Darcy | Guatemala 200hr YTT Testimonial
It was unlike anything I expected. I went into the yoga teacher training thinking I was going to “work on my yoga skills” and receive a certificate at the end, still unsure if I wanted to teach. I was also extra excited about the opportunity to go to Guatemala which is my parents country of origin and I had never gone before. I spontaneously reached out and qualified for the scholarship which was helpful because it cut the price down in half. I sent in the deposit, set up the payment plan, and booked my trip!
Arriving in Guatemala was the first step- which took me about 5 hours from Los Angeles International Airport. After that I was picked up by a driver whom the Mystical Yoga farm recommended, that ride to Santiago, La Laguna from La Aurora International Airport took us about three hours and forty five minutes and once I arrived to the dock in Santiago La Laguna, Lago de Atitlan I boarded a small boat which was also recommended by the Mystical Yoga farm. Lucas- the owner of the boat taxi’s greeted my driver and I and then walked over to the Lancha (boat in spanish). From there, a young man grabbed my luggage from Lucas and brought it onto the boat, we then drove towards the MYF.
Once I arrived it was starting to get dark and it was also starting to pour. Thankfully I packed a poncho and threw it on, I reached out to the management team and waited for a response but did not receive one. After about 5 minutes of waiting on the response I decided to venture in- knowing I was at the correct spot because of the big wooden sign reading “Mystical Yoga Farm” along with
“welcome” signs in multiple languages. A few feet past the sign I was greeted by one of the farm employees, he asked me if I knew what room I was staying in but I didn’t have a clue and so he walked me towards the manager’s office.
I was met by a very sweet young lady who’s name was Michelle. She explained to me that she was also going to be participating in the YTT and was also going to be sleeping in the room beside me. She helped me with my luggage and walked me to my room which was cute and cozy, there were clouds painted on the walls and a pink towel folded into a heart shape waiting on my bed. I arrived a day prior to the YTT so I had time to explore throughout the farm before my course started. I was there on time for dinner.
The food was delicious and although I’m not vegan, I did enjoy all of my meals. David (the cook) and his team were the best! A lady staying at the farm also mentioned to me that it was sauna night and was going to be available for a few more hours after dinner. I was excited to check that out so I went to my room to get ready and came back down towards the sauna. It was very beautiful, felt like a spiritual experience. There were people singing and playing instruments, the chanting felt like prayers familiar to my soul. Everyone there felt loving, kind, and welcoming.
After the Sauna I went onto the showers which are conveniently placed a couple of feet away, the water was warm but only for a while, either way the cold water felt like a good contrast after the hot sauna. I then proceeded to my room which felt like a hike back up. I woke up the next morning and enjoyed the beautiful sunrise by the volcanoes that surround the mystical lake. I went down towards the kitchen to search through the vast selection of teas and was delighted to find a very hot kettle. After pouring myself some tea, I was greeted by a cute tabby cat that was lounging in the dining area – RIP Snowy. I went down to the dock with my steaming cup of tea and gazed at the magnificent scenery for about an hour and a half- until the breakfast gong rang. Shortly thereafter, fellow YTT students started to trickle in.
The first day of the training consisted of everyone having dinner together, the following morning we started class at the Shala known as Abuela at 6:30 am. The schedule for the days was as follows; 1st class was either our Hatha or Vinyasa flow at 6:30 am- about 8:45am followed by breakfast from 9am-10am, 2nd class which was from 10am- 1pm, topics ranged from Ayurveda, to Sanskrit education to history/ origin of Yoga, Yoga and social justice, and many other interesting topics.
Lunch break followed from 1pm-3pm where I would usually try to squeeze in a nap and/or go for a quick swim! Asana lab was next, which was where we’d practice amongst our peers, breaking down the sequence or specific Asanas we had practiced in the morning. After Asana lab we had dinner from 6pm-7pm which was followed by Satsang where we would also participate in different Spiritual practices like a Mayan fire ceremony, releasing flowers into the lake with our intentions, or “gift sharing” where I shared a poem I wrote.
Although every day consisted of similar practice; every day also included new information and introduced or reintroduced spiritual practices. I went into this experience thinking I was going to “get better at Yoga” but ended up leaving with so much more! I now have a newfound curiosity for all things spiritual, I’ve always been curious about the “Woo Woo”/ Witchy/ spiritual topics and this YTT definitely propelled me towards that direction. I attended the program after deciding to quit my corporate job which caused me extreme burnout and I left with a new perspective that I very much needed. Not only did I gain skills to assist others while practicing Yoga but I also gained new lifelong friends who are on similar paths and a new outlook on my personal and professional life.
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