My yoga journey started out like many others. I was looking for some flexibility training and relaxation. But what I have gotten from yoga has been so much deeper than that.
I made the decision to bring yoga teaching into my life almost 2 years ago now. I was working at a gym where there was a need for yoga and I wanted to have the knowledge to be able to coach my students through their practice. I got certified through NETA, which was a very basic weekend workshop giving me the tools I needed to begin my yoga teaching.
From the moment I decided to teach, I have dreamed of going to India to study yoga. {And for some reason I have always wanted to travel to India, it was truly always on my "list"}
If you have been following my on Social Media, then you know that me and my husband are currently living in Phuket, Thailand. We sold everything, packed up the necessities, and moved here in January 2017 for Troy to train with the best Muay Thai trainers. He is a professional fighter and this is where he needed to be! Since our time here, I knew I needed to get to India! I was SOOOO close! I began searching online for programs, but nothing was lining up with our schedule very well.
Finally, I came across Vinyasa Yoga School and their schedule worked absolutely perfect with mine! It was meant to be! I booked my reservation with them, applied for my visa, got my flight and was ready to go 2 weeks before it started! To say I was excited was an understatement!
When I arrived to India, I flew into New Delhi and met a girl who was going to be attending the same group at Vinyasa Yoga School. I was a little worried, because we were going to be meeting at 10pm for the first time ever, and immediately sharing a bed at an AirBnB that night. Weird, right? Turns out, I need to relax a bit! Bakulia turned out to be the best person I could have met that day - we just clicked and we had so much fun together! {if you watch the video below, you'll see her in like every picture lol}
After our AirBnB stay, our host took us out around New Delhi and we got to explore so many beautiful places! Around 3pm we hopped into our taxi for the next epic step on the journey to Rishikesh.
This 9 hour taxi drive was honestly the craziest experience! I think we ended up talking straight through the entire drive because we needed to distract ourselves from the terrifying driving. It didn't seem to phase anyone else on the road. So it seemed to be just a thing in India.... drive crazy... oh, and honk A LOT! {at least where I went lol}
Once arriving to Rishikesh, we grabbed our backpacks, walked across the Luxmanjula Bridge and found our way to the hotel. I was glad to have my own room during my stay. It was nice to have a place to relax and unwind in.
For 2 days after arriving, we had time to ourselves to explore, try the local cuisine, drink all the mango juices, pet all the cows, enjoy the River Ganga and chill the f out! Amazing.
On April 31st, we began our Yoga Teacher Training with an Opening Fire Ceremony. It was so many things: awkward, beautiful, weird, new, exciting, and gave me all the feels. We hadn't all met at this point, which made it a little funny all cramming into a small circle and chanting together. But... when in India, right?
The next morning we started bright and early at 5:30am with morning tea and bananas! {we split up into two groups: one starting with Hatha in the morning and Vinyasa at night, and the other did the opposite} I chose Vinyasa in the morning, I like to do my "harder" workout early. Classes started kind of slow. A lot of introductions. A lot of information.
But once we got into a rhythm of our schedule, it was smooth sailing.
- 5:30 am tea + bananas
- 6 am vinyasa teaching {Telissa}
- 7:15 am vinyasa flow class {Deepak}
- 8:15 am break
- 9:15 am pranayama {Mahesh}
- 10 am breakfast
- 11:15 am philosophy {Mahesh}
- 12 pm anatomy/physiology {Kushal}
- 1:15 pm lunch then break
- 5 pm hatha yoga teaching + flow
- 7 pm meditation
- 8:15 pm dinner
The schedule was demanding... physically and mentally. We were around a brand new group of people 24/7, in a new country, new foods, getting Delhi belly, sweating constantly, and doing 4+ hours of yoga per day. But within all of that, I had SO much fun!
WEEK 1
We started learning about the basics of vinyasa flows and the form within the postures. It was really nice to break down the asanas to learn how to teach them. I also really enjoyed learning the benefits of each movement and the flows of each breath throughout.
Going into my YTT, I had a very miserable looking chaturanga... but after the first week with Deepak, I was chaturanga-ing like a mad woman! I was already starting to feel so much stronger. Which to me, is a huge motivation.
Philosophy quickly became my favorite class. I absolutely adored our instructor Mahesh. He has this calm and warm energy about him. The way he taught was so inspiring and just made you want to listen to him all day. The stories that he told and the quotes and he said, will stay with me forever. Mahesh also taught us Pranayama {breath control} which was a very challenging class for me. I have a hard time sitting still, especially in the morning. Therapy was also taught by Mahesh. We learned shoulder therapy in the first week and I cannot wait to utilize this on my clients in the future!
Hatha, in the evening with Sarita, was wonderful. We moved slow but challenged ourselves like no other. Who knew it could be SO hard to gently move your body for an hour and a half?! Hatha is the original yoga from which all other yoga is derived from. We chanted, practiced, laughed, savasana'd and so much more with Sarita. She truly made the class what it was with her warm spirit and kind soul.
On the weekends, we got SUNDAY FUNDAY !! The first weekend, we got to explore the Maharishi Mahesh Ashram. This ashram is now referred to as the Beatles Ashram. In 1968, the Beatles traveled to Rishikesh to study Transcendental Meditation. Unfortunately, the ashram has not been well kept up since this time. But the views are still amazing. There are so many meditation halls/rooms that are absolutely incredible. Energy is everywhere. My favorite part was the amazing art that has been created on the walls throughout the entire ashram. Truly an amazing and unforgettable experience.
MY FAVORITE TAKE AWAY FROM WEEK ONE:
"Karma Yoga is your choice" -Mahesh // Karma yoga is action without any expectation. It is the first yoga. Every moment we have an allotted duty, and every action has the ability to purify you if you put your mind to it. We should be thinking about the action, not the result. No expectations.
WEEK 2
The second week got a bit more comfortable. We began to settle into our schedule, and began to get to know each other more and more. Now of course, getting to know each other better means that some turmoil may arise. However, with this group of awesome yogi's {32 people} we didn't seem to have too many issues! Everyone was there for a positive reason. Whether that reason was to find oneself, to grow within their practice, or to deepen their yoga knowledge + gain teaching experience {like me}. Trust me when I say we had a LOT of personalities within our group too! There were a few days I had to take some time to myself lol but that's nothing out of the ordinary for me!
This week in Philosophy, we got to do a physchological exercise where Mahesh told us all to draw a picture with 9 different "things" in it. We could draw it however we wanted, and had about 20 minutes to do so. We then got the chance to evaluate each other's drawings and discuss them. Each object had a specific meaning and how they were drawn in relation to each other had a significance. {these were quite personal, and I am going to keep my drawing to myself : ) } But it was amazing how accurate these were for each of us.
We also started to learn more about our Physical {impermanent vessel, or house for the soul}, Astral {vital force}, and Causal {soul body} Bodies. It was insanely interesting to me, as I have just recently began my studies in these areas.
In week 2, we also did laughing therapy. Which deserves to be mentioned ha! Talk about weird, right?! We were all sat down, ready for class - not really knowing what was next. Mahesh walks in and says "okay, today we do laughing therapy". Then we all look around and are like, okay? Mahesh goes on to describe what we will do... I'm over here thinking, "yeah, I am not in the mood to laugh so this sucks" {I was tired and just wanted to relax} But within like 2 minutes I was laughing hysterically along with all 32 other humans in this yogashala. Too funny!
Our SUNDAY FUNDAY this week was a Sunrise trip to Kunjapuri Temple. Like many things on this trip, it didn't go quite to plan. We met outside for our taxi around 4:30am just to find out they weren't coming. After the sun came up, our new taxi arrived and we headed up deep into the Himalayas. Around 30-40 minutes of hairpin turns on a single lane road {honking around corners to avoid full frontal collisions} we made it. 300 stairs separated us from the views. The most breathtaking views I have seen in my life. It was absolutely incredible! We learned about Shiva, ran from the monkeys, stared in awe and took in the moments around us. Breathe.
MY FAVORITE TAKE AWAY FROM WEEK 2:
"Now is WOW. Other time is OW." -Mahesh. // We were discussing time. Time is a movement. It never stops. You can manage time, but you will never control it. We need to recognize and respect time, or it will destroy you. Mahesh went into detail about how there is no tomorrow, it is just an explanation. He said to only think about the past to learn experience, but we need to live in the present. TIME IS NOW! Have a plan for the future, but live for it now!!
WEEK 3
We got a lot deeper into our Pranayama practice on Week 3. It continued to be a huge challenge for me. But I kept working at it. Breath is so important. It is one of the only things we can truly take control over, and can have such outstanding effects on our body.
We also got to learn about the chakras, which I had been waiting for! Every single cell has energy, every cell is a chakra. But in spiritual scripture there are 7 chakra. In order for us to awaken spiritually, we need to balance our chakras. I loved learning these, and even went into town and bought myself some chakra oils! All about that balanced life!
In week 3, we also started diving in deeper to how a teacher should make adjustments on their students. It was fun to get to practice and play with these. It is so important as a teacher, to learn the appropriate way to do these to make our students feel comfortable and confident during their practice.
Week 3 also brought some interesting detoxification. We practiced the jala neti {neti pot}, which I have done personally myself when I get sick and swear by them for sinus issues! But we also got to learn sutra neti, this was brand new for me. We got our own personal catheter, plastic tubing, about 12 inches long. You are to take a comfortable position, relax the body, tilt your head back slightly and gently + slowly insert the narrow end of the catheter into the nostril that is flowing more freely. As it is inserted, you will twist it so that it goes into the nostril easily. Once that catheter reaches the back of the throat, you reach your index and middle finger into the mouth and pull out that end of the catheter through your mouth. Then you will gently thread the catheter back and forth: you will have one end out your nose and one end out of your mouth. I COULDN'T DO IT!! I was totally up for it, and then the day came... and I totally chickened out. I got the catheter about a foot from my face and it came no closer haha!!!!
Our SUNDAY FUNDAY this week was River Rafting on The River Ganga! Wow!! Rafting down the same water that flows from the Himalayan Mountains is so many things: amazing, beautiful and really freaking cold! When we started they said it would be a level 2 raft. When we arrived they said it was level 3. When we got into the raft, the guys says "okay, we start with a level 4 right away." Ummm...? I literally flew across the raft after being slammed by a giant wave and it was EXHILARATING!! A 20 minute raft was not long enough! Now I want to do this all over the world!
After our river rafting, we decided to head out to the Rishikesh Market. It has more shops and we were on a hunt for sarees. I really wanted to get a saree for graduation, and to have one for visiting the Taj Mahal. After a 30 minute, sweaty walk to the tuk-tuks, we finally hopped in and made our way to the market. We found a shop and it was like wedding dress shopping all over again! I stood on a stand and a lovely man put a saree on me, making it look ridiculously easy. I picked out a gorgeous turquoise saree for 995 rupees {$15 USD} and they delivered it the next day to our hotel after making a custom top for me!
MY FAVORITE TAKE AWAY FROM WEEK 3:
Athayoganusasanam. Atha {now}. Yoga {union}. Nusasanam {discipline}. Now yoga begins with discipline. Discipline is man made determination for success, all learning needs discipline. Discipline is respect. As a yogi, we need discipline with ourself, our breath, our mat, our partners, our food, socially, with gadgets, with hair and with our clothing.
WEEK 4
The last full week of the YTT came so freaking quick! I couldn't believe it. I focused so much on living in the now, and I feel like for the first time in a LONG time I actually am starting to accomplish that. Getting to the last week was very bittersweet as well. We were really starting to get to know each other so well and build friendships with people. It was sad to think we were almost done!
On Wednesday, I got the chance to teach my very own 50 minute Vinyasa class to my peers. I've been teaching yoga for about a year and a half, yet I was nervous. It is one thing to teach to students, but quite another to teach to a room full of instructors who are observing you and your teaching skills. I chose calm + peaceful music. Had incense burning. Greeted everyone as they arrived. And we began. I started everyone with a meditation lasting around 5 minutes. I spoke of possibilities throughout the practice: what is possible within the 4 corners of your mat. We worked through a tough Vinyasa class leading up to my peak pose of side crow on both sides. I then finished everyone off with a long and soothing final savasana, being sure to give everyone some love, energy and attention with their adjustments. {I love adjustments in savasana}. Feedback given to me: "please go teach yoga" : )
That week, every single student got the chance to teach a Vinyasa class. This meant that we all got to take each others classes and do even more yoga every day. Along with that, we also taught a 1.5 hour class for Hatha.
Week 4 was: exhausting, beautiful, exciting, fun, filled with learning and just so dang bittersweet.
MY FAVORITE TAKE AWAY FROM WEEK 4:
Yogaschittivrittinirodha. Yoga {union}. Schitti {consciousness}. Vritti {thoughts}. Nirodha {stop/block}. Yoga stops the conscious thought process. When you stop the conscious thoughts, you can practice and meditate deeper. I enjoyed learning about this, because I have such a hard time slowing down. I struggle with meditation. But it is a learning process and it takes time to "turn off". I will continue to practice.
THE LAST FEW DAYS + GRADUATION
Our last week was just 3 days. We had 2 days left of classes and then graduation. It went by so quick. It was mostly spent on presentations and our peers leading us through classes.
On Tuesday, the very last day of classes, I taught our final class in Hatha. Instead of teaching a slow class {which was mostly taught during this time}, I decided to switch it up a bit and bring in my own little flare. My group fitness and bootcamp side of me came out... in moderation of course! I taught more of a fitness style yoga, which I had never taught before. I challenged myself to get out of my comfort zone - and boy did it work! I had an absolute blast! My feedback was great from my peers and I cannot wait to teach this style in a studio when I get the chance! Just knowing this was the last practice with these amazing humans, honestly almost brought me to tears!
The next morning we got up early, and Bakulia and I went out for our last Rishikesh breakfast. Next, it was time to put on our sarees and head off to graduation! Everyone looked SO amazing! It's always so fun to see everyone all dolled up, especially after 4 weeks straight of sweaty yoga clothes!
Our graduation started with a Fire Ceremony. We chanted "Swaha" {burn your ego} one last time. Then we went around in a circle sharing our experience with our group. And lastly, we were presented with our certificates. What a freaking accomplishment!
200 hours of training in just 30 days time. Grateful is the only word that comes close to describing how I feel about those 30 days.
THE TAJ MAHAL AND ADVENTURES BACK TO THAILAND
After crying our eyes out saying goodbye to everyone, we headed out for another traveling adventure. Bakulia and I were on a mission for the Taj Mahal. We had a quick taxi ride to Dehra Dun, followed by a 5 hour delay for flight back to New Delhi. We landed in Delhi around 11:30 pm. Perfect timing to find a taxi to Agra, right?! haha! After hustling for a good price, we got the sweetest taxi driver who took us on a 6 hour {should have only been 3 or so... but he drove soooo slow} drive to Agra. We arrived around 6 am, learned how to put our sarees on by ourself {which is NOT an easy task}, and headed to see this incredible Wonder of the World.
It was just that. Absolutely amazing. We were bummed to have missed the sunrise, especially since there was quite a crowd by the time we got there at ~7am, but it was incredible none the less.
The marble. The meaning behind it. The adorable man who decided to give us our own personal photoshoot. Everything. Was. Amazing. There was no way I was going to be in India, and not see the Taj Mahal.
We ended up getting completely lost on our way back to our taxi driver, but fortunately we ran into a guy who helped us out, and another who recognized us and pointed us in the right direction. The people in India are so kind.
After seeing the Taj Mahal. We had breakfast and went back to our hotel room {which we had hoped to sleep in the night before haha}. After a quick nap, we headed back out for one last taxi ride back to Delhi. Bakulia and I both had flights out that night to head home. Her to Australia, and me to Thailand. I cried. Her and I clicked so well on this trip and traveled together like old gal pals. I already miss her sass and am looking forward to having a place to visit in Australia!
And all of a sudden.... it was time to go back to Thailand. I was thrilled to go back to see my husband, but sad to think about leaving the energy and experiences I had in India.
CHECK OUT MY VIDEO WITH TONS OF PICTURES AND VIDEO CLIPS OF MY TIME SPENT IN INDIA
FUN TRIP EXTRAS
One thing remained a constant throughout my time in India... and that was the curry. Every meal had curry. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. If you know me, you know I don't handle spice too well. This made things interesting. I ended up making an oatmeal concoction every morning for breakfast {and by the end of it was eating this at lunch as well}. Indian food is sooo good, but it was a lot to handle all at once haha.
There were literally cows everywhere. I thought it might be one of those things where it's rare to actually see one. Nope. They are everywhere. It is not rare to have a cow walk standing in the door of a shop, or sleeping in the middle of the road, or scratching its head on your leg. There were also monkeys everywhere. {I would compare it to the amount of squirrels you see on a college campus in the states} This of course, brought so much joy to my life! I freaking love monkeys! However, you need to be careful because they are pests. We got warned to be sure we didn't leave our balcony doors open, because they would come in and steal your stuff!
I was a vegetarian for the duration of this trip. Rishikesh is a completely vegetarian and dry {no alcohol} city. It was a bit of a shock to my body, but it was a learning experience for sure! We ended up going out for dinner quite often, vs eating at the school, so we could get some eggs. My body was craving that protein!!
The Medicine Man: In the first week we were in Rishikesh, we met The Medicine Man. He was this kind old man who had a little shop just down from the yoga school. He made homemade kombucha, homemade nut butters, and had all the snacks we needed to give us energy for these long days! He also made little natural concoctions for all of us when we got sick. He was such a gem.
I got a tattoo! I got the word SWAHA in Sanscrit tattooed on the inside of my left arm {you'll see in the video}. It means "burn my ego" and I just absolutely loved this. It is important to remember that you are no better or worse than anyone else. When you burn your ego, you are able to practice yoga.
...
Thank you for taking the time to read about my experience in Rishikesh, India during my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training. It was truly a life changing experience and I would recommend anyone who is thinking about it to DO IT!!
I hope this has inspired you to practice yoga... it is capable of changing your life if you allow it.
XO, Brittany
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