Travel arrangements—sans finding potential travel partners from the airport—have been made.  Maps, reservations and such are all printed and ready to go.  My homework is nearly complete.  I’ve updated the calendar to show part one of my training boxed in orange.  My excitement level has dropped from frenetic down to a dull roar and the irony of that continues to poke fun at me.  I had—to a certain degree—hoped to blog each day while at the Amrit Yoga Institute; on the other hand, I wasn’t sure that I wanted the distraction of blogging each day.  As the institute does not appear to have guest Internet access, that’s no longer an issue; so, I will make daily postings of what happens during my training for the twelve days following my return home.  Other than actually packing and boarding the plane, I’m ready to go!

I originally decided on going to the Amrit Yoga Institute because the teaching program seemed to focus as much on the spiritual aspect of Yoga as the physical and this was something I wanted in my training regardless.  Still, the main purpose for my participating in any teacher training was to become certified.  I felt a strong need to share the benefits of Yoga and I strongly felt that I needed a piece of paper giving me approval to do so.  Now that I’ve been practicing under the direction of another teacher again, even if it is a recording, I’ve rediscovered the joy of being a student rather than a teacher.  With that discovery has come a fundamental shift in my reason for attending this upcoming training:  I want to learn, I want to soak up every bit of information available.  I want to become, once again, a beginner and experience afresh the thrill of learning something new.

If, then, training solely for the purpose of learning is enough, why continue with the full teacher training?  Why become certified by any specific school or program or alliance?  The West is a place of legalese and that piece of paper is legalese proof that I have done some level of due diligence to protect the safety of my students.  True, 200 hours of training cannot compare to seven years of figuring out how not to practice but seven years of practice also cannot compare to 200 hours of focused study!

Oddly enough, preparing for this training has given rise to a mild feeling of discontent with my current situation.  I would much rather spend my days teaching Yoga than sitting in front of a computer screen.  The real question I must ask though, is now the time to make such a drastic move?  It is wise to come into padmasana without having ever prepared for it?  Perhaps, instead, it is time to begin making preparations for such a change.

Namasté