I have once again followed the call of yoga and this time it has taken me back to Goa, Arambol – to the same place where I had my first official yoga teacher training exactly seven years ago.
I wanted to use my momentary independence to delve a little deeper into yoga and came across a yoga school that offers Yin Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga in a combined 200-hour course compressed in three weeks.
The course just seemed to be ideal for me: a place I already knew and which would also provide a bit of a holiday atmosphere, and also two new yoga styles that have been of interest to me for a long time. That one of the teachers would also be Praba, a former yoga assistant at the beforementioned first yoga teacher course seven years ago, was an additional factor that called me to the yoga school “Upaya” in Arambol in January 2020.
Exactly one hour ago, during the graduation ceremony, I received my certificate as a Yoga and Asthanga Yoga Teacher. And although I was able to really immerse myself in these two yoga styles, the last three weeks have been so much more for me than just a yoga training.
I was allowed to live yoga for three weeks and it’s amazing how quickly my body and mind hit this healthy lifestyle.
Already from the first day I felt a change in myself and with the time it solidified. I had more energy from day to day, became more balanced, kinder, more satisfied and was just happy to be in the here and now.
And all these changes didn’t happen because I was consciously working on it, but because I was allowed to live this healthy harmonic regular daily routine consisting of yoga and healthy eating.
I had thirty great people around me who were in the same training.
The Yoga Teacher Training in Upaya was my fourth official training with the Yoga Alliance and I am now officially a 1000 hour certified yoga teacher. My first one-month training was a private course where I had my own teacher. That was back in 2012.
All these courses were associated with hard work, a lot of self-study and also a lot of nervousness. After all, I always went into a completely new environment and it was always necessary to take exams at the end of the courses.
This training at Upaya felt different.
Firstly, because, of course, I have developed myself in the recent years. Not only in my personality and maturity, but also on my own yoga path.
In the meantime I actually live yoga and try to integrate all elements of yoga as well as possible into my everyday life – which sometimes succeeds more and sometimes less.
On the other hand, this course was not only a special training in Yin and Ashtanga, but also a two hundred hour training for yoga teacher newcomers.
At first I was a little skeptical and feared not learning much new. After all, I had already had some courses behind me.
But I quickly noticed that subjects such as yoga philosophy and anatomy are taught differently and are so extensive that I was able to acquire a lot of new knowledge or was inspired to study it more. In addition, I also used this course as an inspiration for my own yoga teacher trainings, which I would also like to offer in the future.
Of course, I was familiar with yoga practices such as the Shatkriyas (cleansing exercises), mantras and pranayamas. But it was really good to practice them here every day during the course and to consolidate them in the form of rituals.
The theory and practice sessions in Yin and Asthanga were performed at the highest level and with top teachers and for me it was good that I could really focuse on these new fields during my training and mastered them as a teacher.
After these three weeks, I am really happy, that I can now say with confidence that I am an Asthanga and Yin Yoga teacher and can really teach these styles.
In addition to the actual training, these three weeks were also good for my soul.
In the last few months I was on the road non stop and my brain was also constantly busy running my company Chalo! Travels in the best possible way.
Of course, Chalo! Travels work was on even during the training and there was even one or the other minor “emergency”, which I was able to master quite well.
That the training took place just next to the sea and under palm trees, was a big extra point.
Yoga is life and that’s what I’ve become aware of here in the last three weeks.
As a recommendation from me: Go to your mat and do yoga.
