Feb 1: Orientation and an Ace Bandage for Your Head

Friday evening we had an orientation to kick-off the training. There are six of us in the training - five women and one man.  We sat in a circle and briefly explained how long we had been practicing yoga and what had led us to the teacher training.  Turned out the man is a physical therapist, so we will get some extra insight into the muscles and how they work together,  Pretzel was very excited about this.


People had many different reasons for being there.  Some shared their desire to quiet their minds, to push themselves physically - one woman explaining that she was an athlete and had gotten injured and she enjoyed that yoga is physical but non-competitive. This was a good reminder for me not to be competitive at yoga. :)

I started yoga in late 2007, several months after losing my parents. I was in a dark place emotionally and had also been physically inactive.  I turned to yoga because my mom had practiced yoga for several years and had taught me some poses when I was recovering from a serious illness in 2005. Those memories of my mom teaching my dad and me yoga poses on the floor of their bedroom are really precious memories.  When I was sick, I felt so uncomfortable in my own skin for many months, and the time I spent recovering with my parents made me feel safe, secure, and loved. I returned to yoga in search of that peace - to the extent that was still possible.  Remarkably, I have experienced some peace in the practice and it has also made me feel stronger - both physically and emotionally.
I shared with the teacher training group that yoga had and was helping get me through tragedies in my family.  I now wanted to learn more about the physical muscles and correct way to push myself and also more about the mental and spiritual philosophies.


After a long calendar session, Pretzel explained what we would do when we arrive in the mornings at 7:55 am. She told us to wrap our heads in an ace bandage which she said would help us focus our minds and also cover our eyes for meditation. She said we shouldn't speak to anyone but just come in and sit for meditation for 30-45 minutes.  Most classes would go from 7:55 am -7pm with a 2 hour break from 11-1. She told us to eat very light lunches because otherwise our bodies would be digesting and make it difficult to practice. She assured us we could eat whatever we want afterwards and just asked that we not get wasted the night before a class.  No drinking - fine.  But light lunches?  Hard.
I left feeling nervous, with visions of an ace bandage wrapped head and sharp hunger pains in my stomach. As I walked home, I gave myself a little pep talk and reminded myself to be open to the experience. I had a bridal shower to host on Saturday, which was a welcome distraction from my anxiety!