Week 1 - Yoga Teacher Training

I have officially made it through the first weekend of yoga teacher training, where I am working toward my 200 hour yoga certification. I had a lot of anxiety and felt fairly overwhelmed as I prepared for this weekend, but I went in with an open heart and an open mind and quickly found that my fears were unfounded.

Isn’t that true for most new journeys?

We tend to twist and turn in our minds until we are feeling crazy about something that doesn’t even exist yet. It’s a good reminder to be present and enjoy the moment you are in, rather than get yourself in a knot over something that hasn’t even happened yet.

We tend to twist and turn in our minds until we are feeling crazy about something that doesn’t even exist yet.

My training class is currently made of ten women – the eleventh was out with the flu, time will tell if she joins us next week. I had an idea in my head of who these ten women would be and why they were taking the yoga teacher training course. Of course I was all wrong.

Our class is an amazing array of women spanning three or four decades in age, with diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, geographies, motivations and aspirations. Yet, we are all united in this journey, and instantly bonded through it.

So far, there hasn’t been a lot of physical practice, as the first weekend was a lot of orientation, “housekeeping” items, getting acquainted and getting organized. We’ve had some lectures, demonstrations and discussions, as well.

While I feel more excited and less anxious, I still can’t shake the nervous energy that I built up prior to class. It’s made sleep a little more difficult for me, but I know that will soon shift in the right direction as I get through my required reading and work this week. And, I’ve been told once we ramp up the physical practice, I’ll be so tired that I won’t have any trouble sleeping through the night.

Here are 5 things to know about the first week of yoga teacher training:

• It seems more overwhelming than it actually is

• At the same time, it’s becoming apparent that there is a lot more to this commitment than what I initially understood

• The energy in class is supportive, positive and aspirational

• I’m able to be present in class without the worry, guilt or anxiety I had anticipated due to being away from my family

• I’m learning just as much about myself as I am about yoga