Katrina's Stepping Up to Yoga Teacher Training
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Over 16 years ago I stepped into Corvallis Bikram Yoga College of India for the first time and began a journey that has changed and shaped not only my body, but my entire life. I have learned so much about myself- mind, body, and soul. Some of the most important lessons in my life have taken place in the yoga room.
Over the course of these past 16 years I was blessed with the opportunity to work nurturing and caring for very young children and their families as a preschool teacher and parent educator. My passion for creating the most loving, nourishing, nurturing environment for children and families ran deep- and I received as much as I gave. I cherish the time I spent in that work.
Recently it has become clear that it is time to explore other career paths . It seemed to only make sense to follow my other passion- yoga. My intention is to bring the same passion for serving others into the yoga room as I did into the preschool.
Bikram yoga- or hot yoga- is a series of 2 breathing exercises and 26 postures done in a room heated to over 100 degrees. In order to teach this yoga, a person must be properly trained. One such yoga teacher training is through the Raja Yoga Academy (https://www.rajayogaacademy.com/ ). My goal is to attend their only training in 2020, in Memphis, Tennessee. This is a 6-week, on-site, intensive.
The early bird registration is $8950, which covers tuition and accommodations for the duration of the training. Early bird registration is due by September 1, 2019.
My time as a preschool teacher enriched me deeply, heart and soul. It did not, however, enrich my bank account. Consequently, I am asking for assistance in funding my training, with humility and deep gratitude for any contribution you make.
What makes this yoga so powerful?
Everything I need to know I learned in...yoga
Step up to the line. Feet and heels together. Toes touching. Heels touching. : Every yoga class begins with these words. There are lines in the carpet to help with alignment in the postures. These words invite us to literally step up- to class, to our practice, to Life- and to bring our full attention and intention to what we are doing. In class, as in Life, our full presence is requested- if not required.
It begins (and ends) with the breath: Once we have stepped up to the line and aligned our bodies, we are ready to begin. And we begin with a breathing exercise, pranayama breathing. Prana- life-force. Learning to control our breath, we learn to control our life-force...and our lives. Perhaps not what happens in our lives, but how we respond to it.
If you're not breathing, it's not yoga: These postures require tremendous effort, strength, and concentration. However, "asana" literally translates to "with ease." Breathing deeply, evenly, and easily makes the postures- and Life- manageable. Learning to let go of the struggle is powerful, and usually results in moving deeper into the posture...with ease.
Balance is everything: The natural world teaches us all about balance- high tide/low tide, day/night, full moon/new moon. Learning to find balance within the posture is key to moving deeper into it. What muscles need to engage, what muscles need to relax? How do we balance effort and ease to create the greatest depth? Where do I need to try harder? Where do I need to let go? It isn't possible to muscle our way into some of these postures. Simply "powering through" doesn't work.
Losing balance is part of gaining balance: There is a series of 4 postures designed to create and foster balance. We are constantly reminded "if you fall out of the posture, just get right back in again. You fall out, you're human. You get back in, you're a yogi." Mistakes, missteps happen. They're an invaluable part of Life. Just get back up and try again.
Move together as a group: Every class the dialogue moves us through the same twenty six postures and two breathing exercises. Like a perfectly choreographed dance. And, like a perfectly choreographed dance, there is tremendous beauty in moving together as a group. And, there is tremendous energy. Yoga takes a substantial amount of energy and strength. Like geese flying together in formation, we give and take energy from one another. Some days we have a great class. On these days, we have energy to share and silently, subtly give strength to those around us who need it. Other days, it is us who is sustained by the energy of the group. And some days, the entire class is absolutely rocking it, and the power and energy is palpable. But no matter what kind of day it is (or what the activity),moving together, combining our energies and awareness, we can accomplish more.
It's about your body, it's not about the posture: The purpose of yoga is healing and therapy for our bodies. It's the process, not the product, that is most important. Whether you do 1% of the expression of the posture or 99% of the expression of the posture, if you give it 100% effort, you get 100% of the benefit. It doesn't matter how deep the expression of the posture, it matters that we made into the room and are doing what we can to create health and vitality for ourselves.
You're stronger than you think! One of our beloved teachers, Steve, who recently passed away said this to us over and over again, every class. He said it until we believed it, because he believed it. Though his absence was deeply felt in our community, his presence is felt even more deeply. His presence is in every muscle that is just a little bit stronger because he told us it was. We are all stronger and more powerful than we think, and we have the ability to inspire each other to greatness.
Don't push past pain: We are encouraged to push ourselves- to literally stretch ourselves- into discomfort, but not into or past pain. The discomfort of a stretch or the trembling of a muscle pushing the envelope means flexibility and strength are being created in our bodies. A stabbing pain means we've gone too far or are about to injure ourselves. We're told to listen to our bodies and be true to ourselves. Some days we are rocking it, some days we are vulnerable physically, emotionally, or spiritually. We are stronger than we think..and balance is everything.
Namaste- Loosely translated Namaste means: I honor the place in you which is of love, of light, and of truth. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, we are one. We end each class with Namaste. Teacher to students and students to teacher. We acknowledge all that the students have brought to the class and all that the teacher has given of her/himself. It is an invitation, when we step out of the yoga room, to stay present in that place in ourselves and to look for it in others we meet in our day. I believe in a world in which we spend more time acknowledging and expressing gratitude for each other.
I'd like to express my deep gratitude to all the amazing teachers who have taught at Corvallis Bikram yoga: Elizabeth, John, Jeannie, Carol, Erika, Kacie, Heidi, Sandra, Ita, Colin, Kathleen, Elena, Louisa, Erin, and Marty. With special gratitude to Steve and Alex. I aspire to inspire as these fine teachers have!
And thank you, for helping to make it possible for me to give back to a community and a practice which has given so much to me. I'll leave you with one final thought from another of our beloved yoga teachers.
Today I am Rich
Today I am rich.
Salty diamonds adorn me
They dangle from my earlobes, cling to my elbows, and rest on my ankles
A slippery sequined suit I make anew each day
"Right arm under the left" as we enter Garurasana,
and I hear the diamonds fall to the floor, like candy from a pinata.
I breathe in Savasana and diamonds tumble off my chest,
they collect by my side and soon I will be buried deep,
in my treasure of diamonds.
When class is over, I will not worry to hoard my diamonds,
or be greedy, and fill my pockets with diamonds to sell.
For when I look in the mirror, at the other beautiful bodies around me,
I see that you too are rich, proud, strong,
smiling deep, in your treasure of diamonds.
~Alex Newport Berra
Namaste,
Katrina
Over the course of these past 16 years I was blessed with the opportunity to work nurturing and caring for very young children and their families as a preschool teacher and parent educator. My passion for creating the most loving, nourishing, nurturing environment for children and families ran deep- and I received as much as I gave. I cherish the time I spent in that work.
Recently it has become clear that it is time to explore other career paths . It seemed to only make sense to follow my other passion- yoga. My intention is to bring the same passion for serving others into the yoga room as I did into the preschool.
Bikram yoga- or hot yoga- is a series of 2 breathing exercises and 26 postures done in a room heated to over 100 degrees. In order to teach this yoga, a person must be properly trained. One such yoga teacher training is through the Raja Yoga Academy (https://www.rajayogaacademy.com/ ). My goal is to attend their only training in 2020, in Memphis, Tennessee. This is a 6-week, on-site, intensive.
The early bird registration is $8950, which covers tuition and accommodations for the duration of the training. Early bird registration is due by September 1, 2019.
My time as a preschool teacher enriched me deeply, heart and soul. It did not, however, enrich my bank account. Consequently, I am asking for assistance in funding my training, with humility and deep gratitude for any contribution you make.
What makes this yoga so powerful?
Everything I need to know I learned in...yoga
Step up to the line. Feet and heels together. Toes touching. Heels touching. : Every yoga class begins with these words. There are lines in the carpet to help with alignment in the postures. These words invite us to literally step up- to class, to our practice, to Life- and to bring our full attention and intention to what we are doing. In class, as in Life, our full presence is requested- if not required.
It begins (and ends) with the breath: Once we have stepped up to the line and aligned our bodies, we are ready to begin. And we begin with a breathing exercise, pranayama breathing. Prana- life-force. Learning to control our breath, we learn to control our life-force...and our lives. Perhaps not what happens in our lives, but how we respond to it.
If you're not breathing, it's not yoga: These postures require tremendous effort, strength, and concentration. However, "asana" literally translates to "with ease." Breathing deeply, evenly, and easily makes the postures- and Life- manageable. Learning to let go of the struggle is powerful, and usually results in moving deeper into the posture...with ease.
Balance is everything: The natural world teaches us all about balance- high tide/low tide, day/night, full moon/new moon. Learning to find balance within the posture is key to moving deeper into it. What muscles need to engage, what muscles need to relax? How do we balance effort and ease to create the greatest depth? Where do I need to try harder? Where do I need to let go? It isn't possible to muscle our way into some of these postures. Simply "powering through" doesn't work.
Losing balance is part of gaining balance: There is a series of 4 postures designed to create and foster balance. We are constantly reminded "if you fall out of the posture, just get right back in again. You fall out, you're human. You get back in, you're a yogi." Mistakes, missteps happen. They're an invaluable part of Life. Just get back up and try again.
Move together as a group: Every class the dialogue moves us through the same twenty six postures and two breathing exercises. Like a perfectly choreographed dance. And, like a perfectly choreographed dance, there is tremendous beauty in moving together as a group. And, there is tremendous energy. Yoga takes a substantial amount of energy and strength. Like geese flying together in formation, we give and take energy from one another. Some days we have a great class. On these days, we have energy to share and silently, subtly give strength to those around us who need it. Other days, it is us who is sustained by the energy of the group. And some days, the entire class is absolutely rocking it, and the power and energy is palpable. But no matter what kind of day it is (or what the activity),moving together, combining our energies and awareness, we can accomplish more.
It's about your body, it's not about the posture: The purpose of yoga is healing and therapy for our bodies. It's the process, not the product, that is most important. Whether you do 1% of the expression of the posture or 99% of the expression of the posture, if you give it 100% effort, you get 100% of the benefit. It doesn't matter how deep the expression of the posture, it matters that we made into the room and are doing what we can to create health and vitality for ourselves.
You're stronger than you think! One of our beloved teachers, Steve, who recently passed away said this to us over and over again, every class. He said it until we believed it, because he believed it. Though his absence was deeply felt in our community, his presence is felt even more deeply. His presence is in every muscle that is just a little bit stronger because he told us it was. We are all stronger and more powerful than we think, and we have the ability to inspire each other to greatness.
Don't push past pain: We are encouraged to push ourselves- to literally stretch ourselves- into discomfort, but not into or past pain. The discomfort of a stretch or the trembling of a muscle pushing the envelope means flexibility and strength are being created in our bodies. A stabbing pain means we've gone too far or are about to injure ourselves. We're told to listen to our bodies and be true to ourselves. Some days we are rocking it, some days we are vulnerable physically, emotionally, or spiritually. We are stronger than we think..and balance is everything.
Namaste- Loosely translated Namaste means: I honor the place in you which is of love, of light, and of truth. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, we are one. We end each class with Namaste. Teacher to students and students to teacher. We acknowledge all that the students have brought to the class and all that the teacher has given of her/himself. It is an invitation, when we step out of the yoga room, to stay present in that place in ourselves and to look for it in others we meet in our day. I believe in a world in which we spend more time acknowledging and expressing gratitude for each other.
I'd like to express my deep gratitude to all the amazing teachers who have taught at Corvallis Bikram yoga: Elizabeth, John, Jeannie, Carol, Erika, Kacie, Heidi, Sandra, Ita, Colin, Kathleen, Elena, Louisa, Erin, and Marty. With special gratitude to Steve and Alex. I aspire to inspire as these fine teachers have!
And thank you, for helping to make it possible for me to give back to a community and a practice which has given so much to me. I'll leave you with one final thought from another of our beloved yoga teachers.
Today I am Rich
Today I am rich.
Salty diamonds adorn me
They dangle from my earlobes, cling to my elbows, and rest on my ankles
A slippery sequined suit I make anew each day
"Right arm under the left" as we enter Garurasana,
and I hear the diamonds fall to the floor, like candy from a pinata.
I breathe in Savasana and diamonds tumble off my chest,
they collect by my side and soon I will be buried deep,
in my treasure of diamonds.
When class is over, I will not worry to hoard my diamonds,
or be greedy, and fill my pockets with diamonds to sell.
For when I look in the mirror, at the other beautiful bodies around me,
I see that you too are rich, proud, strong,
smiling deep, in your treasure of diamonds.
~Alex Newport Berra
Namaste,
Katrina
Organizer
Katrina Meyers
Organizer
Corvallis, OR