Good investment.

Usually I ask people if they are ready to change their life when I promote the Yoga Immersion.  Well, this year is different- everyone's life has already changed, whether they intended that to happen or not.  So the new question for this year is, how are you doing with that change? Were you ready for the upheaval (and I don't mean did you have enough toilet paper). Were you able to aclimate to the "new normal" and do you still have energy and the bandwidth left to adapt to the changes that are still to come?

There is no promise that the Yoga Immersion/Teacher Training changes your life immediately, but most people have found there to be a lasting impact. A sustained yoga practice does change things- it gives you the tools for right action. Yoga gives you the ability to change stress into action, fear into trust, it strengthens your body, your immune system, your ability to control of your own mind. I refer, of course, to the full scope of yoga practice, not just triangle or warrior one.   

I started practicing yoga in 1986.  I have continued to practice since then, while I was raising 2 children, while I changed my career several times, while I was going through a divorce and remarriage, while my hair was greying, my skin sagging, my joints decaying.  I have been with my primary teacher since 1997. There are many things I have walked away from because of my practice, so there has been loss. There are many more things that have discovered, and so there have been gains. There is no doubt that I find myself on a dramatically different path than I set out on, say, 30 years ago.  Do I see the benefits?  Yes. Do I regret any of the choices I have made? Sometimes.  But that regret is usually short lived. Why? I would say that the thing in me that has changed the most from my practice over the last 30 years is that I trust.  I trust the choices I have made, the actions I have taken, I trust the teachers that I have had over the years- even the times when they have (in my mind) rejected me.  I think it is safe to say, I am heavily invested in this practice, and I have been so since I was in my early 20's.  I believe my investment has paid out much more than what was expected, and I feel completely confident in the outcome each time I step forward to invest more.  (That is much more than I can say about realestate or the stock market.)

I am passionate about guiding people through the door I walked through in 1986 when I first began an asana practice. I can do that easily by opening the doors to the studio (well, ok, now its more like starting a ZOOM call).  I am over-the-top passionate about inviting people to walk through the door that I did in 1997,  when I began my yoga practice for real, and in 1999 when I started my first teacher training, which is when I can say for sure the trajectory of my life noticibly changed. I have been incredibly blessed to have attracted students who are willing to invest the time and the money, and to invest their precious lives in this program, for the past 18 years. It is a much bigger step and investment than coming to an asana class (which remains a very admirable start).  It is a true blessing to spend time with people who want to learn the tools that yoga offers, and to witness each persons unique evolvtion of skill  with the tools. The program, which has evolved over the years, just as my own practice has, offers the full spectrum of a yoga practice. The fact that some may go on to teach is great, but not necessary for people to benefit and consider their immersion sucessful, and their investment "profitable".  

Below are some links for you to follow if you want to know more about the program. The first one is from an info meeting held in May about the training. There is also a 1 1/2 hour demo class on using the Joint Freeing Series to understand kinesiology and anatomy. The intro to this class starts with a meditation and some history on the Joint Freeing Series. The demo is a good example of how much of the Yoga Immersion classes are run.  Regarding the schedule for the training, in the info meeting  we spoke about some different possibilities for the schedule that will most likely have to continue to evolve with consideration to the pandemic. Based on what is currently happening with COVID, we will most likely extend the time the traininig happens in so we will be meeting fewer hours per week. That means the 200 hours would extend into June. It is best not to rush integration, and hopefully by spring we will be able to meet in person.  Until then, the lectures and "at home" work will be emphasized as they are more easily done via ZOOM.

If you have any questions please email me. Your questions might not answered in the videos, so please let me hear from you if you are interested. I can also get you in touch with some of the graduates, they always have much better answers than I do!