How Yoga Teacher Training Changed Me Foreverfeatured

I sit here listening to vinyl on my first record player ever… Shall we start there?

The Digital Marketing Manager writing an ode to analog. It is no surprise to me because I studied print journalism and always thought my name would appear on the byline of a physical newspaper rather than a digital website.

But this post is not about my writing journey.

My yoga journey began over a decade ago. During a very broken, vulnerable, raw, but absolutely beautiful season of my life. I was experiencing growing pains, and yoga guided me to heal parts of myself that I had never thought were there. In case you missed that story, you can catch it here.

Yoga has been there for me on all the levels. And when the pandemic began in 2020, I decided I needed to train to be a yoga instructor. It was a step toward a much loftier goal. Virtual training was productive, but one thing was for certain – it was missing that human element that disappeared off the face of the earth for quite some time.

November 2021, an email popped into my inbox: Yoga Teacher Training Spring 2022 Coming January!

It seemed like a fun idea, but the timing was surely off. Having just started a new full-time job, I mean, it would be impossible to juggle career, family, fitness, and Yoga Teacher Training, right?

I let the idea of pursuing this training and all of the excuses not to take up rent in my mind…

I am not ready for this!

Maybe the Fall is a better time?

It’s too expensive.

I could never instruct anyone to do anything, let alone how to remember to breathe calmly!

But my weekends are so darn precious to me.

January 1, 2022 - My email response to the owner of the #1 voted yoga studio in Dana Point, California: "So nervous to work full time and take this on too but I’m diving in head first! Thank you for helping me make this happen!"

My closest friends, family, and husband encouraged me to follow my intuition and it told me I needed to undergo this training. And I needed to undergo it now.

After that initial email correspondence with the studio owner, I received a terrifying email outlining the commitment this training would require. I was ready to barf my brains out, it read:

"Remember to do your taxes early, go to the dentist, and book all the appointments you need to now because you will not be available for the next 4 months. Alert all your family and friends that you are embarking on this journey."

This note of caution almost drove me to give up before I even started.

But I showed up anyway.

Night 1 of training was absolutely terrifying but also beautiful. Our yogi leaders made us practice opening our first yoga class by introducing ourselves to a room full of strangers and welcomed us into the community.

By week 2 of training, my heart burst right open when I shared my healing journey with my yogi peers.

Yoga teacher training may sound like a bunch of rainbows and butterflies but I would like to suggest they rename it “Yoga Boot Camp.”

It consisted of full Fridays, early Saturdays, long Sundays, lots of sitting during workshops (until you feel like your spine or butt are going to break off your body), lots of surprise teaching rehearsals in front of a whole lot of new people (especially when you are not ready).

Oh! And you can’t forget all the written homework, home teaching practice, outside class observations, and quizzes/tests/midterm/final!

Even on “off” weekends from group training, we were individually training.

We were freaking out. We were texting our fellow trainees and mentors endless questions and concerns. We were memorizing movements, transitions, full sequences, all while learning how to find our teacher voices from deep within (hint: great teachers always get nervous).

Guess what happened during all of the yoga madness?

Our group of aspiring yoga teachers built an unbreakable bond. One like none I have ever experienced before.

We created an indestructible bubble around our group and within that bubble, there was only room for pure love, genuine support, and collective empowerment.

Never once did anyone have any negative to say about another human. Never once was there a disagreement. Never once did someone feel isolated or alone. Never once did anyone give up on themselves or anyone else.

I remember driving home with tears in my eyes one night because of how loved and accepted everyone had me feel that night. I imagined how wonderful our world could be if it was a carbon copy of this training experience. All of the power we would harness… All of the hearts we would touch… All of the empathy we would feel. 

Yoga Teacher Training with iHeartYoga was a life-changing journey to explore greater depths within myself while surrounded by unconditional love. I experienced soulful growth only because I consistently felt seen, understood, safe, loved, and supported.

Most importantly, I learned that I never embarked on this journey for myself, I did it so I could empower others on their own journeys to find the radiant light within themselves. And that is what brought me the most joy along the way.

I always dreamed of making an impact in this world by helping people to feel something. I thought my written world was the only way I could make this happen.

This experience taught me otherwise.

It taught me that this blog has always been yoga and my yoga has always been this blog. People are always watching and it is my mission to show them they are free to express who they are and what they feel, free of judgment and fear. Yoga is simply another vessel for deeply touching hearts and spirits so that they can be free.

I learned that while I was born into a lot of chaos, I was also born into a whole lotta love. Love that is always there if I just allow my heart to open up. It is only by experiencing true darkness that you can experience true light. This training showed me that my darkness is what powers my light and my light is what will always guide me (and others) home.

We celebrated our graduation in Mexico and I clearly remember smiling from ear-to-ear as I watched my team teach their final class (1st official class as certified yoga instructors). Seeing the work, the dedication, the growth, and the end of the beginning of our teaching journey was bittersweet but absolutely breathtaking to take in.

How can we not be celebrating each other like this every day in the real world? I thought.

While in Mexico, I saw every single one of the humans in our program, not only show up, but truly rise to the occasion in awe-inspiring ways.

We all went from being literal strangers to becoming the very best versions of ourselves to date… All while allowing ourselves to be surrounded by all of our darkness and guided by all of our light.

“Flowers don’t worry about how they’re going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful.” – Jim Carrey

And you know what happens when everything is allowed?

Spontaneous dance parties, tequila in snake jars, tortas, pool photoshoots, and unforgettable heart-to-heart conversations.

And you get to take home the best souvenir ever – friends for a lifetime.

Note to all of my yoga teacher graduate friends: Without you, I would have not come such a long way. Without you, I would not be writing this with pure joy in my heart. My heart loves you all so much that it hurts. You all inspire me to be better than yesterday. See you at yacht yoga next week!

Thank you iHeartYoga for bringing us together!

Love Deeply and Forever,

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