How I’m Preparing for Yoga Teacher Training
When the COVID-19 pandemic began and I had to stop swimming laps every morning at the Y, I jumped back into a daily yoga practice. My local yoga studio offered Zoom classes at the beginning of the pandemic, and I loved rolling out my mat to participate in the six am classes. I always felt refreshed and energized and calm before beginning a day of virtual school while also parenting a toddler. My personal practice had gone on hold when I got pregnant for the second time in 2017, and I had to stop doing the hot yoga classes I loved so much. Instead, I took up swimming laps throughout my pregnancy laps and returned to swimming after my baby was a year old, so these online classes offered me a way to resume my yoga practice. My body remembered why I loved practicing so much, and I was hooked again.
After the start of 2021, my local studio announced that they would offer yoga teacher training for the first time. Within a week of their announcement, I wrote a check for the deposit and dropped it off to the studio: I wanted in. I was ready to dive deeper into the practice and learn the philosophy, the history, and to share my love of yoga through teaching. This program is one weekend a month for nine months, which is perfect for me. I like to have lots of time to reflect and integrate what I have learned, and a program that is everyday for two or three weeks would have been really overwhelming for me.
The start of the program is only a month away now, and I’m taking some steps to make sure that I’m in the best place possible before the start of the program. Here’s five steps that I’m taking to prepare for the program:
Daily practice
Every morning, I wake up at 5:10, drink a cup of coffee, roll out my mat, and practice for between 20-45 minutes. Lately, this has been a challenge because I broke my thumb a few weeks ago and have a cast on my right hand and wrist, so I can’t do my normal Vinyasa Flows, but I have been able to find some wrist-free flow options on YouTube. Daily practice is a way to tell myself that I am worth showing up for. It’s a way to energize my body and clear my mind before the start of the day.
2. Coursework and Props
For my program, we have been asked to have a bolster, blocks, and a strap. We also have been given an extensive book list along with suggested pre-reading. I bought the props and the books with time to spare, and I have been reading The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo, one of the suggested pre-reading books.
3. Connecting with the YTT Instructors
When I signed up for the upcoming YTT, I had only met one of the YTT instructors once, but I tried not to let that intimidate me. I knew that I would eventually connect with both of them, and I have. When I injured my thumb and was worried that it might hold me back from starting the program, I reached out to both instructors to get their input. I also got a chance to attend a YTT meet-and-greet where the participants and instructors got a chance to meet each other.
4. Self-Care Time
While I’m excited for YTT, I also know that it’s going to be demanding and tiring. I’m trying to go into it in a place that feels really well-nourished and taken care of, so that I can go through these weekends without feeling depleted. For me, this means making sure that I’m eating nourishing vegetarian meals, sleeping well, practicing yoga, and experimenting with meditation.
5. Write and Reflect
Part of why I wanted to blog is because I wanted to have this as a place where I could write about YTT. Yoga invites us to have a conversation with our own minds, to understand our lives better, and to deepen our experience of life. I have always used writing as a way to process my thoughts and experiences, and while journaling after our practices is encouraged by the YTT instructors, I knew that I also wanted to write about my YTT journey in a blog. Writing and reflecting in both a journal and blog will help me to integrate what I have learned through practicing, reading, and discussing. I can’t wait to share the yoga journey with you as the program begins!
