WHO inspired me to do yoga?
I first got to know about Hatha yoga through social media (this was also how I got to know about The Yoga Mandala too!) and my Dad had the chance to try Raja yoga during a workshop and introduced it to us. As I attended more yoga classes over the years, there are many teachers as well as students who have “spread the fever” and continue to ignite my passion in yoga today. I love how every single yoga class feels different in terms of energy. Even as we flow through similar poses, there are always new discoveries to be made. Things like how it feels in a pose, which muscles to engage so that we can reap full benefits from each pose, as well as the endless possibilities in the beautiful shapes we can make and hold in. Thank you Jessica for incorporating Pincha Mayurasana (Feathered Peacock pose) and Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) into our curriculum, poses that some of us may never attempt by ourselves due to the fear of falling and hurting! Hui Jie 200 Hour YTT Oct’20
WHEN did I start doing yoga?
I went for my first yoga class in 2016. It was for beginners and our teacher, a firm believer of quality over quantity, guided us through 10 poses in the 60-minute class. I have no way of confirming but from my memory, these were the poses which we learnt that day: 1) Tree 2) Eagle 3) Chair 4) Downward-facing Dog 5) Upward-facing Dog 6) Plank 7) Cobra 8) Bridge 9) Happy Baby and 10) Savasana. I remember how excited I was before class and also, how calm I felt right after. I signed up for a package on the day itself and have been practising yoga ever since. Hui Jie 200 Hour YTT Oct’20
#6
Time flies and we are almost at our last lap of YTT, we have created our own sequence and will be testing our with our classmates before our official community class. Being an introvert and having difficulties with public speaking, it is definitely something I needed to overcome. I felt that I messed up badly during my first time but Jessica provided feedback and guidance for me which really provides me comfort and it motivates myself to improve further. I feel that yoga is a never ending learning experience and I will continue to practice harder in order to improve myself so that I can one day be able to teach with ease and provide what I have learnt to others in the future. Thank you for the wonderful and memorable experience throughout my YTT journey! Sheena 200 Hour YTT Oct’20-Jan’21
#3
Moving onto the third and fourth week of YTT, morning meditation still not doing very well for me but I am trying to maintain a calm state to cleanse my mind before starting our practical training. We have covered seated and prone sequences and some arm balancing poses. I am definitely slowly seeing some progression in myself. I wasn’t able to do side crow or even was very surprised at myself for being able to attempt poses like crow, side crow, eight-angle pose and even fallen angel. I do definitely need to build more strength in holding the poses long enough but I am really happy at my progress. I think this is what Jessica always says “Mandala Magic”. I have also resorted to TCM acupuncture in hopes to relieve some tension in my body. Hopefully this is just a temporary solution and my body will slowly get used to it. Sheena 200 Hour YTT Oct’20
#2 Sheena
Onto the second and third week of YTT, our weekly routine is quite standardised and slowly getting the hang of it. However, I am still not able to maintain a still mind during meditation. I tend to fidget a lot and my legs go numb easily. As for the practical practice, we were tasked to instruct the class with sun salutation and standing sequences in Sanskrit during our usual morning exercise routine. This is quite a challenge for all of us as we are not used to speaking in Sanskrit and the names are relatively hard to remember. We are progressing very fast and finished our standing sequence. One thing that I really dread after class ends is that my body aches minimally 4-5 days. Even if I want to stretch my hamstring, I am unable to do so due to the intense pain I encountered. I just hope my body will get better and stronger. Sheena 200 Hour YTT Oct’20
#5
For the seventh and eighth week of YTT, everyone seems to be more confident as before and are getting used to the asana practices. We are focusing more on inversion and it is definitely very fulfilling when we are able to achieve the pose. I’ve never been able to do a proper inversion until now which really gives me the satisfaction and proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone to attend my YTT at Yoga Mandala. I’m very appreciative for having Jessica as our mentor during our YTT period, she has been very assuring and always there to provide her guidance to us. Sheena 200 Hour YTT Oct’20
#4
On the fifth and sixth week of YTT, we have completed all the asana sequences and we were tasked to conduct the sequencing individually during our practical practice. It is definitely not easy as we have to understand each pose in order to break down the necessary instructions. However with this practice, I feel that I am able to know more on getting the posture right for my own future practice. Every week is a challenging yet motivational week for me to see myself slowly progress along the way. Sheena 200 Hour YTT Oct’20
#1 Sheena
One day before YTT, I had a sleepless night as I was super excited to start this YTT course. I was looking forward to it yet worried at the same time because I am neither a morning person nor someone that exercises often. On the first week of YTT, it was more of an introduction on Sanskrit, breathing techniques and sun salutation poses. It sounds normal but the sun salutation part was a torture to me due to my tight hamstring, inflexibility and lack of strength. I was in pain after my first week course, but nonetheless it was a happy pain. I had a better understanding of the meaning of the poses and how it benefits my body. Even though I’ve been practicing yoga for less than a year, I was just following blindly during lessons. This YTT definitely equips us with better knowledge and understanding, it allows me to do the poses with intention. Sheena 200 Hour YTT Oct’20
YTT Comes To An End
On October 31, 2020, I attended my first lesson of 200-hour yoga teacher training at The Yoga Mandala Studio. Back in January of that year, I wondered if I should start my yoga practice, which I had stopped practicing for about a decade. I’m not sure if I could cope well and make my way to become a yoga teacher. But deep in my heart, I know this is what I’m looking for: for both career and hobby, and constantly learn my life. Despite I attended lot of yoga classes, I really don’t know what’s going to happen to my yoga journey, until I went to YTT. I learned a lot during my time during YTT. Although it was not easy, it was absolutely amazing and awesome, from asana to a physical workout and poses, pranayama or breathing techniques, and meditation. Our mentor always remind us that the path of a Yogi, is to keep practice and learning. Don’t be afraid to do mistake or failed to do the pose. We all learn from mistake. Yoga has a lot of reputations, some are true and some, not so much. However, during the YTT time, it does helped me endure the difficulties and build the commitment during training. It completely changed my view. And now, YTT is going to come to the end, the indescribable feeling all mixed-up. Nervous, excited and sad. All kinds of feelings. Nervous for the exam, excited for the last day and I will become a certified Yoga teacher (provided i pass all my exams… Haha) and sad because I’m going to miss my mentor and my lovely Yogi friends cum classmate. We work out and spends at least 16 hours every weekend together in the past two and half months. I gonna to miss all the fun, laughter moment and our beautiful mentor. Especially when she nag on our yoga postures alignment with her lovely cute voice. Haha. I’m starting to miss it all now. Zenn 200 Hour YTT Oct’20
Community Class
As time goes by, our weekends YTT course came into the end in one week time. Two weeks ago was two community classes for us to teach our immediate family or friends in The Yoga Mandala studio. Finally I realized that, as a Yoga teacher really not that easy as you think. It’s always look so simple and easy but when we physically stand at the center of the class to teach, verbal cues, observe the student alignments and multitasking, you just like an busy octopus in the class. Public speaking skill and confident needed much as a yoga teacher. Being an introvert, this will be huge challenge for me and decision that I’ve made. I’ve been through the nervous, excited, anxiety, panicking, heart palpitations and all kind of feelings before the class start. Although those invitees who attend my class are my friends and some how I know that i can do it, all sequences prepared, and keep remind myself that it will take time to build the teaching practice of my dreams. The fear that I have to face is to standing in front of the students, they waiting and look at you to demonstrate the next pose or what if I forgot my next pose…will never easy for me to handle. But I realized that I find the true happiness and enjoy to connect with people when come into yoga, although they are someone that I knew. Haha. It made me grow in a way that I never thought I would. Thank you so much, TYM. Zenn 200 Hour YTT Oct’20
