If At First You Don't Succeed...

I've dabbled in yoga for at least five years, but it never clicked. For some reason, I've tried it again and again, each time in a new city or studio. I think the reason that it is sticking now, is that I am building a foundation of principles that support and nurture the practice of yoga. For the first time I want to integrate yoga into my daily life and work towards becoming a teacher. I have never been as deeply immersed in meditation than the past two Vinyasa Flow classes I've taken this week. Last night was the second and it was fantastic. I couldn't believe the progress I had made from the first to second class.

I was looking forward to visiting Baltimore Yoga Village all day yesterday. Ever since I stepped into the place I haven't stopped researching and thinking about yoga teacher training and retreats at ashrams across the country. After checking people into the new Wednesday 5pm class, Anjali and I sipped hot chai tea and talked about the Sivananda Ashram in Woodbourne, NY. Anjali explained the benefits of the Sivananda approach, which is summarized on their website:

"The course covers Asanas, Pranayama, Meditation, Mantra Chanting, Vedanta & Yoga Theory, Bhagavad Gita, Mantra Meditation, Kriyas (cleansing exercises), Yoga Diet, Anatomy & Physiology, and more. By the end of the course, the beginner and advanced student alike will possess a solid foundation for teaching Hatha Yoga, will have developed a personal Yoga practice, and will have increased self-discipline and harmony of body, mind and spirit." (http://www.sivananda.org/ranch/ttc.html)

I'm hooked. Of course my western brain says, "Be practical! You can't just go to some yoga retreat for a month and start a whole new way of life! What about the bills? What about your responsibilities!?". So my challenge is to figure out if this is the right path for me and how I can make it work. My dream would be to participate in the Sivananda Yoga Retreat Teachers' Training, teach yoga and continue to learn and grow my yoga practice in Baltimore, continue training through the Healing Touch Program, and explore other practices such as Aryurvedic Medicine. I hope that by writing this down and talking about it, I am sending vibrations out to the universe that will help me accomplish these aspirations.

One of my first steps in achieving these goals will begin tomorrow. I am taking off tonight for Burlington, VT for the Level 1 Healing Touch Class. I can't wait to write all about it when I get back on Monday.