Thursday, March 17, 2011

I AM GOING TO YOGA SCHOOL!

Yoga School: Yes or No?

After some time of thinking, debating the pros & cons, and listening to much grand advice from loved ones... I thought I would ask my heart what it wanted.
Conversation something like the following...

Brain: "Hello Heart. What do YOU want?"
Heart: "YOGA!"

That was easy.

So I DID IT!
I registered for a 200 RYT Yoga Alliance accreditied teacher training program
via Marianne Wells
Where: The Goddess Garden, Cahuita, Costa Rica
When: July 9, 2011 - July 24, 2011
(more info:
http://mariannewells.com/200-hour-teacher-training//)
(to see the gorgeous Goddess Garden: http://thegoddessgarden.com/)

I love yoga and I feel SO good right now. And am SO excited too!
I was letting many things get in the way. Second guessing myself, thinking maybe now is not the right time, trying to create the perfect plan for summer, money, ect. 

The truth is:
I have to follow my heart day in and day out.
NOW is THE time.
There is no such thing as the perfect plan only the "everchanging plan."
I have worked hard, saved money, so why not spend some of it on something I love? A gift that keeps on giving. And besides, those green bills come and go without notice.

Life is short! Do what makes you happy! I could tell by my celebratory dance once I hit the "Submit" button that I had made the right decision :)


Namaste.

This is the beginning of a whole new beautiful chapter.

If interested here is my application plus some info from another application:
Be warned: some inner workings of my mind and heart exposed here...

-------------------------------------------
Occupation:Student

Gender:
female
Age group:20sName on certificate:Kyria Marie EdwardsHealth considerations and/or diet restrictions:VegetarianPast yoga teaching experience:I am not certified yet, but have I taught yoga? Yes! Last year I led a weekly Sunset Yoga in Santa Barbara overlooking the ocean open and free for anyone who wanted to join! I am a current student studying abroad in Buenos Aires and have been leading a weekly yoga in the park nearby our school here. Everyone loves it and sometimes we have breakout sessions in the school hallway, beach, ranch or wherever we may be!
I love leading yoga. Creating a community together with other followers as well as cultivating an environment for all to rest, rejuvenate and focus their energies is a true blessing. I have much to learn and that is why I am so excited for this teacher training! I know it will build my own personal practice and will guide me into being the teacher I am meant to be.
Your expectations:To add to my own practice as well as improving my knowledge and skills so that I may better help others to do the same. To have a beautiful time with beautiful people in a beautiful place. To learn more about this lifestyle that I love by spending time and energy with others who share a similar passion.
I hope to gain more knowledge on the history of yoga, correct body placement, and connection it has to all parts of life. More experience of different asanas and new ways to challenge myself. Memories to carry with me for a lifetime, and good friends too :)
Are there any personal or pragmatic factors that might limit your full participation during this teacher training program?  (family responsibilities, upcoming commitments, health factors, etc…) 
Nope! I am all there! I know that this is the perfect time in my life to embark on the teacher training program. Having the wonderful opportunity to spend the 5 months prior to this program start date solely for the purpose of studying Spanish, traveling and exploring myself will leave me in the prime moment to stop in Costa Rica and focus specifically on yoga. I am excited already and believe in the concept of “be here now.” That is my full intention every day in and outside of this teacher training program. To really embrace each day with the new offerings and lessons it comes to bring. So, no. There will be no factors limiting me from fully living the life and participating in this program. 

Please list any other trainings, education and experience that you believe may be relevant to this training experience.
As this training experience will benefit my life in every way, I see everyday up to this program start date as being relevant, but these are the main experiences that come to mind…

I have been going to yoga classes on and off for the past 5 years. Angela Philips, my yoga teacher, is also a friend, a mother, and a spiritual leader for me. Her name is Angela Philips and she has studied with various teachers (one of powerful significance to her is Amma) and she draws from various styles as well.
I volunteered for the Dalai Lama when he came to speak at UCSB and sat front row.
I was first introduced to acro yoga while volunteering at a children´s orphanage in Thailand during the summer of 2009.
I led a weekly sunset yoga last year on the beach in Santa Barbara.
Currently I am leading a weekly yoga class in the park in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I fasted for 10 days with a method known as “The Master Cleanse.”
I have been practicing massage since I was 5 years old, have taken a training class and purchased a massage table as a birthday present to myself last year (which has since then received much use, love and energy :)
And I find myself practicing yoga everywhere and wanting to share it with everyone! I am ready to learn more!

Your Personal Growth and Spirituality

Please describe your current spiritual practice and beliefs. 
I feel like this is a very hard if not impossible thing to express in words, let alone within a few lines. I grew up a very strong Christian (from my own accord, sometimes I went to church by myself and I was the one who pulled out my bible to study and signed up for Christian camps, not my parents). While I am grateful I grew up in that environment (many good lessons learned and friends made). I know it is not for me. Upon coming to UCSB I began to listen to myself more and I realized I cannot believe in something that rules out all other beliefs.
That is mainly what it boiled down to. I did not like the judgment that came with Christianity and the declaration that only through Jesus could one be saved.
I do not practice any one religion, but instead I like to learn about all and draw that which feels most right in my heart to form my own religion if you will. I know there is more than me in the world and far more than meets the eye. I do not think I will have it “all figured out” nor do I think I am meant to. I believe everything happens for a reason. I believe in taking the positive approach, viewpoint, and outlook. I believe that everyone needs to love, needs to be loved and everyone needs to believe in something bigger than themselves. I believe we ourselves are our own greatest limiting factor. And that we can be as great and powerful as we choose to be. I believe that time and money and society have been formulated by man and are not meant to be the leaders of our lives.
 I believe that we each have a different purpose on this earth We each have our own pair of eyes in which we view the world and because of this, we each live in different circumstances and formulate beliefs and actions that we choose to be best for our own unique situation. This alone reminds me that all living things deserve my love, respect and good intention. I aim to live my life in a way that is beneficial and constructive for the world. From being a vegetarian to drinking out of my Klean Kanteen, I aim to live consciously and hold myself accountable for my actions, knowing they ripple out and affect the entire universe.
Once we meet I can only hope my actions will express my beliefs. In the meantime, words will do. Until then see my blog for more words that help to express who I am.

Please list any other training or healing modalities that you have participated in that have led you to personal growth or spiritual discipline. 
Daily observation of the outer workings of the world and the inner workings of myself.
The Christian camps I went to as a young woman. Much strength, wisdom and self-reflection gained. As well as awareness of the divine.
Yoga with Angela.
“Goddess Training” with Ali.
A daily class where we focused on breathing, yoga, dance, body movement, meditation, and the power we each contain to be the bright shining people we are born to be!
See website description: "Encourage self-empowerment through Diveine Alignment in the delicate integration of our emotional, physical and mental balance."

Why chose this event:I chose Marianne Wells (or should I say this program chose me? :) because it fits exactly what I am looking for. From the studies of nutrition to the Bhagavad Gita- I am excited to learn it all!
I began researching yoga schools many months ago via Yoga Alliance and this was the first one that grabbed my attention. I continued to search for schools and found a couple other great options.
I am in Argentina now and will be backpacking my way north this summer. I wanted to finish this summer of traveling with a Yoga Certification Program so I looked up all the schools in South and Central America. Marianne Wells came up again. The program dates work very well my my schedule and I like the message that Marianne is spreading and her layout of the teacher training. I don´t know how to explian "good vibes" but I believe they are meant to be followed and they led me here. Also...I fell in love with the location and the name of it "Goddess Garden!" 
I know this will be an incredible program, led by a wonderful woman and in a divine environment. What´s not to love?!
Where heard about this program:Yoga Alliance

No comments:

Post a Comment