Here we go.

I take after my mother in many ways; our expressive faces, fine blonde hair, love for the beach – but also in that we can’t sit still. My mother, already busy with a full time job and five children, always added more to her plate. Whether that was baking a dessert for a party or running errands, she filled any empty minutes with a task or project.

As they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

With a consuming yet fulfilling job, Blake’s and my immediate families within 20 minutes of us, and living downtown with social friends, there are rarely any moments of down time. But if they do show up, they are quickly forgotten by an extra exercise class or with a long walk with our beloved pup Toro.

I tend to overextend myself, saying yes to invitations not out of obligation, but rather out of desire. So in the effort of self-love, I am trying to limit the numbers of events on my calendar that are not necessary for me to be part of – and not fill that empty space with something else.

Then I signed up for a 200 hour, 8-month Yoga Teacher Training course. 

I barely have time to read through my mail, but I needed to carve out time for me. I’ve discovered, to be a better friend, sister, partner, or worker, you need to be better to yourself first. You cannot love anyone else unless you love yourself, and to live a life without fueling your passion or goals will only be a disservice when you try to do the same for others.

I hadn’t processed the commitment I had made until my walk over to the yoga studio the evening before my first class. Frantically, my brain internally alternated between rationalizing the decision and questioning it.

Is this too much of a time commitment? I’ve been busier before. Will this impact my job? It’s evenings and Sundays so it won’t.  What am I going to do once it is completed? Don’t worry about that now! Can I even be a yogi? Why not?

Those thoughts were immediately shushed as soon as we started our practice with setting our intention and transitioned into an amazing flow that energized and grounded those in the room.

A main reason why I jumped on the opportunity to join this Yoga Teacher Training was because the primary teacher is my favorite instructor, Ankati Day. An eloquent poet, speaker, and singer – she captivates you and encourages you to self-reflect unknowingly. She’s the only one I could envision being my guru on this next journey of self-discovery and self-love.

The first week entailed of a practice and class from 6-10:30pm on Wednesday and two workshops from 12:30-7pm on Sunday. Although those were long stretches of time, they passed quickly because I was doing something I had almost forgotten I really enjoyed doing: learning.

Of course I learn every day in my job and in my interactions with others, but to be the pupil again feels as though I am actively acquiring knowledge.

While my suffocating undergraduate Penn State student loans are the reason I haven’t gone to receive my Masters, I hadn’t lost the desire to study again. The act of opening up textbooks, highlighting, and taking notes is cathartic for me.

I have been the teacher for the past five years; I am ready to be a student once again.

{10 interesting things I’ve learned from Week 1 in YTT}

1. Yoga is all about you and is all about non-attachment
2. Gesture becomes habit, habit becomes permanence
3. In my posture evaluation my left shoulder is higher and my right pelvis has a slight outward rotation
4. It always comes back to the elements in Yoga: earth, water, fire, air, space.
5. The similarities across religions: a “holy trinity” in Catholicism and in Hinduism
6. The Upanishads and the Vedas are the oldest Yoga texts.
7. The story of Ganesha; remover of obstacles and protector of thresholds.
8. There are 72,000 nadis – energy channels in Chakras – but we focus on 3
9. Chakras 1-4 represent your relationship with others; Chakras 5-7 represent your relationship with yourself.
10. Someone with excessiveness in Chakra 1 would physically manifest that as being a stomper or have thick legs; a deficiency would manifest with walking on toes or having thin legs.

Light Heart. Light Spirt. Light Body. Light Mind.