Total Cleanse

Yogis and Yoginis,

You may have seen these flyers recently around the studio.....Total Cleanse is now delivering straight to Hot Yoga Aurora making it even more convenient for you to pick up your cleanse before or after your yoga practice. See my blog posts below from October 16th and October 18th which is when I did the three day energise cleanse. I definately recommend it and even more so now that you can save 15% off the cost of your cleanse by using promo #hotyogacleanse and picking up at the studio ! The juices are delicious and definately do the "detoxing job"
* that does not mean it is easy so feel free to let us know how you are doing and maybe we can give you a pep talk if need be*

Success is not a place at which one arrives but rather the spirit with which one undertakes and continues the journey.”

It has been about six months since I began the 200 hour yoga teacher training at Hot Yoga Aurora, on paper it is the process of being certified, but in reality it is a wonderful journey. The journey was life changing, eye opening , at times gruelling, but worth it.I asked my fellow yogis what they thought of the teacher training and what it did for them emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally, the responses were great and a reocurring theme throughout that resonated with me was the fear that you just wont be good enough, the feeling of inadequacy that comes with new experiences and learning new things. Here is what they had to say

One of the biggest ones for me was doubting myself. Through out the training i would feel some really big highs and some really big lows. The highs were when i felt really good about teaching and i had this confidence where i knew i was going to do really well and i felt really good about becoming a teacher. On the other hand the lows were when i felt like i didn't want to put in the effort some days, i felt like i didn't like the thought of teaching and i wouldn't be good at it. My advice is to keep up with your practice, although it might feel like the last thing you want to do after a long day of training is a yoga class on top of it all, but thats what give you that confidence that allows you to feel like you are in the right place. I find that when i miss a few classes or i just haven't been to the studio in a few days i start to lose encouragement. It is a major roller coaster ride but the "ups" far outweigh the "downs", it is extremely rewarding to be coming to the end of the training and i cant wait to become a certified teacher :)

 - ERIN WARD WILLIAMS ( On schedule at HYA and soon opening her own studio along with her sister Ashley - see below)

Major Highs
*Extreme sense of accomplishment, especially when it feels like all of that information and hard work finally starts to come together!
*Gained sense of purpose, its just feels great to know that I now have the ability to influence someone's practice, whether its a student at the studio or a friend/family member and to spread the love of yoga
*Meeting and making new friends in the YTT program, although its hard to open up at first and feel confident its amazing how supportive and non-judgmental everyone is, and it feels great to work together and support eachother!

Major Lows
*As already mentioned, feeling inadequate is a big challenge, trying to be confident as a beginner teacher and moving out there into the world of experenced ones, but we all have to start somewhere!! there will always be that fear of rejection
*Keeping at it while maintaining balance in your life ie. work, family, friends and keeping up with your own personal practice...major challenge for me, lots of determination, drive, planning and headaches
*For some it might not be so bad, but I know for me my nerves can really get the best of me....its mentally draining, and makes me almost feel physically ill !
But all in all it is quite the journey, and a life-changing experience!

ASHLEY WARD WILLIAMS  (On schedule at HYA)

One of the first things my Teacher in Dallas told us was that stuff was gonna come up in our life that would prevent us from graduating. He didn't know why or what would happen, but in his experience (with 8 groups of YTT), major life challenges would come to surface that could derail someone from their training completion...I'm the perfect example because I was kicked out of the United States and couldn't finish ! I find that you seem to be 'tested' at some point during your training. Maybe it's because of the emphasis on 'soul-searching'....

Rachel Cheam Gibson ( On schedule at HYA and educator at Lululemon)

My biggest challenge when entering the Yoga Teacher Training was thinking that a yoga teacher must be a yoga guru. If one is going to teach the practice, then one must have the practice mastered. I became fixated on advanced postures, practiced them every day and attended workshops - I was obsessed. During the course of my training I slowly learned the philosophy behind the yoga practice. I began to realize that yoga is not about achieving asanas and being a "show off", yoga is about finding your own edge and detaching yourself from it. I forgot about future goals, and began focusing on the present. Instead of worrying about what's next, I concentrate on what is happening now. No one ever masters yoga - everyone just keeps practicing.

LUCY GOYTISOLO

(Lucy teaches at Twisted Yoga Studio every Wednesday at 6pm !

509 Bloor St W -get off at Bathurst Subway Station!

Cost is $8 per class

Check out her website for more info: http://www.anyonecanyoga.ca/)

Before I joined the YTT program, I was a different person. I was confused, closed up, and lost. I over analyzed EVERYTHING I did, said, and thought about - including enrolling in the YTT program.On New Year ’s Day 2011, I made the decision to make some huge changes in my life, one of which meant I was going to stop thinking about it and just enroll in the program.

At first I was shocked at the amount of work and time it was going to take to become certified. Next, I was surprised to find out that there were so many cool chicks interested in the same things I was, and as eager to learn more about yoga. Next, I learned that everyone had something happen/happening in their life which led them to yoga and enrolling in the YTT program. In listening to people's stories, and watching them be so open, I too opened up and shared my story, as well as things that I hadn't told some of my closest friends. The sisterhood that came with the YTT program has definitely been my favorite part overall. Lastly, while I expected to grow as person through the training, I did not anticipate acquiring a new outlook on life and the ability to take yoga off the mat.

These elements have precipitated so many positive changes in my life that I can say now I am no longer confused or lost. I’m happy, and I have kick ass group of yogi friends.

ADRIANA CORREALE - ( On schedule at HYA )

If you asked me what yoga was 5 years ago I would have said “it’s a workout”. I despised the gym or any aerobics classes because I felt self conscious – to me going to the gym or a class meant I had to lose the weight and be fit before going just so that I could blend in with the rest of the crowd. Isn’t that ironic? My then 19-year-old sister took me to my first hot yoga class – 90 minutes later I was in love. I went religiously, not only because it made me feel good about myself, but people that were practicing with me were in the same boat. This was my sanctuary! After a long day at work dealing with at most times miserable people (nobody wants to buy gas, they have to – and with gas prices today, you can imagine who their target was for anger) I went to yoga to get fit but also to relax, get out of my head and just have a 60-90 minute of quiet and peaceful time. I must have written the following in my personal essay for Melissa’s exam - after having my son (Daniel) my world completely changed. Life had a completely different meaning. I decided to make a drastic career change. Sold my businesses and signed up for the YTT program. I felt really good about making this decision – I enjoyed all the workshops, classes and meetings. Met amazing girls that inspire me! And then came a point where I felt I made the biggest mistake of my life. I realized that I’m terrified of disappointing others, which in turn meant that I was terrified of teaching. It took Melissa a month if not longer to finally throw me into the class and give me no choice but to teach. With tears in my eyes and a sick feeling in my throat I begged (and attempted to bribe) other teachers to take my place, with no luck I had to face my fears. To this day I still get the nervous butterflies in my stomach but I feel amazing leaving the class even without physically participating. To quickly add another point, I was always a closed off person – sharing feelings and being emotional was a sign of weakness to me. Yoga has allowed me to open up my emotional side and see deeper within myself.

MARIA LITVAK -VASERBAKH ( On schedule at HYA )

We know that practicing yoga and teaching yoga are two greatly distanced opposite ends of the spectrum. As we move through our teacher training we learn about the physiological benefits of yoga - and we are reeling! Yoga not only has an effect on our physical body but also on our emotions and our overall mental health??

But I thought Doctor's were only able to identify possible mental health issues????? We start teaching and we see that our class style has a vast effect on our students. We miss verbal cues for our beginners and we see both beginners and advanced students leaving the room, fidgeting in their postures, eyes wide open looking around the room. This frustrates us to no end! Stay on your mat, do the pose and internalize. Oh, we wish it were easier!!!!!! We come to see people struggling in life and this has the greatest effect on us of all. We want to 'fix' them, to make them yogis in only a few classes.


But the truth is that class is a PRACTICE. Students have to keep coming back to absorb the benefits of yoga. We need to cultivate our knowledge and instruct our class at the most basic level. Teaching a class beyond our realm of experience (ie. Intense forward bends or inversions) can cause our students serious harm and/or send them back out into the world not able to identify with the experience they just had. Students either leave relaxed, centered and focused....or spaced out/angry/upset/depressed.

Yoga brings a lot of baggage with it. We never know how deep someone's emotions are strangling their joints and body, let alone their mind, and because of this we need to be careful. For me, it was very tough to teach and try to connect to students subtle bodies, to their energy on the mat. We are too involved with finding the flow of our words to truly identify with students as well.

As we progress from the basics, we learn to keep our eyes and subtle body open to give and receive energy with our students, and eventually our followers. If we push ourselves too hard by trying to do the 'mostintense sequence' or a 'deep chakra meditation' before we really even know how to use our words to teach - we will feel like failures - like frauds. And I did for quite some time.

Finding ourselves is important to finding our style. We judge ourselves because we don't feel like we're progressing fast enough. It is important to take the time to study for practice(class), but it is even more important to take time for self-study. Find who you are, be confident in who you are, and you will connect with your students.

I wanted to be Melissa overnight I think, and now I realize that I am years away from even being the 'Heather' that I know students will love and connect to. But I am patient.

Heather O'Neill (On schedule at HYA)

 

Thanks to all of you for sharing and thank you to Melissa for being the guru she is, as well as to Naz for her kindness and patience, and the rest of the teachers at HYA. Come check out our classes, visit http://www.hotyogaaurora.com/ for scheduling info or http://www.anyonecanyoga.ca/

NAMASTE