Yoga Teacher Training

I've been taking a yoga teacher training course since the beginning of the year. It's the only thing, aside from working on my year-long project for the miniature group (which I'll talk about in another post), that’s been keeping me busy. If you've never taken a yoga teacher training course, let me fill you in: it’s not for the faint of heart. It's like combining a foreign language class, teacher training, and an aerobics class all into one.

You might wonder, “Why are you taking a yoga teacher training course? Do you want to teach?” Honestly, I have no intention of teaching a class. I felt that with the new year, I needed something to help manage my anxiety. We'll see if it works. Right now, my anxiety is actually higher because we have to create and present yoga classes to the group. On the positive side, this gives us the chance to break down what we've learned and practice it. However, I do have moments where I feel totally lost and need things explained step by step. I think I'm the only one who gets frustrated because I need this kind of breakdown.

For example, there's something called the "Peak Pose," which is the climax of a yoga sequence — the final goal of where you want to take your students. Everything before that pose is meant to prepare the body and make the Peak Pose accessible. My confusion lies in the fact that some of the poses used to prepare a student for the Peak Pose could also be a Peak Pose in themselves. I understand that you want to start with simpler poses, but can you see my dilemma? I get caught up in figuring out what to do for the poses before the Peak Pose, and it’s been a bit overwhelming.On top of everything, there's the language. 

Yoga originates from an ancient language called Sanskrit, which has its own specific pronunciation. Many yoga instructors use both English and Sanskrit when teaching. For example, *Tadasana* refers to Mountain Pose—I'm actually familiar with that one. But honestly, I’ve struggled with pronunciation. I even took sign language because I found it easier to communicate, especially since I have difficulty pronouncing certain words, including English ones.

 Now, I have taken many anatomy courses over the years, and I still have trouble remembering the muscles, bones, and nerves. Let's see, I took anatomy for my cosmetology license, my therapeutic recreation certificate, and my aerobics certificate, and still, I struggle to remember it all.

Luckily, we have Google, and in a pinch, we can quickly look up what is what for the anatomy class. In any case, I am still trying my best to accomplish my goal of getting this certification. I'll keep you posted.