, whilst the rapid movement felt alien to me.

I knew this was going to be a very sharp learning curve…

On the bright side, I did it, which was the biggest adrenaline rush! I got to the end & my watch informed me I’d burnt 333 calories, which is an angel sign & concluded this was all good.