Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Week 9-- better late than never


Right now I'm sitting on my couch, it's 7:00 am (I've been up for about two hours, while the rest of my house sleeps). I do of course have the company of my youngest pup, who sits at my feet chewing on what ever toy she can get her paws on. I've been home for two days and it's like I never left, it has been 9 weeks since I have woken up, moved to the couch and watched mindless TV until normal waking hours, but here I am.

About a year and a half ago...well wait let me start from the beginning. Three years ago, I was sick, not the happiest chick in the world and pretty lost in the world. I was determined to find happiness and define for myself what it meant to have a full life. I worked really hard to try to find who I was and appreciate that person, I found Bikram Yoga. My first class I was high, I had never felt so good, a few classes later, my teacher Leo spoke gently during camel pose "Meditate on something you love and push your hips forward and lift your chest up, concentrate on that thing...I choose ice cream what do you choose" I choose myself. As I fought through the dizzy "oh my god I'm going to throw up" my mantra was " I love that my body can do this, I love that my body can do this" I knew at that moment that I needed this yoga to become a healthy version of myself. Bikram yoga helped me find perfection in the human body and appreciation for myself, I knew that at some point I would become a teacher...one day I will write a book and you will all be able to read more about that journey, but for now, this blog is about my teacher training journey.

So flash forward, 2 and a half years later, one and a half years ago. I had just finished a class at Bikram Yoga Main Line. As I chatted outside the ladies changing room about "some day I will go to training" a tall handsome guy approached me "Your going to teacher training" he had the most amazing speaking voice I had ever heard, "Oh man, I would love to but I doubt I'll ever make it" I had no idea where my life was going.

Today, it's now 7:11 am, and I'm lying on the couch of the house that I own, with the man that I love, the same handsome man that approached me at the studio, sleeping upstairs and the only reason I'm awake is I have just returned home from 9 weeks inside of Bikram's yoga bubble, where 2-3 hours of sleep is all that I needed. Since 6 am, I have e-mailed and scheduled classes for the next 2 months, I have worked on a welcome home yogi party, and now I'm writing my blog, it's true. A yogi works while the rest of the world sleeps!

And, what can I tell you about being home? Am I different? Is life different? Do I miss training? What will I do next? It's hard to say. Home is perfection, I'm so blessed to have the life that I get to come home to. I worked hard for this life, I appreciate it every day and I'm very happy to be here. I do feel a little different. I feel like I can handle it. Throw some thing at me and I'll figure out a way of working it out. It's kinda like in posture clinics, when Mishon would start challenging us by throwing spit balls and water bottles and farm animal noises at us as we struggled to remember dialogue. The only things constant in life are breath and change, so when life takes a surprising turn, the only thing you can count on is breath. What was that thing, I am here, I am breathing, I am comfortable, I am happy ( my new mantra). I feel a weight has lifted off of me after the past nine weeks. I am floating, levitating, shit....I'm just plain happy! And of course I miss training, I was surrounded by 430 amazing people at any given time, my biggest decision of the day was which yoga kit to wear and I was taking yoga classes in the worlds largest hot room! To be honest though, as much as I miss it, 9 weeks was enough and I'm happy to take yoga in my home studio where I am surrounded by all the love and support of the teachers who inspired me. Oh, and jeez, what will I do next...walk the dog, she's scratching at the door, take a yoga class, teach a yoga class and take every moment as it comes. I have unlimited opportunities and I plan to take advantage of each and every one of them! But I do have dreams, and I hope that as I keep realizing them, I will write about them and you will all read about them. I hope that I inspire people to take life into their own hands and create their own paths for health and happiness, to bond their mind body and soul in holy matrimony. Who knows? Now I'm getting all mushy...blah blah blah. Keep reading, we will find out together!

So the bottom line... I am unbelievably proud of myself and every other yogi who just graduated from Teacher Training. I am so excited to read all about our first classes, and I'm a mixture of nerves and excitement as I prepare my self to teach my first class. So thank you Bikram for being my teacher, thanks to your support team who made this training an amazing experience, thank you my friends and family for all of your support, with out you I would not have had the courage to take such a risk, Thank you Alex for taking care of me, our home and our pup, while I ventured to California and thank you to all of my fellow yogis, senior teachers, new teachers and future teachers. What an amazing community we are all apart of. And what was that song I sang in a previous blog, the same song that was stuck in my head weeks after meeting Alex," Thank you lord, for what you done for me....thank you lord for what you're doing now...thank you lord for every little thing....thank you Lord for you make me sing..."

Some of you may be asking...what about week 9, where's the dirt? What was it like....well send me a message, write me an e-mail, give me a call...but for now I'd like to hold on to it. Week nine was ummm....well....week nine! We slept for a total of 7 hour, we practiced with over 600 people, we were inspired by champion yogis, we laughed, we cried, we said our good byes, we celebrated, we took voluntary yoga classes, we got angry, we got excited, we learned we challenged and we GRADUATED!!!! Whooo hoooo!

So that's it guys....my Teacher training journey is done, but my life journey is not. I'll keep blogging, I like it and if you do keep reading, it'll be fun!

Much love to you all!

Namaste
Molly

P.S. No matter what Boss says...the best food is home cooked food!

2 comments:

  1. Molly, your blog is inspirational and encouraging. I am planning on going to TT in the fall. I am a little distrubed after reading a blog from someone else who just finished TT also. They said to take what they said w/ grain of salt..but I can't help to think that I'm about to spend $10900+ for nine weeks and listen to Bikram talk about all his bentlys and hundreds of dollar diamond watches...I am passionate about Bikram yoga..I feel a calling to it. I have everything in place, but the money is stressing me out. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations? Basically, after reading that blog I am FREAKING out!!! My family is not supportive. My sister hopes I break something so I don't go. LOL (kind of)...They think I am making a big mistake and a poor choice...keep in mind I am 33 years old..YIKES...Thank you for you blog and sharing your experience. With light, Jill

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  2. Jill! I'm so happy you have found my blog and it has been inspirational and encouraging for you. I have fallen in love with writing it and I will continue to write as I continue this journey...being a yogi doesn't end after 9 weeks, maybe I'll have to change the title. Let me tell you, making the decision to go to TT is a huge one. I was a mess, I decided to leave a very comfortable income and health benefits in order to spend a lot of money on something that most other people just don't understand, "why is it 10,000 dollars, my friend went to training for like 200 bucks, she spent a weekend at a resort? why don't you do that?" Bikram yoga is it man, it seriously IS hatha yoga, it's old it comes from India, the starting place, so why would you not go to the source if you are a Bikram yoga student. Once I made the decision I was freaking out for a month, a total emotional roller coaster, but the training itself, was amazing. There were moments that I wanted to scream and I thought to myself "really,?" but then I got on the plane home, and I was talking to the man next to me and man...I was a yoga teacher, I was educated, I felt confident, I was so happy to share my knowledge with him and he promised me that he would take himself and his fiance (who is sick with Cancer) to Bikram yoga when he landed. Since then I've been high, teaching yoga is better than practicing yoga....So if your heart is telling you to go...go, and 33 your a baby! Yoga makes you young...but of course everyone had different expierences and I can only tell you to follow your heart, stay present and breathe! Keep reading and keep in touch! I would love to hear about TT for you! and maybe take your class in the future!!!

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