A passion for Yoga and following my gut instinct
Jo attended the one-year Yoga Teacher Training course January to December 2013
Having been a gym member since my early 20’s I have always been passionate about fitness. Over the years I have tried many different exercise disciplines, dipping my toe in and out of Yoga, until about six years ago when I found that Yoga was the method of choice that I kept coming back to. It gave me something more than a ‘fitter body’ and at the time of starting my course I was regularly attending two Vini and two Hatha Yoga classes per week. The more I learned about Yoga the more I realised there was to learn! So many folks come to Yoga for one reason and leave with something else. The posture we do on the mat is only one aspect and I wanted to be in a position to give people that glimpse of what its all about.
I was really fortunate to have total support from both of my teachers and I looked at a few different courses. After meeting Jasmin I went with my ‘gut feeling’ I knew this was the right course. Training took the form of regular sessions with Jasmin, who was always available and approachable and the backbone of the course. In addition we had regular guest lecturers, which kept the course fresh. All of the tutors were enthusiastic about their subjects, which was evident in their teaching. In particular Jake’s calm presence pervaded the room, ‘selling’ his subject without uttering a single word. Rachel taught us Anatomy and Physiology with such passion and eloquence. Her depth of knowledge was inspiring. And our Ayurveda tutor, Sharon, whose straight forward, no nonsense approach to a complex subject was refreshing and stimulating.
There were many challenges on the course… including learning how to stand up in front of others and explaining and guiding them on what to do. Remembering the names of muscles and bones and how they work for Anatomy and Physiology was a real test, but something I managed to do. And getting my brain to work and my mind around the more complex philosophical ‘dialogues’ we had and I am still mulling over a few of these points! Since doing the course I have learned the following… That I knew more than I thought I did! That if you are passionate about something and you want it enough you will succeed. The favourite part of the course was spending time with lovely people who are as passionate about Yoga as I am and learning Pranayama with Caroline. My biggest surprise to date is how much I have learned!
My advice and tips to anyone undertaking the Teacher Training, would be as follows ‘Don’t run before you can walk – Take it all in, assimilate it, THEN pass it on…’
Final point I’d like to share is, if you are looking for a sensitive, in-depth, well structured, true insight into Yoga Teacher Training with added extras and with some brilliant tutors, then this is the one.
The week after I qualified I started teaching two Yoga/Meditation classes a week in Lichfield, as maternity cover for my Yoga teacher. Fate or just good planning?