Besides being in a new and unfamiliar environment, the YTT experience was a huge
change from simply practicing yoga as a student. I felt very lost and disoriented as there were
many new types of information that I was learning but could not yet absorb efficiently.
Becoming a certified yoga teacher felt so out of reach. However, our trainer, Jessica advised
us to apply what we learned in layers and that worked like a charm! By the end of the second
weekend, Sanskrit no longer seemed like gibberish to me, and I started to understand new
information faster and could better apply them as well.
In addition to being in a new environment, I was nervous but excited to be meeting
new people that I would be training with for the next twelve weekends. However, when I
realized that I was the youngest trainee among my batch, and the only one still schooling, my
first thought was overwhelmingly human — what if I can’t fit in? What if I couldn’t get along
with my batch mates or form a bond with them? I felt a little alone and scared during the first
weekend, but by the end of the second weekend, all my worries washed away.
Perhaps it was our shared experiences of perspiring like crazy while doing drills or
struggling to pronounce Sanskrit together or our love and curiosity towards yoga, or perhaps
all of it, that brought us closer together so quickly. I grew so comfortable with my batch
mates that I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I am not only immensely inspired but also
greatly humbled by the strength and incredible growth that I witness again and again from my
batch mates. I am extremely thankful for this precious opportunity to have crossed paths with
a group of strong and unique individuals, and it is my absolute honour to be training
alongside them throughout my YTT journey.
Phyllis
200HR YTT Jul’21 Weekend
