I started my YTT with the main intention to deepen my practice and further my understanding beyond doing asanas in regular classes. The thought of becoming an actual yoga teacher was pretty intimidating and almost inconceivable. Fast forward to our teaching assessment—where we had to create our own sequences and teach them to our friends—I was a bundle of nerves and excitement before each class, and then a strange exhilaration took over when class ended and which persisted for hours after.
Through teaching, I realised I had an opportunity to share, to change perspective, to perhaps make a small positive difference. It was encouraging to observe the post-class reactions: my sister who used to shun away from yoga with the belief that it was only for flexible people but later was game to attend the second class after the first; my husband who discovered how tight his hips are and have since started practising baddha konasana for 10 minutes every day; the friend who approached me after class wanting to perfect his garudasana; the friend of a friend who tried yoga for the first time and wants to do more of it now. The meaningfulness of the teaching experience is humbling. I look forward to the next one.
Vania (YTT200 Jun-Aug’18)
