Bittersweet Evening. From Nancy
Tonight will be a bittersweet evening for me. As I prepare to take my final portion of the YTTC, I feel a mixture of happiness, relief and sadness. Happiness is easy – I have learned a lot here, I feel enthused about being a yoga teacher, and I have made some new friends. Relief — well, yes actually. It has been intense, it has been challenging — so I feel a sense of relief that the training is over. But at the same time, I do feel somewhat sad. I have so enjoyed these 5 weeks of time with the Incredible Jessica, Yummy Mummy Nicole and the Awesome Alexis. These three ladies have become heroes to me, and what they have been able to accomplish with this amazing studio. It really does give me hope for the future of the studio I plan to open in New Zealand. So as I revise for the Theory portion of our YTTC, I do feel it is bittersweet. I am thrilled I accomplished this, but I will miss this very, very much. It has become such a part of my life that I am disappointed to see it end. But I think of this really as a beginning, not an ending. This is just the opening stanza to the journey to being a yoga teacher. It all begins here! And I am oh so lucky to have had this opportunity. Thank you all. Namaste
A Yee Hah at IHA! From Nancy
What a relief! I am so proud to have passed the Practical portion of the YTTC. It wasn’t easy — I wish I had done this 20 years ago when I was still young and fit! But saying that, I am much fitter now than I was when I started the course 5 weeks ago. One of the real benefits I see is that I now know where my weak spots are, and where my strengths are. I will be stretching and practicing at home on a regular basis to correct the weaknesses and to build on the strengths. What follows is a piece of advice (stop reading now if you don’t want it…..) For those of you who are still young and strong, I cannot stress enough how critical it is to keep your practice up. Once you hit your 40’s (or like me, are close to 50) you loose tone and strength so quickly it’s scary. You don’t really believe it when you are young and fit. When I was younger, I believed I was invincible and would never really show ageing. But then one day you wake up, and there are pains where they didn’t exist before. It comes on when you don’t even realize it. I slowed down my yoga practice when life (or rather, work) got in the way in my early 40’s. DON’T LET THAT HAPPEN TO YOU! Find time for yoga. Always. It will make your life much happier and healthier in the long run. Anyway, I am back in it now, and couldn’t be happier. This has been a fantastic 5 weeks, and I love the results. Next step – gain more experience teaching!!!!
Are the jitters normal??? From Nancy
What can I say? My practical exam is tomorrow, and I HAVE THE JITTERS! It seems odd to me. I am quite sure that I can do the required postures, I did them the past two days… so why do I have performance anxiety? I have been asking myself this for a few days now. I am normally quite confident and good in front of people. I have done stage acting, debating, given senior level corporate presentations… even taught aerobics back in the days when it was hip. So here I am, doing what I love, and I have a case of the nerves!!!! ARRRGGG! That doesn’t bode well for my balancing, now does it? OK, time to get serious about this. Planning necessary. A good dinner, a hot bath with Epsom salts… and a long meditation to help myself sleep. That should do the trick….. Here’s hoping for a successful tomorrow. Nancy
