Wow! What a week! We wrapped up our inaugural 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training on Memorial Day. I had a class of three which was awesome because each of "The Ladies" got to really dig deeply into her practice and life. Purna Yoga Teacher Training, at any level, is such a great opportunity for growth and personal assessment & change. The assigned readings, the philosophy discussions, the amount of personal asana practice involved and the need to reassess many things that constitutes one's concept of "self" all work together to make a life changing experience...for the better!
The next teacher training will be in the fall, and my plan is to offer a completely different schedule. This first one was two weekends/month plus one week-long intensive. That works really great for some folks, but many who work full time and have children weren't able to take weekends for the training. For the fall training, we'll do a four-hour module on Monday afternoons, another one on Tuesday mornings and one 8-hour weekend per month (four hours on Saturday and four on Sunday afternoons). That will get 'er done in four and a half months, which is pretty good for a 200-hour program.
In the Purna Yoga system, the 200-hour teacher training is a first step. It is, of course, enough to qualify for a 200-hour RYT status with Yoga Alliance. For Purna Yoga Certification, however, we have a rigorous training of 2000 hours (yes, that's an additional zero...not a typo). So, 200 hours is just the start! I'm so happy to be able to offer this program to people who want to go deeper into their personal practice. For those that also want to teach, it is wonderful to see their confidence build as they learn the basics. In another year or so I should qualify to teach the 500-hour level, which would be an interesting addition to the teacher training I currently offer.
So, a lot of plans for the future are rolling around in me right now, even as I make efforts to stay in the NOW. My studio, Maple Leaf Community Yoga, will start its summer session of classes this coming Monday. I'm in the process of creating a job description for the assistant I need to hire. I'm in negotiations with my landlord for our next lease. It's basically business as usual!
This will be the first weekend I've had at home...with almost no appointments (there is a staff meeting on Sunday, but that counts as "fun") in about six weeks. May was full of traveling and teacher training on every weekend. It was a great month, but I am certainly feeling it. Thankfully the summer will be a slower pace.