I wrote about weekends 1-5 in a previous post so here's a follow up for the rest of my training.
Weekend 6 was heavy on philosophy and history of yoga. It's so hard for me to keep that knowledge in my brain. Postures are no problem. I can learn them in my body. But so many historical belief systems (including some of Yoga's) just don't resonate with me and it's tough to remember if I can't feel it.
I missed our 7th weekend and will have to make it up later but I was in France leading Canal boat cruises. Here's the link to pictures from the trip. Great times but I am very sad to have missed the cadaver lab on shoulders.
Weekend 8 was all about the shoulders / shoulder girdle. We did lots of shoulder practices from Somatics to inversions. Also, had a super evening of Ayurveda lecture.
Our final weekend, our 9th time meeting, was a four day retreat in Ely, MN at Yoga North, way up north. Over the last few months we created an art project to represent our change and learning both as a person and as a teacher while learning the therapeutic practice of SomaYoga. We all presented these projects this weekend. We also did 36 hours of silence and it was not what I expected. It was filled with connection. We have been together for 9 months now. We are not afraid to make eye contact, smile, or even laugh into the silence. We shared meals, hikes, yoga practice and a campfire by the lake, listening to the sound of ice forming. We broke silence intentionally on Sunday morning after our yoga practice, each of us sharing our feelings of being in silence. Although our group will probably not be together again in this configuration, I know we will hold each other in our hearts.
I highly recommend the teacher training program at Yoga North if you want to learn how to help people get out of pain, if you want to dive deep into yourself, and if you want to be part of a community of healing. Namaste.
