Rebecca | Bali 200hr YTT Testimonial
My experience in the 200 hour YTT program with School Yoga Institute was both life changing and life affirming. I loved the combination of yogic study and philosophy with the Peruvian shaman medicine wheel. The depth of medicine provided in the synthesis of these spiritual teachings was extremely profound and supportive for my experience as a student. The entire program was coherent and naturally evolving to lead the students through a deep process of learning and transformation.
The teachers were so incredibly knowledgeable and truly allowed me to relax into a state of trust. I was able to participate in the program knowing each step of the way was a beautiful and intentional unfolding. I felt like I was being guided down a path of growth and deeper awareness of myself and my gifts as a human. The way the content was given to us allowed me to integrate our learnings with ease and grace.
The teachings of meditation, pranayama, and asana practices were especially powerful for me. Beginning each day in a state of stillness and connecting deeply to the Self within, and to the energies surrounding us in the land, was so grounding and nourishing. Through the teachings of pranayama, I have completely transformed the way I hold my breath and carry myself. Understanding how each act of conscious breathing is a step towards greater wellness and vitality has been invaluable to my life. The practices we learned for breathing are simple yet powerful and have become a part of my daily routine.
I loved how in our asana study, each pose was broken down into the details of the anatomy and alignment involved, as well as the energetic currents present in the poses. This has enabled me to become truly confident in my personal practice and in guiding my future students. The teachers’ knowledge of these topics was complete and profound, and has informed my practice for the rest of my life. Along with asana poses and alignment, we were shown how to construct a practice aligned with specific intention. Using intention, we were shown how to create an energetic experience in the body. I feel assuredness now as a yoga teacher and practitioner in my ability to create asana sequences that will foster specific experiences for myself and my students. It is such a gift to be able to drop into the creative act of curating a sequence of practices combining meditation, breathing techniques, and full body asanas to align the mind, body, and spirit into the place of receiving the effects of the practice. I am so grateful for this newfound ability to have an idea that can be followed through into a practical offering of yoga which will generate the outcomes I am intending.
The yogic texts and mysticism we studied were incredibly helpful in transforming my mind and my subconscious inner world. We explored the sutras as well as other topics in yogic and shamanistic philosophy deeply so we could infuse the learnings into our minds and spirits. I received many truths and incredible tools for my path of healing and transformation. The container was held with so much love and clarity. With this strength of containment, the learnings were able to penetrate my being deeply and has given me direction on how to change my inner world as I progress on my path of yoga and as a mystic.
The Peruvian shamanic medicine wheel integrated so perfectly into the journey of the training. It provided a compass and timeline for the transformation. I felt we were being guided by the animal totems which served as archetypal messengers in each cycle of the medicine wheel. The ceremonies and journeys that were also included in the program of study was so enriching and deepening into the overall yogic journeys we were all on individually and together. These mystical studies and experience allowed the magic of the training to land in my body in a subtle yet very tangible way. I could feel my body shifting through the asana and pranayama practices, my mind shifting through philosophical integration and meditation, and my spirit shifting through the shamanic offerings.
I truly appreciated how broad the spectrum of knowledge was that was shared with us in the training. I was happy to lean into my studies of the yogic texts, as well as anatomy, Ayurveda, the vayus, tantric theory and philosophy, sequencing, mysticism, shamanism, and how to create trust and confidence as a teacher. My experience as a student felt unlimited as there were so many spiritual stories and lessons that were supplied in the course manual, always offering me bits of wisdom to ponder and facilitate my growth. Each night I was given the gift of reading a bit more, leaning into the study, and allowing the lessons to change me from the inside out. I could feel as well in my experience walking the spiritual path during the training, that the learnings of everything we were being taught would come up practically and be integrated in my personal experience. By listening deeply to my experience in myself, with others, and with nature I was able to have a communication with the universe that assisted in the unfolding of my most authentic self.
The community container that was created and held throughout the training was so nourishing and connective. There were many practices where we got to deeply get to know each other and our stories, and hold each other accountable as we transformed them into the new versions of ourselves. This created such a bond and comradely between the students that I know will be ours throughout our lifetimes. It was so nice as well to have an international student body that all came from different walks of life and yet we were all able to connect in our love of yoga and our commitment to growing deeper in wellness and compassion for ourselves and each other. The teachers did an amazing job of fostering care and connection and allowing the closeness we all felt to continue blossoming throughout the training.
The staff that were supporting us were also so incredible. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. The kitchen staff was amazing and each meal was made with so much love and nourished our bodies so completely. The management staff enabled us all to feel so taken care of and held so that we could simply focus on our yoga and our studies. It was truly an honor to be cared for by so many kind souls.
I am forever grateful for this experience of Yoga Teacher Training with the School Yoga Institute. I know I am changed for life and have been gifted with such grace exactly what I was looking for when I decided to enter into this path.
