I found this post in my draft folder...I've dusted it off and added a post script. Life got busy, and I put this aside. Frankly, I'd forgotten I had started this...
Then...
This has been an eventful year to say the least. All the excitement I had in Europe with my sister, Becky, in March of 2016 still hasn't been completely chronicled in my blog...(My muse seems to be on hiatus.) My focus for 2017 was to dive head-first into my dream of becoming a yoga teacher. With a lot of hard work and dedication, I have now completed my 200-Level Yoga Teacher Training. While I am pleased to have this training under my belt, this is only the tip of the iceberg. There was a question at the end of the final exam that asked: Do you feel you are ready to teach? My obvious, knee-jerk answer was, Yes! But after giving it some thought I wrote "Yes and no".
What I have found with teaching yoga is that each person comes with different wants, needs, and abilities. Each time I feel I've nailed a posture and how to teach it, a student comes along who challenges that notion. To clarify: I put yes down on my exam because I have the desire and need to teach. I crave working with beginners who often say they can't do yoga because they are inflexible, too heavy, they have arthritis or chronic pain (the list goes on). I love it when students come up to me after class and say they had no idea yoga would make them feel this way. And I answered no because I am a student first and foremost. I do not always have the answers...more often than not I don't. But what I can do is teach students to listen to their bodies, focus on their breathing, pay attention to feelings that come up without attaching meaning to them, and for an hour or so, cultivate peace within.
A yoga teacher of mine runs workshops on creating vision boards. I have yet to take her class, but the idea of a vision board is intriguing. I have a hodge-podge of ideas, mostly surrounding my home and yoga career. I envision a modest home with enough space for my husband to have an office for his medical transcription and I would like a dedicated yoga room where I can teach. Of course, my home would need to have enough yard space to have vegetable and flower gardens. In my mind's eye I can see a therapy room off of my yoga studio with a large enough closet to store all the props I would need. One wall of my studio would have a ropes wall.
And now...
My yoga career has turned into something I hadn't envisioned when I started my yoga teacher training in 2017. When I started at Temple Yoga I hadn't seen myself as a Reiki teacher, but I'm finding this part of my practice invigorating and fulfilling. Since becoming a Reiki Master in 2000, I used it only on myself, my friends, cats, and my kids. I used it to help my family (furry included) and friends find relief or relaxation. I would do my best to explain how it worked, but always came up short explaining it properly. When Jenna, Temple Yoga's owner, nudged me to start teaching, it felt right. I have enjoyed every workshop I have given. What I love more than anything is to see students use Reiki and actually feel the energy flowing. Jenna also encouraged me to teach restorative yoga with Reiki. Reiki would be given to each student while they relaxed in a restorative yoga posture. My partner, Emily, and I (as well as a couple others who have assisted along the way) help each student to find peaceful bliss within the postures. Each time our class grows, it feels more and more like a pajama party.
I've become more open to the idea of new ventures and workshops with an ease I've never felt before. Just yesterday, I began taking riding lessons. My instructor is amazingly patient and encouraging. The horse is so gentle, yet strong. The opportunities that are coming in seem to be many. I am truly blessed.