Integrating, Integrating

There are so many things to write about and yet it seems there is so little time.  My first week home from teacher training has, thus far, been busy.  I've reconnected with friends (lunches, dinners, yoga class, yoga on a boat!); made a little progress toward personal business issues; registered for a class (for which I'd been waitlisted -- yay!); picked up a third teaching assignment (declined a fourth); started to catch-up on Facebook (this may take a while); did come cooking(!) and taken the girls for some happy walks in the park.  Hooray, hooray!

My goal is to integrate some of aspects of my training time into my "real" life.  So far it's been a slow process but then again, it has not yet been a week.  Integration takes time. I'm hoping that I can get back into a routine of writing a few lines every morning, followed by a short morning yoga practice.  I really miss our morning sadhana.

In the meantime, I shall take the girls for a morning walk as Pippin has been madly ringing the bell for the last few minutes.  What can I say?  It is a sweet, sweet sound of home.  Namaste :)

Day Twenty-Seven

I write this post from the comfort of home during what seems to be a late, late evening hour.  Today was the final day of our teacher training program.  However, even as I write that opening sentence, I somehow already miss the routine of training; I had, likewise, grown quite fond of the morning sadhana practice with all the other students in the big room that had become our home.

Yesterday morning we had a special sadhana with live music, which was such a treat.  I have to say, one thing that I love so much about yoga is the role music plays in setting the atmosphere for practice. Spending a month of immersion training allowed me to not only experience many different instructors, but also many different styles of music.  The gentleman who came in yesterday simply played a drum and a string instrument...it was so lovely.  

Our morning program consisted of a lecture and discussion on ethics and our afternoon program was a very moving exercise in expressing silent gratitude.  Last night was an amazing evening of celebrating.  A small group of students organized the celebration and it was truly an impressive display of original songwriting (in two days!), voice, dance, and wit.  

This morning we had another special sadhana: it opened with a puja ceremony which included candlight, rose petals, water, and prayer.  All of these elements, of course, symbolic and meaningful.  After breakfast, we had our graduation ceremony which was -- as good things often are -- bittersweet.  

I'd like to share this quotation with you that my dear friend Peg shared with me:

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

~Anais Nin

How fortunate can one soul be to have so many worlds born unto them in such a short period of time?  I imagine I will be counting my blessings until the end of days.

Day Twenty-Six

Today is our last full day of training. Yesterday was packed full of lectures and exercises from start to finish. In the afternoon we had a fantastic guest give a presentation on the business of yoga. Those of you who know know me may not be surprised to read that I came away from the talk anxious to open my own studio. However, I have a few very important projects to finish before that could happen, chief among them, of course, finishing my masters program. Nevertheless, it was an exciting prospect and I am always happy to entertain such ideas.

Our afternoon sadhana was, perhaps, my favorite yet. We were able to be outside -- the weather has been glorious this week -- and we did partner yoga! It was so much fun! Each time we did a new posture, we switched partners, which was also fun. With sixty-three other classmates, it's difficult to get to know everyone, even in a month's time. But the sadhana was awesome, so much so that yes, I would love to lead partner yoga classes!

Last night we had another meditation in motion program. Again, I got to be in a small group with new people which made the exercise quite wonderful. The people here have such sweet souls...amazing and generous and sweet, sweet souls.

Namaste, my friends :)

Day Twenty-Five

Today is Wednesday and we only have two full days of training left as the only planned activity on Friday is our graduation ceremony. Yesterday was Practice Teach Three: sixty-four students each leading a one-hour class can make a long day. But it was good and my Practice Teach went well.

Last night my bunk mate and I went into town and treated ourselves to frozen yogurt. Well, she treated me (thanks, Sheila!). Knowing that I will be returning to the real world soon, I did some 5k-training that felt very slow, but very good. My cardio workouts have been few and far between this summer as I tried to make space for this yoga training. My hope is that once I return, I will be able to find a nice balance between the two. For now, however, I shall do my yogic duty and live in the present, enjoying these last few days at Kripalu. Namaste, my friends :)

Day Twenty-Four

The exam went well. There were 90 questions, and the final question was a full-page essay question (which, to me, seemed mostly opinion- and/or experience-based). The staff graded our exams during the day and returned them last night. I missed three points (two matching and one true/false) but I was pretty happy with my score.

We had our final posture clinic of the program yesterday. Hooray, hooray! For a special treat, as part of the integration process, our afternoon sadhana was a session of restorative yoga, led by one of our fantastic directors. The session was marvelous and really enabled me to see how the different yoga postures are incorporated into that specific genre of yoga. Likewise, I was able to learn the benefits (aside from simply resting and relaxing), so in many ways, it was a rewarding experience.

Last night we had a Practice Teach Three prep session. Today is our final Practice Teach of the program: leading an hour-long class. And guess what? I'm up first thing this morning (and happy to have landed the spot!). So deep breath in....and let it out...namaste, my friends :)

Day Twenty-Three

Happy Monday!

I have reclaimed my blogging spot in the cafe this morning. This shall be a brief post as it is nearly 6:10 a.m. and our sadhana begins in twenty-minutes.

Yesterday was filled with posture clinics: parighasana (gate), ardha chandrasana (half-moon), trikonasana (triangle), kapotasana (pigeon), and setu bhandasana (bridge). We got to have our afternoon session outside which was lovely.

Last night I studied with Sarah, Peg, and Sheila, three wonderful new friends I have made here. This morning we have our two-and-a-half hour written exam after breakfast and tomorrow is Practice Teach Three! So near the end, it's unbelievable. Namaste, my friends!

Day Twenty-Two

Good morning from the magnificently serene sun room. I have ventured up here to study with my dear friend Sarah. The weather this morning is cool and pleasant and I hope that continues through our final week of training.

Yesterday was a day off. I awoke early (at home) and finished my laundry, wrapped a birthday gift (Happy Birthday, Ellenor!), walked the dogs, and had breakfast with Aaron. I also gave the dogs a little body bath, delivered the gift, did a marathon shopping trip, and enjoyed some frozen yogurt with Nicole before heading back.

By the time I attended my yoga class, ate dinner, and wrote up my report, it was already nearly eight o'clock in the evening. So yesterday felt like a whirlwind. My hope is that today will be more grounding. Namaste, my friends.

Day Twenty and Day Twenty-One

Hello, friends!  Once again I fired up my laptop in order to type up my guest observation report.  So why not type my blog from a real keyboard instead of my cell phone?  The downside is that it is already 8:38 in the evening and I still have a fair amount of studying to do so my update shall be brief.  That said, there are so many experiences from my training on which I'd like to elaborate but I never feel like I have the luxury of time.  Therefore, I am keeping good notes on certain experiences/topics and will write more once I return home. In the meantime, a recap of Thursday and Friday:

Day Twenty: Thursday
The religious scholar returned for another morning lecture.  While the lecture was great, I have to say my biggest take-away from the morning was a renewed desire to read Emerson and Thoreau...and I have never been much of an Americanist (when it comes to literature, that is).  So that's something.

During the afternoon we had our final anatomy and physiology lecture.  Our guest speaker offered so much more than the technicalities of anatomy and physiology.  To be sure, she applied systems (i.e. digestive, muscular, immune, etc.) biology to the practice of yoga but she so elegantly integrated yogic philosophy into each segment of her lectures.  Such an inspiration.

We had an evening session on meditation (to kick off our 24-hours of silent meditation).  We were guided through various types of meditation and paired up for an exercise in guiding meditation.  Then we were given our "In Loving Silence" badges and sent away for the evening.

Day Twenty-One: Friday
Yesterday was an entire day of silent meditation.  We had a self-guided morning sadhana, focused on meditation and meditation in motion.  During our morning program, we were guided through a few extended types of meditation.  The first focused on the breath.  This is the meditation with which I am most familiar but I feel like I'm still riding the learning curve. Which is essentially to say I do not feel that I have experienced a deep meditative state while focusing on the breath.

The second meditation we did was an asana meditation.  The posture we worked with was bridge (or setu bandhasana).  The asana meditation was, for me, a profoundly incredible experience...very moving.  I need to ruminate more on the experience itself before I attempt to put it into words.

Our afternoon program consisted of an extended exercise in walking/mindful meditation.  I feel that over the past seven years, I have developed a deep connection and appreciation with nature. I've spent a lot of time practicing walking meditation...I just didn't realize there was a name for it.

Our afternoon sadhana included a sensory-deprivation exercise.  We were blind-folded and had ear-plugs on while we did a self-guided sadhana.  While some of my classmates felt very empowered by the exercise, I found it terribly unsettling.

The (almost) 24-hours passed very quickly.  I didn't like being electronically disconnected...which is kind of a sad realization...but I certainly didn't mind the silence.  I would even say I enjoyed it.

Namaste, my friends.

Day Nineteen

It is not quite six a.m. and I am already feeling sticky and hot due to the heat. I am starting to feel ready to be home. The heat is exhausting and I miss my privacy. The good news is the end is very near.

Yesterday morning we did our final conscious communication exercise. I spoke of an incident wherein one of my closest friends said something extremely hurtful to me, on so many different levels. When I finally had the courage to communicate how much pain it had caused me, I was met with, "Well, that's really sad that it took you that long to tell me." I know that it takes me a long time to process information; I spend a lot of time in my head. Likewise, I also know that that is not always good for relationships. I realize this behavior is not only linked to a few other fears but stems from being raised in a household where children were meant to be seen and not heard. So it's a process...ongoing and evolving :)

Yesterday afternoon we had an amazing speaker. (Seriously amazing.) She seems pretty young but has experienced a lot in her life. She is scholarly, worldly, motivated, inspirational (pardon me while I have my groupie moment) and teaches vinyasa flow! Not to mention being such a dynamic speaker of course. After her talk, we had an incredible sadhana/workshop on vinyasa flow.

Last night we had a wonderful guest musician come in to entertain us while we did partner massage. I imagine that contributed to my good night's sleep.

So speaking of not speaking, tomorrow (beginning tonight, actually) is silent meditation day. We're encouraged to not only be silent but to "unplug" so there shall be no blog post tomorrow. However, I will resume posting on Saturday (and hope I can remember two days' worth of information). It is now time for morning sadhana. Happy Thursday AND Friday to all! Namaste :)

Day Eighteen

This morning I awoke at 4:50 and instead of getting up, went back to sleep until my alarm awoke me again at 5:40. I had fallen into such a deep sleep that the alarm startled me (only the third time I have been awakened by it) when it went off. My head was a bit disoriented while getting dressed but I managed to get to thus point in the morning so I have already accomplished something. Hooray!

Yesterday was long and exhausting. My Practice Teach went well, much better than my first, so the program part of the day ended on a good note for me. I spent the evening hanging out with Sarah, having some nice heart-to-heart chats, then we prepared a yummy makeshift peach cobbler in the dining hall. It was a short, but wonderfully decompressing evening. Now it is already time for sadhana...namaste, my friends :)

Day Seventeen

Good morning :) It is Practice Teach Two day today. Practice Teach days are kind of like exam days: lots of preparatory work (formal and informal) and lots of anxiety. I wouldn't exactly say I feel "ready" for my Practice Teach, but I'm mostly prepared. My time slot is not until after lunch so I'm confident I'll be more-than-ready to go by then.

Yesterday we spent the morning in posture clinic and the afternoon doing shadow-mentoring (in preparation for today). Last night we had to come together again as a group for more preparation. I was not having the best day so I was happy when we finally dispersed for evening (around nine which felt quite late).

There is no morning sadhana but I shall put the finishing touches on my class outline and eat an early breakfast. Our morning session is starting an hour early today so, despite having the evening off, I imagine everyone will be exhausted by six p.m.. Namaste, my friends :)

Day Sixteen

Yesterday we spent the morning and part of the afternoon doing posture clinics which included downward facing dog or adho mukha svanasana...or down dog, for short :) When I first started doing yoga, I thought down dog was one of the most challenging poses. It was very difficult for me to hold for even a few seconds. Eventually I found it much easier and could hold the posture long enough for my instructor to make the proper adjustments. Then it was difficult again. And so the cycle continued until my instructors were no longer making adjustments. Then I arrived here. Down dog was really one of the postures I thought I had mastered, but as it turns out, not quite yet. I'm close though! My heels may never touch the ground but that may be a result of my skeletal anatomy. Or it could be a result of my running so it may just take longer to get to the ground; either way, it's okay. One of the great things about this program is the degree to which I'm learning all the intricacies of the practice, the philosophy, and the human anatomy.

Our final clinic of the afternoon was on relaxation. Can I truly express to you how absolutely fabulous this was? For our Practice Teach Two, we'll have about four minutes to guide the students through relaxation during savasana and I'm so looking forward to it. Depending on our guest instructor (during our sadhanas), we will occasionally have an extended savasana (anywhere from 15-20 minutes), which is especially luxurious. One of the best gifts I have received from practicing yoga is the ability to allow my body to completely relax yet my mind remain fully present (also relaxed). This is one of the many gifts I hope to share with my students. Namaste, my friends :)

Day Fifteen

I am able to enjoy a somewhat leisurely morning as I attended my guest yoga class last night -- and finished my report! Nevertheless, I still have a good deal of studying to do before our morning session begins at nine. And so begins week three of our training :)

We will have our Practice Teach Two on Tuesday morning which involves teaching a 45-minute yoga class to our small groups [of four each]. We will have a third and final Practice Teach next week wherein the class length is extended to 60-minutes. Although preparing for these Practice Teach sessions is a lot if work, I find the exercises extremely helpful. I definitely look forward to the day I will have the privilege of teaching my own class. 

In the meantime, however, I shall head upstairs for an early breakfast. I hope you all enjoy this lovely  Sunday morning. Namaste :)

Day Fourteen

Today officially marks my half-way point through the program.  Hooray, hooray!  I am treating myself by firing up my laptop this evening, as late as it is.

Actually, the real reason I was on my laptop was to do some thinking through my fingers as I typed out my second guest observation report for tomorrow.  I find that I sometimes work quicker by tapping keys rather than pushing a pen across page.  However, given our lack of technology, I end up transcribing my work anyway as there are no print stations here.  Alas.

So it is after ten o'clock in the evening and far past my teacher training bedtime.  Thus the original post I had planned to write will have to be shortened a bit.

We had a fantastic morning sadhana guest instructor yesterday.  She addressed working with diverse populations and showed us a few different ways we could incorporate chair yoga into our teaching.  It was super-interesting.

We spent yesterday morning learning about the Bhagavad Gita which I found immensely fascinating.  And while I do not consider Wikipedia a credible source, I have included a link that may be a good starting point for any of you who may be interested in more details.  (Check the references at the bottom as well!)

Yesterday afternoon we did an extended voice clinic with one of the [many] amazing instructors here. It involved a lot of loosening up of body and vocal chords as well as regulating breath with speech and practice in projecting.  What a wonderfully delightful way to spend an afternoon learning about voice.

Our afternoon sadhana was one of the best yet (I think).  Our very energetic (and charismatic) guest instructor guided us through some new poses and invited us to challenge ourselves to try them.  While I had experience doing most of the poses, I learned some new variations as well as styles of teaching [those variations] which I found supremely helpful.

I did drive home last night to do laundry, eat pizza, take the dogs to the park and bring back a few items I had left the week before.  I was back on campus by one o'clock this afternoon.  My dear, sweet friend Nicole came to visit this afternoon and we spent a good part of the afternoon exploring Lennox, which is truly charming.  I gave Nicole my version of the building tour and a brief tour of the grounds...or part of them.

And now it is 10:30 so I should try to wind myself down from my short but wonderful whirlwind weekend.  Namaste :)

Day Thirteen

It is chilly enough this morning for me to wear both a tank top and a tee-shirt. If I were to spend any amount of time (above the 20-minutes I have before I need to be at sadhana, that is) sitting near this open window, I would also choose to wear a jacket. As cool as the morning air is, however, it is a refreshing change from the hot, humid days we had earlier in the week.

I was also thinking, as I sit here typing this post in the most elementary fashion (using a single index finger!), that once I leave here, I shall miss this lovely view. I wish everyone could so appreciate the gift and grandeur of nature.

In our morning session yesterday, we learned about reflective listening. Reflective listening is essentially listening to what another person has to say and then repeating it back to them, rather than interpreting it. This is very similar to an exercise I had my students at Ohio State do, so the morning session felt a lot like review. Earlier last week, we learned about co-listening wherein the listener *only* listens and does not respond in any way. The purpose of this is simply to give the talker a chance to talk his or her feelings out. Each of these techniques were followed by an exercise; I have say I found the non-responding much more difficult. Nonetheless, both are good practices.

We spent the afternoon learning about the muscles, more A&P. The instructor is a very talented teacher and, despite just finishing two semesters of A&P, I felt I needed the review.

It is now time for morning sadhana. Happy Friday, my friends! Namaste:)

Day Twelve

At this time, one year ago today, I was leaving for the hospital for my hysterectomy. Today I am nearly to the halfway point of my yoga teacher training. Thus I begin the morning by feeling especially grateful for all the blessings I have been given over this past year.

We spent yesterday morning discussing our Practice Teach sessions from Tuesday. Our instructors gave us a handout filled with helpful hints, many of which would be applicable to teachers in any field.

In the afternoon we had an interactive anatomy/yoga DVD viewing with a guest speaker. I have to admit, I became a  little sleepy during that session.  Our afternoon sadhana, however, was fantastic. We have a different instructor each time and yesterday it was one of the more well-known instructors.  That was exciting.

I was able to study a bit last night, but mostly it was low-key and relaxing. It is now time for sadhana so I will share my thoughts on oral-care another time. Namaste :)

Day Eleven

We spent the entire day doing our Practice Teach Ones yesterday. I think mine went okay, but of course not as smoothly as I had hoped. Nonetheless, it was a good experience and we have two more before our session ends.

Our afternoon sadhana was yoga nidra which is essentially sleep yoga. We don't actually sleep but it's  a guided, deep meditation in savasana...the entire time. It was pretty relaxing, lots of verbal visualizations, but after about 45 minutes my body began to feel a little stiff so I had to readjust. Regardless of my experience, I can definitely see the benefits.

I spent most of my evening off with Cat, one of the lovely new friends I have made. We visited the gift shop where there are so many wonderful things! Then we ate dinner with some other girls (we had pasta last night...yum!) and afterward took a walk to the lake. Sweet Sarah was at the lake and she accompanied us on our return :) Cat and I ended our evening with a nice long chat over ice cream (or shall I say rice cream?). It was a divine way to spend a free evening.

We have another free evening tonight but my hope is to get some serious studying in. After my shower, I wandered around the other floors of the building and found some fantastic spaces...the sun room, the study room, and the meditation room. Always something to look forward to! Namaste :)

Day Ten

It is 5:45 a.m. and I am up especially early to prepare for my first practice teach.

Yesterday we spent both the morning and afternoon sessions doing posture clinics. The clinics focused on back extensions, primarily the bow and cobra poses. I enjoy the back extensions and have recently been able to hold my wheel position for ten breaths, but they can be somewhat taxing on my body.

We shall have some time off this evening; I will be happy for a little break. Happy Tuesday, everyone! Namaste :)

Day Nine

Good morning! It is finally Monday! I say that because all day yesterday seemed like it should have been Monday.

Yesterday was my birthday and I literally got to be the center of attention at our morning program. Unless I am in teaching mode, that sort of thing generally makes me uncomfortable, but it was very sweet and wonderful. And it was a lovely day (save a few bug bites) filled with lots of warm and genuine happy birthday wishes.

We spent some time in a posture clinic yesterday morning and the afternoon focused on anatomy. During our afternoon sadhana, our anatomy instructor led us through a practice which incorporated specific parts of our lesson. It was a nice illustration of application.

I celebrated my birthday last night by having a second helping of delicious Welcome Bread at dinner. It was a good day.

Now it is time for morning sadhana. Namaste :)

Day Eight

Today marks the first day of our second week of training. It feels a little strange to have the work weeks begin on a Sunday. Looking ahead, it seems like a long week but I know the days (and nights!)  will go by quickly.

We do not have a morning sadhana today so I have some time before our 9:00 a.m. program session. I have already showered and am simply waiting for the dining hall to open at seven so I can enjoy an early breakfast. I have a few lines to write in order to finish out my report so that should leave me some study time before our morning session.

Oh, since I have time this morning, I'd like to share some from our philosophy lecture last week. The second character-building restraint under the Yamas (the first of Patanhali's Eight Limbs) is Satya which is the Sanskrit word for truth. And one guideline of this restraint is:
Before you speak, ask yourself three questions: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?

Isn't that wonderful? Imagine a world wherein the people were so conscientious of themselves. Wouldn't that be lovely? Another interpretation by Swami Kripalu (hence, Kripalu) is before you speak, ask yourself if it will be an improvement upon silence. Really great words to live by.

With that, I shall close this post and go enjoy my silent breakfast. Have an extraordinary day, my friends! Namaste :)

Day Seven

I made a quick trip home last night to do some laundry and pick up a few items I forgot to bring with me last weekend.  Subsequently, I ended up leaving a few items at the house again this afternoon.  Alas.

Yesterday we had a truly amazing lecture on yoga philosophy which focused on the first two limbs of Patanjali's Eight-Limbed Path, the Yamas (character-building restraints) and Niyamas (character-building observances).  Our guest lecturer was a well-read scholar and an incredibly dynamic speaker.  Suffice it to say, the lecture was both informative and interesting.

We had a short posture clinic in the afternoon and each student had a check-in with one of the assistants wherein we demonstrated two postures and had a brief one-on-on discussion afterward.  I'm happy to say my check-in went very well.

Today was our day off from the program.  However, we have an observation report due tomorrow morning so, in order to complete that, we had/have to attend another class sometime over the weekend.  I attended my class this evening but I still have to write up my report.

And so I will end this post and ready myself for week two of my training.  Namaste :)

Day Six

Well, it seems as though my network is up this morning, whereas last night I was unable to call, text, or access the Internet with my phone. So this makes me happy.

It is nearly six a.m. and I have some reading to do before my morning sadhana. Yesterday was good but seemed very hot. I walked to the lake at lunch and it was quite beautiful.

We had the evening off and there were fireworks all around. Some girls invited me to Tanglewood with them to see James Taylor and Jackson Browne (and fireworks) but I was happy to stay in and relax. Though it was a temping invitation.

I got to know a few more of my classmates last night. There are two really young girls here. One will be going to Yale in the fall and the other to Georgetown. I also talked with another girl who mentioned being "uncomfortable in her skin." It's amazing the range of emotions that come up for me when I talk with others. I felt so much excitement for the young college freshman-to-be and anxiety for the other girl who is so lovely but seems to lack self-confidence. I know what it feels like to be uncomfortable with my body and sometimes it can take a long time to remedy.

Otherwise, today is the final day of our first week and I have decided to travel the short distance home tonight. We have tomorrow off so it will be nice to check in with Aaron and my two little baby dogs. Happy Friday, my friends!

Day Five

Good morning! I may have had time to fire up my little laptop this morning because I actually awoke at 5:10, which gives me over an hour before our first morning session. However, while I am still not fond of typing these posts into my iPhone, it seems to help in my exercise of brevity which I greatly appreciate.

Yesterday was another full day. It was after nine when we ended last night.  In the morning we had a 90-minute self-guided yoga session. I really enjoyed that; I tried to recall and repeat some of my more vigorous sessions at Estudio.

Again, a lot of information and clinic-ing in the afternoon.  It seems that each day I meet a few new people and they are all so wonderful.  A few years back, if someone had told me there were so many happy and content people in the world, it would have been difficult for me to believe. And even though I know there is still a lot of pain and suffering out there, it warms my heart to be around so many joyful and radiant souls.

 In the afternoon we had a lecture on Ayurveda, with some personal care demonstrations. I wish I had more time to write about it. The lecture was profoundly interesting.

Last night we had a program on chanting. The program was not at all what I was expecting. Again, it was wonderfully joyous and jubilant. I will have to look up the name of the instrument our guest used, but there was also a drummer and a simple percussionist. Very delightful.

I believe we have this evening off. I'm looking forward to some down time. Oh yes, and it is July Fourth! Happy Holiday!

Day Four

I have six minutes until morning sadhana and I don't think that is enough time to type a post; but I shall try.

Yesterday was a busy day but filled with good information. Last night we had e beautiful meditation in motion ceremony wherein we all received a set of mala beads. It was all very meaningful. However, the most significant thing I took away was that while I know I am a person who can be quiet, I have a difficult time sitting still.

Namaste.

Day Three

It is nearly six a.m. and I am sitting in the cafe, near a window enjoying the cool morning air.  Once again, I type this post from my phone as my time this morning is limited.

We had our first yoga class of the training program yesterday and I am pleased to report that my prep-work (9-10 classes/week) seemed to help tremendously. There are about seventy students in my class so it was quite the thing seeing so many mats and practicing yogi/nis in one room. All the people I have met have been so lovely, as one might expect.

So far, I believe that practicing moderation in the dining hall may prove to be one of the most challenging tasks of the training. The food is so delicious and there is so much variety...and it's all crazy healthy! Practice, practice.

Today is a full day.  We have yoga (a.k.a. sadhana) at six-thirty this morning and the day will end at nine this evening. We will have an hour for breakfast and dinner and two hours for lunch. That said, I should sign off and head back to my room to gather my things! Namaste :)

PS: please excuse any auto-corrects I may have missed...they are sneaky!

Day Two

I'm typing this post from my iPhone, which is not my preference, however the Internet connection seems to be temperamental this morning so I get to be all 21st century.

Yesterday, upon my arrival, I had to sign some disclosure (or anti-disclosure) statement about name, rights, social networking, blah blah blah, which means I must refrain from using the name of my training program. I'm not really sure what it means. Anyway to be safe, I shall refrain.

Otherwise, I have arrived, settled in, and spent my first peaceful night in the lovely Berkshires. Thank you to my dear friend, Nicole, who drove up with me yesterday.

I attended a yoga class yesterday afternoon and we had our opening program last night...lots of great energy!

We had the morning off and I went for a walk around the campus, which is quite lovely. I just finished a breakfast of granola with soy milk, gluten-free pancakes with blueberry sauce, and a tempeh and potato sausage. Yum!

We have a morning program in twenty minutes so I will close for now. Namaste.