Newly Certified!

I dove into yoga. It has become another something I love to do. And so I entered this wonderful program at Inner Power Yoga to get my 200HR Teacher Certification, Nationally Accredited by Yoga Alliance. It was one of the best things I could do for me. 

It was an intense program and I loved everything about it. I loved the friends I was making. I loved being a student and having something to bring home to study. I loved learning not just the poses and sequences, but the philosophy and the spiritual side. I loved that it was my thing, my own personal time. I loved that I didn't have to feel bad taking that time because they were required hours for the program. 

It was a six month commitment. Requiring two weekends a month from September to February. It came at a time where I felt like I had an open window. Not nursing a baby or pregnant, I had a little more freedom. And at the time I started my journey, it was intensely needed. The new business Devin had taken up was so demanding of his time. He was working so hard, and I was so proud of him and concerned about him all at the same time! I was fine, always I reminded myself of that, because I am always fine, but his long hours away were hard on everyone. How refreshing it was to be able to come to the yoga studio and take this "inward journey" of sorts. What an amazing recharge for this weary mom! 

Special training weekend with Isauro Fernandez

Yoga is amazing. I recommend it to everyone, because yoga is for everyone! I learned that yoga is so much more than a work out. My teacher Ursula often says "Yoga is as much of a work-in as it is a work-out." At its most basic level, yoga is breath with movement. The next level up, I'd add mindfulness onto the breath and movement. At the highest level of attainment I'd say yoga is a rigorous process, working from the outside in, and becoming friends with one's self. It is getting to know the self at the soul level, a spiritual realization. It's part of a life-long journey, and I believe in the transformative power it holds.

Vinyasa yoga (also called Power Yoga) is the discipline I learned. It is super challenging physically, which is one aspect that drew me in. I always like a challenge. This type of yoga may not be accessible to everyone, but I also learned that there are so many different types of yoga.

I can't list everything I learned because that might turn into a six month long post. But I was so grateful to be a part of it. I always looked forward to those weekends. I was inspired by my teachers and my friends there. And it was such a warm (literally) and inviting place to come.

It was on a Sunday during a lesson my Relief Society president (at the time) taught, where I was confronted with a question I didn't know the answer to, and it wouldn't leave me. It was posed almost as an off-hand comment, "...how do you really know yourself?"

And I was struck by it, thinking "I've been living with myself for all these years, and is it possible that I don't yet know myself?" But I acknowledged that it might be true. Because if I were to strip away all my titles... Runner, Wife, Mom, Mormon, ... and be left with just me, who was I then? I always defined myself by what I did, and wasn't really sure if I knew who I was at the deepest level.

Underneath this meat suit is a divine, eternal spirit... and it has nothing to do with my hair or eye color, the freckles on my face, or the clothes I wear. I've known since I was tiny that I am a child of God. But I never thought deeply about my spirit being something eternal, that this part of me existed before my mortal self, and is the core of who I am, and might hold some knowledge of self that my brain hadn't yet begun to understand. I cannot be labeled or packaged because I am infinite. What I do, or what happens to me does not create or change who I am because I am already whole and complete, and all I need is to look within. (Maybe this makes sense only to me, sorry if it seems I am speaking gibberish). I believe there is power in truly knowing oneself. When all decisions emanate from this core, then you have peace. This self-realization was really what I was searching for when I came to yoga.

After the final exam and last time of practice teaching we had a big party. There was food, certificates, and so many shared words of encouragement. When Ursula gave me my certificate, she gave me the biggest compliment. Her words let me know I had found in yoga what I had come searching for. She said "You really know who you are".

Graduates and our teachers

Toast! Sparkling cider for me :)

One last thing. I realize this has been a very "me centered" post. I struggled for a time with all the emphasis yoga places on the individual. I was uncomfortable giving so much energy to myself. But I have realized that yoga is a wonderful guide to the self, helping me manage my reactions and actions better. What I practice on the mat translates to my life off the mat, and when I leave my mat I am more prepared to go out into the world and serve. And its super awesome to be able to share it with others. I really love teaching it.

Meeting Goals