I had been putting off writing my first after-Bali post until I was "ready", had fully absorbed this incredible, life changing experience and could find the best ways to express it... And then I was ready and life decided to kick into high gear.

Of course it did. So I rolled with it.

Being Present

One of the main things we focused on at yoga teacher training was being in the moment - staying present, not controlling situations, and letting things flow. I've struggled the most with how to apply this to my life back at home and explain the harmony of this mindset to others. But is amazing how when you stop trying to control everything, things magically fall into place.

Now, I've had some practice. One of the most wonderful things about teacher training was that we WERE able to be fully present - I lived in a beautiful compound off of a surf beach for three weeks with 14 amazing people, with no outside distractions. My only job was to wake up, be in the yoga shala by 7am, ready to practice and meditate.

When I came out of my meditation at 9:30, a fresh and wonderful breakfast was waiting for me. And so the days went.


And they were magnificent. Enlightening. INTENSE. Emotional. Sweaty. (so so sweaty). LONG. Beautiful. Challenging. Hilarious. Wonderful.

To give you a taste, this is a little something what our schedule looked like...

Yoga Teacher Training Sample Schedule

• 6:00am - Wake up to "band practice" (aka a didgeridoo call to prayer, accompanied by a million roosters)
• 7:00am - 2 hour ass-kicking yoga practice, followed by meditation
• 9:30am - Delicious fresh breakfast

• 10:30am - Yoga philosophy (aka living life off your mat/The Yoga Sutras/The Yogic Limbs/group therapy. Energy exercises.)

• 12pm - Anatomy

• 1:30pm - Delicious vegetarian lunch

• Free time - Pool, walks on the beach, Echo beach jaunts, [reading], poodle (pool noodle) races, making up inappropriate yoga flows, challenging the surf, losing to the ocean, cleaning black sand out of every inch of your body and scalp for 30 minutes but never really getting it off, getting dehydrated and hating yourself for the entire afternoon, MASSAGES, chakra balancing with our healer, Bali showering, bali blissing.

• 3:30pm - Posture Breakdown

• 6:30pm - Delicious vegetarian dinner
• 8:00pm - Night practice/night off

Long freaking days. Full days. Hard days. Physically and emotionally challenging days.

But intensely beautiful days.

Gratitude 

I am so grateful for this experience, the people I was with, the magic energy of Bali, what I learned from others, what I learned about myself and, most importantly, my purpose for becoming a teacher.

One of our neverending sunsets on Echo Beach

I have so much more that I am excited to share with you all - happenings, RECIPES, "off the mat" yoga, on the mat yoga, meditation, all of it - so get ready.



With gratitude,