Insights from Training Weekend 1
Thinking about the fact that yoga teacher training was not even on my radar a month ago, made me realize that everything yoga-related in my life, came from somewhere other than conscious thought.
And when I consider the enormous positive impact that yoga has had on my life, it is comforting to have proof that I have the inner knowledge (svadhyaya in Sanskrit) to guide my life.
Inner wisdom, we all have it, and practicing yoga helps to put me in touch with it.
At the end of my first day of training I felt charged with a sense of positive energy that made everything and everyone seem more colourful and more intense. And as I sat listening to a musical performance, it felt like my heart was wide open and the music was pouring into it. I literally couldn't wipe the grin off of my face. Practicing yoga helps me to enjoy life more. Practicing yoga enables me to experience music differently.
Although I accidentally drank way too much wine on Saturday night, and didn't sleep well because of it, I woke up feeling refreshed and eager to spend another day immersed in yoga. The only hangover symptom I felt was intermittent monkey-mind during the lectures and a disconnect between my thoughts and speech. Practicing yoga reduces hangover symptoms (probably not a good thing for me to ponder).
One of my fellow trainees talked about having the experience of 'falling in love with herself' as the result of spending time doing yoga teacher training in India. I was struck by the concept of falling in love with oneself. Would that even be possible for me? Do I 'unlove' myself (I can't bear to say hate myself) so much that I don't think it's possible? Can my yoga practice heal my broken sense of self worth? I learned that in Ayurvedic medicine, because you cannot easily find the root cause of a problem, you look at the symptoms to determine the treatment. So I guess I need to start by pondering the symptoms of my broken self worth. I know what you're thinking, maybe that excess wine consumption is a symptom. Practicing yoga, the right yoga for me, will help me to fall in love with myself.
Namaste
