For the Love of Yoga

​That's the pride of a teacher: that he has the privilege to serve another student, because somebody served him. ~Yogi Bhajan

I never consciously set out to be a yoga teacher, instead the door opened for me to step into the teacher’s seat when one of my instructors was moving and asked if I would take over her class. I had begun my personal practice many years prior to teaching because I was seeking alternative ways to heal my depression beyond prescription medication. I wanted to get to the root of my illness and deep down I knew that yoga offered a vital piece for my healing. I loved the way the postures challenged me physically and opened me to cultivating a more loving and hospitable relationship with my mind. Slowly, over time, I began to feel happy for no apparent reason. I was changing from the inside—out. This is one of the unique aspects of yoga that separates it from other forms of learning and personal growth: it is an embodied practice. It’s effects are much farther reaching than our physicality or our intellect. Yoga is a technology for transformation and it is designed to awaken us to our true nature as limitless, infinite beings having a human experience for just a short time. And, just ask anyone who practices: it works!

I have been teaching yoga for more than ten years now. My favorite thing in the world is sharing my passion for this sacred practice with others and witnessing their transformations before my eyes. It is amazing to see all types of healing occurring from a committed practice--I've seen countless physical issues such as chronic pain being alleviated or altogether eliminated, weight loss and complete injury recovery, as well as the most commonly treated mental illnesses like anxiety and depression being significantly improved and effectively managed.

The transition from being a student to a teacher felt, in some ways, very natural for me: I was basically doing my practice alongside others and guiding them through my words. I was figuring it out as I went—watching how their bodies responded to the postures and reading the energy of the room—relying on my intuition to offer adjustments or suggestions that would be of benefit. However, I knew that if I wanted to continue to teach I really needed to avail myself of more specific techniques to keep the students safe and inspired to grow in their practice. This is where my yoga teacher training was invaluable. I was given much more of the technical information with regards to anatomy and alignment; sequencing and adjusting. The personal mentorship and support of the other trainees helped me gain confidence in my ability and begin to discover my unique voice as a teacher. Yoga teacher training not only made me an 'official' and employable Yoga Alliance registered teacher, it made me more effective in my role as a guide for others and continues to open me to access new levels of my own potential. 

Over the course of the last decade I have seen a paradigm shift taking place from health care to self care. Many people are no longer content to view pathology from the single focused perspective of disease as final prognosis but rather as a pathway to greater health and wellness. Like me, many are using their diagnoses as a platform to explore a multidimensional approach to healing and wholeness. We are expanding our understanding around what it means to care well for ourselves and learning a new language for how to access the intuitive wisdom that lives within us for our greatest benefit.

It is a privilege and an honor to be able to teach in this capacity as the need is growing in our modern world for practical tools to recalibrate our taxed nervous systems, maintain equilibrium for our overactive minds and awaken us to the depth of our own soul soaked truth. I am very excited to be taking my own teaching to a new level this year by facilitating the next One Integrative Yoga Teacher Training at One Yoga and Fitness beginning this September. I believe that choosing to step into a teacher training of this kind is to receive a call that you may or may not yet fully understand. Not everyone that feels compelled to do a teacher training intends to teach. Many individuals embark on the quest for their own interests. Whether you are looking for a new career, a part time pleasure or simply to make a personal pilgrimage, you will most assuredly experience the following by saying “yes” to this call:

• A deepening and expansion of your practice beyond the physical benefits by exploring the 8 Limbs that comprise the totality of the path of yoga. This particular training is comprehensive--it offers both a solid technical knowledge of the art and science of teaching yoga as well a transformational experience that is designed to awaken you to your unique strengths and abilities.  
• A nurturing and supportive environment for your own transformative process to unfold. You will bond very deeply with your allies—others who have courageously followed the call for their own reasons. And you will be guided step by step the entire way by well trained facilitators that have been teaching for more than a decade.
• Clarity and a sense of direction for the next steps in your life journey. Joseph Campbell, the great mythologist said, “If the path before you is clear, you're probably on someone else’s.” We blaze our own authentic trail as we step forward into the creation of something entirely new. I can’t explain how it works, but Grace meets us and the perfect opportunities present themselves as we step with courage.
• Your own personal healing quest...not to be confused with “curing.” Healing, like yoga, is about wholeness and learning the lessons of our challenges doesn’t always eliminate them, but it gives us a better understanding of how to work with them and, most importantly, the resources to change our primary relationship with ourselves to include more compassion, understanding and acceptance.
• Increased confidence in your ability to lead with your heart and shine your unique light for others. Should you choose too, you will be equipped with the knowledge and experience to teach both beginner level and flow or power yoga classes. 

Due to the steadily increasing research around the benefits of complimentary practices like yoga, mindfulness and meditation, the wellness industry is becoming one of the most robust industries in America. It is a wonderful time to decide to be a part of the solution for the myriad health related issues that cause many to suffer. If you are curious and feel the call to learn more about this training or have specific questions, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or call One Yoga and Fitness at 407.900.8039. I would love to have you join me!