Inhale. Expand. Exhale. Grow.

Hello, So thats it, my first ever Hot 90 Bikram class completed! I returned back from Paris a couple of days ago, had a day to prepare and went straight in with my first full public class yesterday evening. I can't begin to explain how I feel following it... its quite an overwhelming experience. Finally beginning my teaching journey after all these months of preparation and hard work; the intense weeks I spent training in paris all leading me to this point, and now I'm there, I feel so so much energy surrounding this part of my life. My first class went better than I could ever have hoped... I felt confident, of course nervous (and pretty sick!) and concerned about my dialogue.. but actually, I knew that whatever happened, I KNOW that series, I have worked hard to study and understand the fundamental basics underpinning every posture.. and if I fumble over my words or mix up lefts and rights, I'm not going to beat myself up over that because I am  a new teacher and I ha...

How to even know where to begin trying to put into words how it feels to have come to the end of my training here in Paris with Evolation Yoga is so difficult.. this experience has been so completely life changing, it seems impossible to sum it up in words. Its a feeling.. a deep feeling of honour, gratitude, overwhelming and all-encompassing love. 😌 I came here already very aware and open to this being a challenging experience, both emotionally and physically.. but I never dreamed such transformation was to happen. From day one, when we began with the "Who am I?' exercise; each of us surrendered to the process and bravely revealed our deepest vulnerabilities, our hopes and fears.. and then together, over the weeks we have learnt to face our demons, look fear in the eye, overcome exhaustion in the name of dedication to our dreams.. we have learnt how to transform our weaknesses into our strengths. How to turn our darkness into our light. Learning how to quieten the chat...

Good morning! So today marks our final day of Teacher Training here in Paris with Evolation Yoga... Its early morning and I'm just preparing to go take our very last hot class altogether here this morning.. I can't even begin to explain how this feels... after all these intense weeks of training, the double classes per day, the exhaustion and the times I would have to dig deep down inside myself to find the energy to get myself into the second class of the day.. I find myself here, preparing for the last one and only wishing for more. The feeling I have this morning is so deeply heartfelt, over these weeks we have overcome and gone through so much together.. so much more than I think any of us prepared for..  and now, as it comes to an end it feels so incredibly momentous its difficult to put into words.  I knew teacher training would be a time of learning, of growth and expansion... but I never dreamt it would open me up in the way that it has. In order to teach ...

Hello! Well today I have taken a beautiful big step into my journey as a teacher... I was first up from our group here at teacher training to teach the full series as a mock class. We treat this just as a real class, our 'students' are our fellow trainees and we go from start to finish just as we would when we get home and start teaching, then afterwards we receive feedback to discuss what served our students and what could serve better next time. (There is definitely a big difference here between this and 'you didn't do this, this could have been better' etc) I feel so grateful that here at this training we get so many opportunities to really put into practice everything we are studying by really teaching.. This hands on approach just makes stepping up to the podium so much easier and more comfortable when we get home. Pretty much from day one and through all these weeks here we have been up on that podium teaching each other most days and it has become to feel lik...

Hello! Wowee, what to say... today has been another incredible day. I feel like every day is one where major transformations appear; but today really was amazing.. We started our day with group study and then went in for a morning in the hot room.. another 90 minute hot 90 class followed by an hours group meditation... Ive quickly grown to love the days where we have this schedule because the flow from the intense physical asana practice to the meditation is sooo powerful.  Today was one of the deepest meditations I've had here... Something took all my awareness to my third eye... I didn't go in intending to practice 3rd eye meditation, because usually when i do it takes a lot of focus; its not something I normally would tap into during guided meditation.. But as I say, somehow my focus was pulled centrally and I found myself in a really deep and beautiful place. Whenever I practice third eye meditation it always starts with the same visuals and colours; vivid purp...

'Sometimes we have to have a breakdown to have a breakthrough.' ...these words of my teacher here at teacher training, Christian really hit home yesterday.. After the first two weeks of training having gone by pretty successfully, I really wasn't expecting to have the day I had yesterday... We had a really intense morning, 3 hours in the hot room including a 90 minute class and a long mediation.. I went really deep within myself during the meditation, Ive had some personal things going on from home that I've been trying to keep out of my time here... Ive been trying so hard to focus only on this experience, the present moment,  now.  But it all reared itself up, Ive exhausted myself by resisting letting it in, so this time I simply surrendered and let myself feel it all.. It was a very emotional, yet freeing meditation... It allowed a little clarity and for that I am grateful. But at the same time, it sucked so much from me that combined with trying to absorb all t...

So this weekend marks the halfway stage of my teacher training here with Evolation Yoga. This week I feel like I've really found my footing.... My body is more used to the physical demands, my muscles are getting stronger and my mind is becoming better and better at shutting out the excuses as to why I'm tired/exhausted etc.  Mind over matter. It really is. My mind is focused, and no matter how tired my physical body is, how sleep deprived... I have learnt that I can overcome that when there is no choice not to.  When we  want  to, We can achieve anything.  Yes my eyes have been closing during lectures, and I've been having to physically shake my head to keep myself awake... Yes my body is sore Andy  drained. No I don't always feel like I want to practice for 3 hours every day in the hot-room... But I have learnt I can. This entire process is showing me how limitless we really are..  When we push beyond barriers (both physical and mental) we transcend....

So yesterday was a very intense day for us here at teacher training, it's reached a point where the pressure really is on to get the dialogue memorised quickly as we've moved on to teaching two postures per day in teaching clinic; yet we only have a few hours per day to study, that mainly being at night when sleep would be much preferred.. So by this point, we're all pretty physically exhausted, sleep deprived and generally brain-fried from all the other information we're receiving all day in lectures and posture mechanics. I also got my period which for most of the day I listened to my lower S self tell me I could use as an excuse to feel sorry for myself, 'oh woe is me, is that cramps I feel? Oh probably, oh poor me...' So on and so forth. It wasn't until nearly 9pm when I was faced with my second class of the day, and I was near breaking point... I'd been struggling to keep my eyes open in study period and the LAST thing my 'self' wanted to do...