tippy tippy top
This weekend was yoga training weekend numero 2. Saturday and Sunday. And I welcomed the break from everything (work, home, people I talk to regularly, baby). It's really nice to be able to get away by myself once in a while I do something I love just for me. Remember that I'm still me without all the strings. Everybody needs that sometimes... keeps you interesting. I haven't written about yoga training yet because I haven't really been able to process it all. I don't know that I'll ever be able to clearly say what I want to about it. But I can at least start...
I feel like I'm just dipping my toes in... like the yoga practice I've been doing the last few years has just been me standing on one leg (in tree pose!) on my tippy tip toes on the very tippy top of a tiny part of an iceberg. (If I had time, I would illustrate this.) I haven't even begun to grasp all that there is to learn about this. And that's exciting! And totally overwhelming. And hard to take at times. And perfectly wonderful all the rest of the times. I realize that I will NEVER know all there is to know about yoga (not even close), and that's ok. What I know now and what I will learn will be enough. You are always where you need to be.
Of course, we are focusing a lot on asana. Learning all the poses. The sanskrit names. Proper alignment. Positioning. Sequencing. Adjustments that can be made. How to breathe with the movement. Just that is a lot. There are infinite asanas that stretch this and correct that. They each serve different purposes and work muscles, organs and mind.
(And let me just say that I am mega-sore after these weekends. It hurts so good! :))
We are also learning pranayama, or yogic breath control, along with all the other branches of the eight limb system. Yoga history and philosophy (which is just fascinating to me!). The sutras. Meditation. All of it.
There is also a TON of homework. Daily asana practice of course (well, almost daily). And lots of studying and reading. Learning different meditations and chants and theories. Observations. Answering questions and handing it in to your mentor. It takes all month. But it's fun. I am learning to balance my time... art, baby, family, yoga. It all fits because I need it to.
But the biggest thing is that the more I dive into this... the more humbled I am. Even with the weekend practice, I can feel my ego shatter as soon as I walk into the space. (Not just with yoga poses... but with life. with love. with art. with everything.) I know nothing. I am a sponge, trying to just soak in as much as I can until I become saturated. And I have immense respect for all the yoga teachers currently out there. I didn't realize how difficult it was to teach. How much you need to know just to do a simple sequence and not injure students. I bow my head to all teachers out there! Namaste!
I am definitely a beginner -- in everything. And it's a good place to be. I know that will learn more and get more skilled as time goes on. I will peel away layers. I will discover light within me. And I will follow what speaks to me. And I know that I can continue to learn forever.