The yoga teachers training program has matured me instantly. Studying the Sutras, Meditating and Practicing Asanas all at the same time, which I had never done before, has made me feel a sudden upliftment. I feel more comfortable with my mind, body and soul. It has brought a certain calm in me and I feel control over myself. I feel like my body is safe for my soul to reside. With all the command you need over your body while doing the asanas and all the discipline you need over your mind to meditate and all the focus you need on your soul to understand and apply the sutras, I am confident I now have the knowledge and tools through the Eight Limbs of Yoga to take care of myself. I feel assured that my body is capable of peace. This revelation is HUGE. It is necessary and has made me feel very powerful. I would love to see people around me benefit in the same way I have from Yoga.
The teacher’s training program has opened new doors for me. For the first time, I am seeing Yoga as love. Before, it was just a way to make my body look better. But now, I feel like I am doing so much more for myself than just changing how my body looks. I am teaching my mind and body and soul that they can love and harmoniously care for each other and pass on that energy of love back into the universe.
The training program has made me aware, that all these revelations I am having are revelations others could also experience. Yoga activism is an important part of the training and I learned a lot from the various speakers who talked about their work with army troops and their work with kids in Haiti. I discovered the various ways in which I can contribute to society through yoga. I learned about the need and the use of yoga in communities. I soaked up information on what it means to do yoga. I learned that I can trust my mind to operate my body to treasure my soul and keep it safe. I don’t see my body as something I have to constantly worry about wearing and tearing. I now see it as a safe (a treasure box) for my soul to dwell, reside and be at peace.
The training is powerful because it has made me value myself more and made me value everything around me. All these personal changes I am experiencing in me are worth experiencing for many more bodies and souls out there. Whether its underprivileged children in Haiti or army troops, we all deserve and want calm and peace within ourselves. I hope to keep yoga and its continuing education as part of my daily life from this point on. One of my favorite authors said, “My advice to anybody is: Get born”. As a follow up on the same lines, I would like to say, ‘My advice to anybody after getting born is: Try Yoga’.
