I am now a certified yoga instructor. 300 hours of sweat, four to five classes a day, so much info cram packed in three weeks that it feels like it's enough to last me an entire year.Those three weeks were so completely intense physically, emotionally, and spiritually that at some parts during those weeks I found myself crying and laughing for reasons I could not and cannot explain. My three week yoga training immersion was a blast and I wouldn't change any second of it if I had the chance. Every single person that I met - my teachers, the students, random people in Asheville... they were all family to me for those three weeks and when it was finally time to part ways and go back to our lives we had before we all arrived in Asheville, well it certainly was bittersweet. I spent every waking minute with those people from eight in the morning to five in the evening everyday, and I will cherish the memories we made during those three weeks. I know that these friendships and relationships will last forever because people this special are hard to find. So many of them opened my eyes and my heart in ways that I didn't know I could be opened. The immersion was a pleasant experience but also almost like a dream; almost too perfect.
(The yoga bubble) we all call it is a wonderful thing and when it was time for us to go back home - none of us wanted to leave that bubble. We wanted to stay there forever. It was amazing to see so many different people that I was able to connect and get along with in such a short amount of time. After just a couple days I felt like I had known them for years. It certainly was a journey for each and every one of us and we all helped each other along the way. There were obstacles emotionally and physically - some negatives and some positives. Tears were shed and laughter was contagious. It was a healthy and liberating experience and I am so very thankful that I was able to spend the time that I had there and complete that goal that I had for myself. I think the thing about experiences like this one in particular is people are put in situations and certain experiences for a reason. I was meant to do this specific immersion to meet these specific people, at this specific time in my life for reasons I may not know right now and reasons that I may never know, but it was meant to happen. As I am sitting here typing this blog post up right now looking back on how I felt before the immersion and how I feel now are two totally and completely different feelings. Before - I felt nervous, anxious, unsteady all of the time; for reasons I don't quite know why... and now - I feel grounded, present, and accepting not only with other people, but with myself. The way I see it, I'd take those last three words any day over the first three. Noticing how different I feel now compared to then is very satisfying and I will strive to continue my life the way I feel right now, in this moment.
During the immersion we were all expected to keep a journal about our daily practices that we come up with for ourselves and practice on our own time. The journal was meant for us to write any feelings and emotions we have in that very moment and at the end of the three weeks reflect on that and see how your feelings and emotions had changed from day one. Over a span of three weeks, well you'd be surprised how different your feelings change from day to day by just experimenting with different stretches, sequences, conversation, readings, etc. Everything our instructors had us do was meant to help us grow into the person we are meant to be if we hadn't already found ourselves...and if we had? Then the point behind everything was to peel back the layers and make ourselves new again.
Surprisingly, this immersion helped me look at life in a way that I never expected. Before my training I felt like I was a go getter, I liked to travel, try new things, always had goals that I wanted to complete,but I never really realized that I was never able to follow through with certain things that I wanted to do. This may sound confusing but it makes perfect sense to me. For example, last year I said I was going to try out for a part in a play that my college was presenting - that didn't happen. I also stated that I would like to play piano... this was about two years ago and I have yet to learn how to play the piano. Along with those two tasks... there are also other things that I long to complete in my life. To most people they are just two little unimportant things, but to me they are both things that I have never completed or finished. And if you are anything like me and you have so many dreams, goals, adventures, and plans that you have in mind for yourself... throughout your life and you haven't gone through with a few of them or maybe even all of them yet... my advice to you is "do it." Pick a goal that you want to complete right now and do it. Center your life around the present and live in the very moments that arise NOW. I guarantee that you will feel a sensation from being able to cross that goal off your "To Do" list - I know I have.
Namaste,
Albany Victoria Reed
We Are Certified!!!!
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