31 Days of Handstands: The End.

Made it! A handstand for every day of the month. It was actually work! My shoulders are a little sore now that the month is over. But it was a lot of fun. From this I've definitely made a lot of progress. I've also realized that I still have far to go. I have much prep and practice to do, but my next handstand goal is to not be dependent on the wall. Eventually, I want to press into one (now that's going to be a tough one!). I look forward to many, many more handstands in my future! 

 January 25th-31st:

 

 
 Had a little help from a fellow yogi when I didn't have a wall...

 

Yesterday was a particularly hard day. I wasn't able to hold one handstand, not even long enough for a photo. My boyfriend was a great spotter, though.



31 days of Handstands: Part 3

Actually a little disappointed that after so much practice, I am not able to hold the posture for longer than a few seconds (6 being the record holder so far). I think I'm psyching myself out. I'm also still super reliant on using a wall, every try without one ends in a spill. Still working on it. 

January 16th-24th

Made a little trip to Vegas to visit my best friend and her new beautiful baby. Handstands out of state!

31 Days of Handstands: Part 2

Halfway through the month and I'm still only able to hold handstand for a few seconds. Been practicing on holding myself up with just the toes of one foot propped against the wall for at least a full minute to build some strength. I've tried kicking up onto new things or smaller spaces (see the palm tree), the smaller surface area forces me to have more control of the lift off. 

January 6th through 15th:

By the 8th day I was really sore. I had trouble getting myself up: 

Tried a little backbending against the wall again on the 12th. It much more difficult than I thought it would be. It's coming along!

I Passed Teacher Training! Now What?

I am finally picking up my certificate this week! This means I've completed the required training to become a yoga teacher. I can teach! Right?

A lot of what they don't tell you when you sign up for teacher training is what to expect afterward. To be honest, the idea of taking the training is so exciting, that the last thing on your mind is that moment the bubble bursts and you realize you have graduated and now have to make decisions and take action to actually use the skills you've learned! As the training progressed, a lot of questions began to arise: How soon after training can I begin to teach? Do I have to teach in a studio or privately? Do I need a permit to teach community classes in a public park? How much are teachers paid? How much can I charge for private lessons? Do I need some sort of protection if someone says they were hurt in my class? How hard is it to open a studio? What is the application process if I am looking to be hired somewhere? Is there a fee to be a registered teacher? I can go on and on...

During the training, I did a lot of Googling (is that a word now?) on my own and was able to find quite a few answers to my questions. As those questions were answered, more and more seemed to come up! Lucky for me, one of our last lectures was on the Business of Yoga. The studio owner joined and they explained what it's like to look for work as a yoga teacher, what to expect if opening a studio is in your plan, what income is like, etc. It was really informative and definitely put things into perspective. It's one thing to be trained to teach others, it's another if you're wanting to make a living off of it.

The main thing to take into consideration when coming out of teacher training is the additional costs. Teacher training on it's own is expensive (on average, Yoga Teacher Training from a Registered Yoga School is around $3,000). The school I trained at gave a tremendous deal for it, so for that I was grateful. After you graduate, however, there are other costs to think about:

Insurance - It’s really important to have yoga insurance to protect yourself in the event a student is injured in one of your classes. Although yoga studios have insurance to protect their business, they will still require you be insured as an individual. Most policies will follow you internationally (for a limited time) and protect you in and out of a studio. Do your homework on what your policy covers. Prices are around $200.00 a year. 

Yoga Alliance Registration - Yoga Alliance is an organization that has set minimum standards for yoga teachers and schools. They also offer an online directory of registered teachers and schools that have met these standards. Yoga Alliance is also recognized internationally. Although you don't have to train with a RYS (Registered Yoga School) to become a teacher, most studios will want you to have gone through a RYS for your training. In order to have the RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) title, you have to be registered with Yoga Alliance. Some studios may require this to hire you. Cost of registration is $105.00 for the first year and $55.00 for renewal. 

*For more info on Yoga Alliance: https://www.yogaalliance.org/About_Us/Our_History

CPR and First Aid - Most studios require you to be certified in CPR and first aid. Makes sense, taking into account how many times I've bit the dirt while practicing. I couldn't find on the Yoga Alliance website if CPR training is required to be registered. Prices are around $70.00 for the 2 year certification.  

Certifications and Continuing Education - If you want to teach a specialized yoga (prenatal or children's) and be recognized by Yoga Alliance, you have to complete an additional 85 or 95 hour training. You also must continue your education through workshops or additional training and log those hours with Yoga Alliance. Costs for each can vary.

So, what's next? Well, it's not in my plan to teach full time. I'm not in a particular hurry to teach or have my own classes (yet). But I do want to acquire all I need to not only be registered and insured to teach, but to also have enough knowledge and training to feel comfortable while teaching. Tomorrow I am taking my CPR/First Aid class.  My studio set it up for those who want to get certified. They are also offering a mentoring program for those who have graduated. This will be more one-on-one and actually have us adjusting and partially teaching classes, which I think is great to get over those jitters of a classroom environment. I've been looking at insurance to get that set up and if all goes well, I'll be starting the mentoring program at the end of the month. Going to be another busy month! Looking forward to it!

Reflection: Re-SOUL-ultions

I don't believe in New Year Resolutions. At least, I thought I didn't. I'm the type of person who rolls their eyes when people are all about what they're going to do come the New Year (super judgy of me, I know, working on that). I personally think it sets people up for failure. Because you know come March, those goals have flown out of the window. Having goals and dreams is great. But why wait til January 1st do get started? Same goes with the people who say "I'll start Monday." Start now! It's much easier to talk about it, than be about it, I know. And I am in no position to make any judgments about what people do or don't do. But there's a reason why I'm saying this...

 

Since I started this "yoga journey", I've really looked hard at the person I am and the person I want to be. I didn't really call it a "yoga journey", but a few of my friends have referred to it as that and it made me realize that it is probably the best name for this path I'm on. It isn't just a journey to handstand, or to become a yoga teacher. Yoga is not just a physical exercise, but a way of life. Yoga is just as much spiritual, emotional and mental. I want to be a better person. I want to be a happier person. I still want to be the opinionated, sharp-tongued, no bullshit woman I feel I am, But I also want to be the type of person this world needs. Someone positive. Someone loving. Someone strong. I don't just want to inspire people to do yoga, but want to inspire them to be better people. To find what they love and share it with the world, too. Maybe we can all be better, together. We all gotta start somewhere.

 

What I have learned thus far? That self-awareness is everything. Recognizing who I am, my thought process, my emotions, my actions... and the results/consequences of all of those things is a big deal. Where in the past, I may have just reacted, I've learned to respond instead. This isn't true for everything, as I'm still learning, but it makes a world of difference to know who I am. In doing so, I can also learn to mold, evolve and even change some of those things. If I know that saying what is on my mind is going to ensue an argument I don't want to have, or create problems I don't want, I can choose to keep those opinions to myself. If I know that over-analyzing a tiny issue is going to make me crazy (like it usually does), I can choose to see things in a different light, and save myself the unnecessary stress.

 

I have also become very aware that we are all products of what we are exposed to, what we allow into our lives. Our friends, our job, our vices. Everything from what news stories we read, to what food we put in our mouth, can change the course of a day. I'm not trying to sound like some life guru; I still scarf down a bag of Hot Cheetos while reading the latest on the Kardashians. What I mean is, that when you are aware of what something does to you, it might make you think twice about going there in the first place. A job you hate, an unhealthy relationship, your spending habits, what you watch on TV, eating junk food everyday, a bad friend. It could all be slowly killing you. The real hard question here is: Are you willing to cut off what does not serve you?

 

Now, into 2016, everyone is talking about resolutions again. This year, however, I couldn't help but reflect on what last year has taught me. It was probably one of the best years of my life. I am happier now than I have been in a really long time. I don't mean that everything went my way and was perfect. Quite the opposite. Many things changed, I had to let go of a lot of baggage, even people. I had to take leaps of faith. I had to find faith. I had to find myself. There is still plenty I can do to continue to improve, as this journey has only just begun. So I've begun making a mental list. Of the things I want to change and accomplish this year. Not just in yoga, but in life. So do I have New Year Resolution? Yea, I guess I kinda do. Cue eye roll now.



 

 

31 Days of Handstands

Since being to able to (slightly) nail handstand, I realized it would be a long time before I really got it down. How does one get better at something? They practice. A LOT. Enter my challenge for January: 31 Days of Handstands. So I am challenging myself to get inverted every damn day for the entire month, work on getting strong and holding my balance. And, of course, take a creative snapshot. I've gotten over the fear of the kick up, but that little moment where you're weightless... Whoo! I'm so determined to get this posture down! Five days in...