1. Make the decision!
This is the hardest part, which is why it takes up the majority of the “to do” list. Just decide to be present at your training! What you will realize, is the world will not completely collapse without you. Show up for you and your opportunity to learn. **PS. it’s a privilege to learn, not a right in certain parts of the world…**
The most difficult part of any decision, in my experience, is ACTUALLY deciding. The back and forth in our minds, taking time to consult with our trusted life advisors on their opinions, and the inevitable game of talking ourselves “into” and “out of” virtually every decision we’ve ever made. Extreme? Maybe! But this was my experience when I was considering yoga teacher training and making a massive lifestyle transition from banker to yogi! I know I’m not the only owner of this story, as pretty much every human that has expanded out of their comfort zone has felt this, but I think it’s worth highlighting. It seems to be a common precursor for epic life changing events. So the real question is, are we going to resist or surrender to the change?
2. Read daily
I recommend starting off with:
- The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying – Sogyal Rinpoche
- The Yoga Sutras of Patanjoli – Edwin Bryant
- The Power of Breath – Swami Saradananda
- The Hatha Yoga Pradipika – BKS Iyengar
- Bhagavad Gita – Winthrop Sargeant
**If you don’t get through all of them prior to training don’t panic. The beauty of diving into these prior to your training, is you’ll be able to connect to the content shared in a deeper way.**
3. Figure out how to feed your body to optimize performance.
Essentially, clean up your diet. The more balanced you are in your fueling process, the more you will be able to discern what is happening emotionally throughout your training.
4. Practice asana daily!
It doesn’t have to be pretty, it doesn’t have to be complicated, but at the very least, practice Sun Salutation A and/or Sun Salutation B. Self practice will quite literally change your entire day!
5. Practice asking questions (ps: this is a form of self discovery)!
That way you can enter your training with a grounded and healthy level of skepticism. Ultimately, if something isn’t making sense, or doesn’t feel right, GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED! Don’t be an “askhole” ((n) someone who asks pointless or obnoxious questions), but get clarification on everything! That is what teacher training is for. Also, if you are curious about something, it is likely that someone else is too.
6. Wake up early just for you!
Developing a self love practice starts with putting yourself first before everyone and everything else. This will help develop a deeply trusting, vibrant, and passionate relationship with ones’ self. By doing so, you’ll be able to identify with the reassuring voice that will carry you through the challenges of training. This will also help to cultivate a fundamental understanding of your own energy, and in turn, a sensitivity to other people’s boundaries and their energy.
7. Practice letting things go and going with the flow (“A” types, this is for you!).
There’s really no point in taking yourself too seriously or feeling like you need to be perfect. What is perfect anyways? Who decided on what “perfect” is? You’ll only steal the joy from the moment and the experience.
8. Step into your training with the assumption that you are going to take many and multiple.
We can only absorb at a certain pace/rate, depending on how much we are cleansing out at the same time. Your first 200 hours of training is meant to open up Pandora’s box of possibilities, not to provide you with every answer to every question you’ve ever had from the beginning of time.
- Brenna Bote