Week 2 of YTT was great and I felt as though I had several breakthroughs
throughout the course of the week. There were so many highlights:
Teaching & Awareness
We had a taste of teaching sequences, which I actually enjoyed more than I
expected! Mentally reciting the instructions and then practicing this verbal
script to myself & applying it to my own practice really helped me memorise
and understand things better. The struggle I faced with this however was the
fact that I am not always present in the moment. I had episodes where I
spaced out and forgot the next pose or even forgetting to complete another
side made me realise I needed to be more aware. Aware of my own body,
each movement and breath, each moment that passes and the people around
me who are inevitably affected by my awareness/lack thereof.
Chakras
Learning about the chakras also ignited my enthusiasm after I was a little
discouraged by the limitations of my physical practice. I absolutely loved how
Jess made learning about the chakras so relatable and accessible with her
own personal anecdotes. It wasn’t just some theory or unrelatable technical
thing we had to just chew up, but learning about the chakras and the
importance of balancing them just made it feel like an important life skill – like
tying your shoelaces or eating right.
Asanas
We also learnt how to get safely into a headstand, side crow &
astavakrasana. I have always had a deep-rooted fear about inversions for
several years now. Although I did struggle with getting up there, I was proud
that I tried and made it happen (with a whole lot of assistance!). What was
more important was identifying the reasons why I was apprehensive about
going up and why I had so much difficulty doing so. The biggest takeaway I
had from the week was identifying those challenges – calming down my mind,
talking myself out of what I was able to achieve due to self-doubt & fear of the
unknown, and how these things were parallels to my actual life & not just
about going upside down.
