I would like to share with you what a wonderful journey this training has been for me.
It has been my salvation these past few months, and a metaphor for many parts of my life. Teacher
Training has allowed me to profoundly deepen my practice and self-awareness. I have found that
yoga offers some of the most therapeutic benefits, that are simply not available to me in other
life experiences. The connection between the mind and body in yoga has been incredible. I
hope one day to find a way to weave the practice of yoga into other areas of my world, helping
others to experience some of the wonderful benefits that may unfold when one attends to the
inner experience, perhaps while facing fear or discomfort and moving through it.
Throughout the training, I was faced with challenges in my life and practice, many
aspects of which were not of my choosing, that felt hard and at times insurmountable. Often I
was bitter that I had less time available to commit to my yoga training than I hoped and planned.
There were days when I was convinced that I could not get through what was being asked of
me, both in training and in life in general. There were poses that I felt that I could never master.
Often, upon reflecting, it became clear that these feelings were related less to my yoga practice
and were in fact more of a mirror of other struggles in my life at the time. However, by looking
inward to find strength and focus, I was able to move through these moments, which enabled
me to get to the other side of each pose, practice and hard thing in my life. My yoga training has
enabled me to use this time to bring myself back to center and to find inner peace when faced
with chaos.
I am typically extremely focused on mastering all that I do, to the point that I often lose
myself in working toward producing an outcome, missing the process. Through TT, I continually
reminded myself that this process is not about being perfect or an outcome, but rather about
deepening my practice and knowledge of yoga, so that someday I may be able to help others
experience some of the amazing benefits that it has brought to my life. For me, yoga is a
journey, and one that I intend to continue as long as my body and mind allow. I am joyful that my
training has enabled me to broaden and deepen this path and I am so very thankful to you for all
that you have taught me and challenged me to do throughout the process. I look forward to
continuing this journey, deepening my practice and self discovery, as well as being part of the
BY community.