My yoga story seems slightly round-about in
the sense that I wanted to be a yoga teacher prior to having any experience on
the mat. Nevertheless, becoming a
teacher was my initial motivation and for whatever reason something inside of
me deeply resonated with the simultaneous discipline of mind, body, and spirit.
I somehow intuitively understood that yoga would help with the care and nurture
of my physical and mental well-being so it only made sense to make it a part of
my life.
I started my practice in 2009 trying out
various studios and class styles around Winnipeg.
Unsurprisingly, I immediately noticed some
subtle yet genuine improvements in my strength and flexibility. It wasn’t long
before I happily anticipated that overall “feel good” sensation right after a
class and it wasn’t much longer that I had noticeably less aches and pains,
less frowns and strains.
Other changes arrived and keep arriving but
they are more gradual and are dependent on time. I’m talking about the growth
of mind and spirit and I have no doubt that yoga has opened my heart and
widened my mind. Yoga has literally helped wake me up from a type of slumber
that is completely inevitable when one’s mindset and attitudes are narrow and unknowingly
lazy. My practice in and out of the studio has truly helped me cultivate an
awareness that I was previously unfamiliar with…life seems so much more
enjoyable and less scary when presence presides with more regularity.
Consequently,
I am more interested in how to be of better service to others, my self, and the
Divine.
After about five years of yoga experience I
finally decided to follow the path that had originally peaked my interest in
the first place– yoga teacher training.
These last two years of teacher training have
also been nothing short of life changing.
Living out of town and being a pregnant stay at home mom to a toddler, I
had some legitimate challenges with the commitment of attending the workshops
and classes and keeping up with a home practice. However, the training actually dedicated me
to my yoga and motivated me to keep going during those doubtful moments of
“what am I doing here?!” I realized how important and rewarding it is to
dedicate yourself to something that is so good for you both inside and out and
I absolutely fell in love with my role as a yoga student .
So while yoga has indeed changed my life in
many ways, the most unexpected irony is that my initial interest in becoming a
yoga teacher has fallen to the wayside of becoming a more dedicated yoga
student. And perhaps this in turn is precisely why I was inspired to become a yoga
teacher… so that I could completely immerse myself in a life of learning.
Gaby
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