Week 1: Bali

Today is day five of my intensive 500-hour yoga teacher training, and as expected: I have fallen in love with Bali. What was perhaps not fully expected was the amount of powerful and eye-opening information I have learned already in just five days! My knowledge in teaching is expanding exponentially, as well as my own personal practice.

Each day we begin with about three hours of yoga, pranayama, and meditation. For the first four hours of the day we are in complete silence. {Other than the instruction of our teacher} Our breakfast following is also silent; free from the distractions of phones, social media, etc.

At first I found this practice of silence to be jarring and slightly awkward. But I have come to look forward to this time of absorption, taking in the benefits of a powerful and extremely challenging yoga practice.
The rest of the day consists of lectures, anatomy, practicum, and meditation. We study and participate in sacred yogic practices that purify the body in order to unlock Buddhi and Mahat. {Pure intuition and soul}

Perhaps one of the most powerful take-aways so far has been how to breathe space into different areas of the body. A large focus of this training has been learning how to breathe into the pelvis. {Sounds weird but trust me, so awesome.} After all, the very first definition of yoga ever written was "breath in the lower body".
Learning slowly how to better direct and control my breath has already changed my practice immensely. Our teacher emphasizes that when we are able to control the breath, we can control the mind, which then allows for the focus and clarity to lead a purposeful life.

As we uncover the meaning behind ancient texts and yogic philosophies, I am inspired by the many complex facets of yoga and meditation, while also remaining a very simple practice at it's core. Our teacher calls yoga "the science of becoming a better human being", and I have never heard a more relevant definition.

ANYWAYS, this intense training has been chock-full-of powerful and eye opening information in just one week. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I have yet to learn. During these next 2 months, I look forward to uncorking more about this ancient practice, as well as myself.

Sending love!

Molly

P.S.
Just in case you are wondering, "why does this weirdo love yoga so much?!" There is actually fascinating psychology and neuroscience behind it!
Take a look at these TedTalks that we watched in class today; they provide scientific evidence supporting the rewiring of the brain/body to be more conscious and aware, which results from a consistent meditation practice.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W81CHn4l4AM

https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight?language=en