My YTT: The Before, During & After
Over a year ago, I left my job in London and set out to travel the world with my husband. I had been practicing yoga for a few years now and had become particularly fond of it in that last year. I had become somewhat addicted to experimenting with different styles of yoga and noticing the changes in my mind, body and soul. But never had I really considered doing a yoga teacher training. I didn't want to be a yoga teacher I thought and I would most definitely never be as advanced as the yogis you see online!
Nevertheless, when I started my world trip I found myself dreaming of one day doing a YTT. This was partly because I underwent a big transformation during my travelling. For the first time I gave myself an extended period of time without any “conventional obligation”, which meant I could more easily drop the judgements, the expectations, the plans. This allowed me to let go and finally start living the life I wanted. I started with sharing content on personal development and healing and then I used my health coaching certification to actually start giving consultations. With this personal affirmation came the desire to give myself the opportunity to deepen my yoga practice physically but I also became curious to understand the theory behind it and how I could potentially use it to help my clients. I suddenly felt like diving into the spiritual texts and the origin of everything. I wanted to explore further what I love, what is good for me, what inspires me, without any real judgement or expectation on my side of what I would achieve with it.
The perfect window of opportunity came when my husband was offered a 1month working opportunity in Peru, leaving me with a whole month to spare. I started searching the entire Yoga teacher training courses happening during that period in Peru but the curriculum and location of the SYI’s YTT immediately won me over. The location at Sacha Munay in the Sacred Valley looked like a beautiful oasis but it turned out to be even more beautiful than I had imagined. Sacha Munay is nested in between the sacred mountains, surrounded by natural water fountains and has the most magical garden with fleeting mockingbirds of every colour and size. One thing I really loved with SYI’s program is that we would also be learning about shamanism. I had been exploring all types of alternative healing therapies throughout the different countries we had travelled so having shamanism as part of the curriculum was a big value added of the course.
This is how I came to doing my YTT with SYI. I had been dreaming to seclude myself in nature, get myself back in shape by doing something I love after a year of travelling and most importantly to continue exploring my passions. This is what SYI promised, what I got, and more! One precious gift I received that I hadn’t anticipated was the powerful sense of community and the 21 beautiful souls I befriended for life. The program was built in such a way that we undergone our own personal transformation as well as share every step of our personal journey with that community. We used each other’s stories to inspire us, lift us and be stronger. It was a beautiful reciprocal exchanged that both enhanced our personal transformation and gifted us with deep connections. The exercises that were given to help us open up and express ourselves authentically as well as the safe space that was held created the perfect conditions for this. I feel grateful for having crossed paths with all these souls and feel blessed for having had the chance to see them flourish over the course of the YTT.
Another benefit of the course for me was that it allowed me to create beneficial habits that I continued doing at home and that we had a routine that promoted health, balance, self-love and consciousness. The daily routine consisted of waking up with the sunrise, meditating, doing pranayama and yoga, having a delicious breakfast, inspiring classes, nutritious lunch, practical classes, dinner and an evening activity before retiring early to bed. We were in tune with the natural cycle of nature making it easier for us to feel balanced. Despite this routine however, the days where never the same and we were constantly surprised with different activities or rituals that brought the perfect dose of excitement into our routine. I loved the variety of sacred ceremonies we explored together and the satsangs in the evening when everyone would come into a perfect unison. Thank you SYI for this rich and mesmerizing YTT!
I left this YTT feeling renewed, more centered and with new tools to help me in my mission as a coach and healer. I want to continue inspiring and empowering people to live a happy, healthy and more purposeful life by setting them on a path to self discovery but also by providing them with the necessary tools to get there. Yoga and its many components, as well as shamanism are definitely tools that can assist you in this journey and that I intend to now start delivering in my practice. I don’t intend to become a Yoga teacher because my vocation is coaching but I love the fact that I can give a private yoga class to my clients to further help them.
If you have a little voice inside wondering whether you should do a YTT, curious to further explore what Yoga is all about, I can only advise you to do it. Only throughout action does our desired life unfold and only through stepping into the unknown can we give an honest shot at becoming our true, authentic and wholesome selves.
Namaste.
