When Every Opportunity is An Opportunity for Change

I recently spent 3 weeks leading a Yoga Teacher Training in a far flung place called Tbilisi, Georgia, where Sun Yoga has a second shala. 5 inspired teacher trainees from the USA, Hungary and Kazakhstan spent 8-hour days with me, exploring the techniques and depth of yogasanas, Pranayama and bandhas. Our days would start with a 75 minute Led practice at sunrise, followed by 3 hours of intensive asana work, and finishing the day with the art of sequencing a yoga class and teaching practice right until 5pm (and sometimes beyond).

Summer had stretched into October, of which I was greatly appreciative of (seeing I'm not too fond of the cold) but the Universe had to throw me a curve ball, and I was given a rather 'cold welcome' on the first day vis-a-vis an icy cold shower on an 18°C morning! The water heater wasn't working! Great! Needless to say, it was the fastest shower I had ever taken in my life (and yes, I managed to wash my hair and all essential body parts!). There was even a funny moment of me blowing my toenails with a hairdryer as they had turned bluish-grey from the cold water! 

Teaching trainees in a different environment away from home base, is challenging nonetheless. There's so much diversity at stake here : culture, yoga styles, level of practice, personalities, language and expectations to top the list. Egos clashed all the time (theirs and mine!) and the first few days saw emotional volatility at its peak as we placed vulnerabilities out in the open and went through a 'life conditioning' period. Tears, outbursts, and the occasional swear word were all part of the daily special in the room. We are, after all, human beings with flaws.

I found myself sleeping less and less as I lay in bed, thinking of ways to bring out the best in each individual. I sought solace at the end of each long training day in a late evening practice when the shala was quiet, trying to find a state of balance. The irony about balance is, (and so relatable to everything else in life) you actively seek balance only when your life is in a state of fluctuation. 
More often than not, Yoga tests our ability to stay present, and when we allow ourselves to be swept away by these fluctuations, we lose sight that every opportunity is an opportunity for change... and change itself is a huge part of the practice.

As the days pass, and I watch the trainees slowly blossom in confidence and sound 'less like a Mini Me' and find authenticity in their teaching voices, I am reminded by the saying "To learn, read. To know, write. To master, teach". I cannot teach them everything. I can only help them discover it within themselves.

How apt - message in my Yogitea 

Packing for home, I notice the shift in weather, bringing about rainy afternoons and windy nights. Summer had transitioned into Fall, and just as the leaves fall off the trees and onto the ground, it is time to turn inwards, let go of triumphs and old attachments, and create new spaces to grow.

As we said goodbye, I reminded the trainees, "Your greatness is not what you have. It's what you give".

Me and the Sun Yoga Tbilisi teacher trainees - Oct 2012

When a teacher teaches, two learn. I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to learn as much as I have shared these past weeks. It has been a beautiful adventure... and the beginning of many to come.

Love & Light.