Having completed our second weekend of yoga teacher training, I can say we are really pleased with the experience and happy to a part of Breathe For Change. So far the training has covered a lot of ground in a short period of time so I thought it would be the most helpful to give a quick breakdown of the daily routine.
Morning Practice
The day begins with about 90 minutes of guided yoga instruction which is structured much like a traditional class found at your local yoga studio. We have been focusing on relatively beginner sequences and common poses such as cat/cow, sun salutations, and warrior poses. In the months to come we will be exposed to more postures and a variety of different styles of yoga. Thus far, alignment yoga is the first style that has been introduced. Alignment yoga’s defining characteristic is the emphasis on implementing proper technique.
Large Group Workshop
After the morning practice we gather as a large group to go over the theme for the day. This time includes a workshop on how to integrate the theme into our daily practice. During the workshop we do guided meditation, community building exercises, and share stories. As people open up and talk about their struggles their stories are often intimate in nature. Although it can be a very vulnerable experience, the group is incredibly supportive and respectful of everyone’s individual life circumstances. We have not felt judged by others or ashamed after sharing. Personally, I find that the workshop really helps to facilitate personal transformation by allowing me to come to new perspectives on old problems.
Philosophy
In this section we cover a mixture of yoga philosophy and history. Thus far we have done a quick overview of the origins of yoga, how it came to the West, and discussed popular yoga beliefs. Additionally we learn about common yoga terms. More specifically, the notions of prana, pranayana, and the eight fold path as outlined by Patanjali. We connect these ideas and further discuss how they relate to a regular practice of yoga.
Lunch
We are given a one hour lunch break and during this time we quickly run home to let Jaya out for a bathroom break. Ten hour days are long for us let alone the pup, so we try to give her some love when we can. She’s been a real sport since she has to stay home all weekend instead of us doing a family adventure together.
Anatomy
As one might expect, the anatomy section of the day is primarily about the body. More precisely the focus is on understanding how the body functions as a system that provides structural support. Thankfully we are not required to memorize long lists of medical terms for all the different muscles and bones. Instead, the main concern is to understand how the human body is designed so that it can be used appropriately and efficiently. The main goal being to avoid injury, not only for ourself but as instructors, to help others learn how to better use their bodies.
Asana Practice
Asana is the Sanskrit word for posture or pose. In our asana practice we learn about the different yoga postures and how to cue them properly. The emphasis is to prepare us for instructing our own classes. We learn the english and Sanskrit terms for each pose, the verbal commands for getting into and out of the poses, and focus on proper alignment in order to avoid injury. The lead trainer begins by demonstrating the posture and then we break off into partners to practice instructing each other. By the end of the training we will have learned a complete sequence of asanas that can be used to teach a complete full length yoga class.
Social Emotional Learning & Mentor Groups
Breathe For Change’s mission is to transform teachers so that they can make positive changes in their communities. Social emotional learning is really about making this happen by applying what we have learn about yoga and how it relates to the classroom setting. For this final section of the day, we break into small groups and demo a variety of exercises. The goal of the exercises is to help students reduce stress, become more self aware, and embody mindfulness. Some exercises are individual based for example breathing exercises, while others are group centric and require different levels of peer interaction. Additionally, we collaborate with fellow trainees on how to implement what we have learned in order to better serve our students.
Bringing the Picture Into Focus
The ten hour days go by relatively quickly as we cover such a variety of material. It really helps that we are regularly shifting between different activities that focus on lecture, introspection, group sharing, and hands on. The day is broken up quite nicely yet everything relates very well between the different sections.
Like many complex disciplines, it is best to be exposed to a wide variety of material in such a way that you begin to see the ideas overlap. This makes it easier to connect the concepts, thereby developing a better understanding of how everything is related. Gradually, the image of what yoga is and how it works is steadily coming into focus.
Yogi Training Part II – Transformation of Self
Yogi Training Part III – Transformation of Relationships