Where to begin, right?
As you may know, I left for India on November 1 to complete my 500 hours of Akhanda yoga teacher training. I got back on December 18.
A lot can — and did — happen in that length of time, and in some ways it’s difficult to talk about. Not because it was traumatic or anything (quite the opposite, most of the time), but because you weren’t there.
Stories of Travel and Personal Growth Can Be Hard to Tell
Now, as a writer it’s my responsibility to tell the story and make you feel as though you were having your own teacher training experience. But in a case like this, I have to pick and choose so that I don’t diminish the experience for myself.
For example, if someone who knows nothing about horses asked, “What color is your horse?” and I said, “Blue roan,” he might say, “What’s that?” and I’d be forced to say, “Kinda gray.” But that’s not accurate, and when someone else says, “What color is Amanda’s horse?” he will say, “Gray.” Which isn’t exactly true.
What I’m saying is that over the course of my travels, I’ve learned to keep some experiences close to my heart.
That said, there’s still plenty to share about the yoga teacher training experience! Over the course of a few blog posts, I’ll do my best to tell you about ashram life, what I’ve learned, and yogic cleansing techniques (brace yourself). I hope you’ll enjoy it.
Some Things You Have to Experience Yourself
But there’s so much I won’t be able to explain, like the subtle shifts I felt in myself, both as a yoga teacher and as a human being. Like how hilarious my teacher is. Like how these six weeks were truly life-changing, not because I’m going to make a bunch of massive changes to my lifestyle, but because of the increased awareness I have about how I want to live and who I want to be.
For now, let me tell you that I loved my time in India. So much about the village and the ashram has changed in the last nine years, but the supportive environment, the rich wisdom of yoga, and the joy of learning more about something I love so much were all still there. I’m very excited to incorporate my new knowledge into my teaching, and I hope I get to see you in one of my yoga classes. 🙂