Well, if you had ever wondered this question I am about to give you my updates!
Please remember this is just my experience :)
Yoga... what a huge topic.
When I first started practising yoga about 5 years ago I thought of it as a gentle and elegant way to exercise that would make me feel super zen. I also thought I would be able to get into all these fancy shapes you see on the 'gram .... yeah ... still working on that one ;-)
I didn't have any idea of the full history and philosophy that yoga has to offer! Well now I do ......
I am a spiritual person and really open to all things ancient and magic so I am not surprised I was drawn to yoga. Even so, there is so much more to explore that I could have imagined.
Not only I am learning about muscles & anatomy, there are so many postures, breathing practises, energy & chakras in the body, the 8 limbs, the yamas & niyamas .... not to mention learning another language!
AND I should add, Last year before I even embarked on the 200 hour teacher training I completed a 60 hour course. It was a foundation level one yoga course, certified by the British wheel of yoga and taught by the Yogasmiths. This was a course to deepen your own knowledge for self practise, or to find out if you wanted to continue onto the full teacher training. I am beyond glad that I have this grounding, so I highly recommend doing this first if you are thinking of teacher training!
So as far as I understand it, Yoga is not just a physical exercise. Yoga is an ancient practise for your mind, body and soul. When practised fully and with discipline it can help you to reach a sense of oneness, wholeness, contentment & peace - tempting huh!
I may of made that sound easy, but it really is lifestyle and a true commitment to yourself to explore the teachings and embark on a path of self to achieve the desired state.
The 8 limbs of yoga are essentially the path you would follow, so for those interested I have listed them below in Sanskrit (that other language I was talking about) & English to give you a wider understanding on the practise.
Yamas - There are 5 of these principles to live by when we deal with the world (anything outside of us)
Niyamas - There are 5 of these also, they are principles to apply to the self
Asana - The Postures! (Yes..... just one bit!)
Pranayama - Breath control
Pratyahara - Removal of Senses (think closing your eyes)
Dharana - Focused concentration
Dhyana - Meditation
Samadhi - Enlightenment, union or oneness with the true self
Disclaimer, you will find loads of slight variations on these but this is what I have learnt and practise by, take what resonates and leave what doesn't.
A good yoga class will have a hint of all of these elements, your teacher will be bringing in the teachings sometimes without you even knowing.
So, yes training as a yoga teacher is absorbing a LOT of knowledge. As well as going on your own journey whilst you learn all of the philosophy, as well as the physical practise. There is a lot of reading too, I am so grateful that there is so much history to soak up and so many people have studied yoga enough to be able to pass on so much wisdom to us all. Not to mention how lucky we are at this time to have the access to so much information at the tips of our fingers on google!
In the teacher training we are being throwing into teaching straight away which I absolutely love. Most sessions we have we are teaching each other either one new posture or a sun salutation at the moment, and let me say - it is way harder than any of my yoga teachers have made it look :-D I have so many things to remember going through my head, hopefully it will sink in by the end of the course!
I am finding that I am loving my study time too. For someone who hated school and never revised once for an exam I can't get enough of this. May that be a lesson that there is never a bad student, maybe they are not passionate about the subject.
It is definitely one of the hardest things I have studied. I am not sure a whole lifetime would be enough to truly know all of the elements of the full yogic path, but I intend to give it a good go! I am in love with it all.
So, signing out now to go and do some more reading!
Hopefully I will catch you on the mat soon.
Lots of Love,
Han
Namaste xx
The light in me seeing the light in you
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