I had just been laid off from my job as an elementary school teacher due to tons of CA budget cuts and I was faced with the question, now what? I had been practicing yoga for about 9 years on and off and I knew I really enjoyed the practice, but could I really teach yoga for a living? I was fairly new to living in California and was unaware of YogaWorks at the time. I was practicing in a small studio and after class one day I built up the nerve to ask my teacher, Steve Walther, if he could recommend a teacher training. Without hesitation he said "YogaWorks, they're the best." So I went home, looked them up online and literally signed up that night for the upcoming. Little did I know at the time my trainers would end up being the founders of YogaWorks, Chuck Miller and Maty Ezraty. At the time the trainings were 8 weekends back to back. I had no idea what I was signing up for and felt a bit lost most of the time. I was constantly being adjusted and realized I had been practicing everything wrong for nearly a decade. To say the least it was a very humbling experience. But what I learned in that training truly changed my view of what I thought yoga was. Having come from a dance background I was very drawn to yoga because of my love for movement though I never fully understood how the body worked until my yoga training. Had I been introduced to yoga as a teenager I strongly feel my dance career would not have ended in so many injuries. I learned the value of alignment, not only on a physical level but also how it affects the energetic and subtle body layers. It didn't take me long to realize that yoga was much more than chaturangas and arm balances, and the more I learned the more I realized I didn't know. My first training opened my eyes to the other 7 limbs of yoga and since then I've spent the past 11 years exploring all aspects of yoga.
We're all drawn to the physicality of the practice at first. I think it's safe to say that a majority of students have the desire to nail handstand in the middle of the room or aspire to do challenging arm balances. Some students just want to do as many chaturangas as humanly possible in a 75 min class. There's nothing wrong with setting asana goals but there's so much more to the practice that goes untaught in a group class simply because there's just not enough time. What I valued most about being in a training was the time it gave to allow things to unfold. I may not have understood a word of Chuck's philosophy lessons back then but it laid a foundation and I was able to revisit the material over the years. I also cherished the time I got to spend with my peers. As adults we don't get any opportunities to go away to camp and make friends. Being in a training often felt like a mini vacation away from all the daily responsibilities of life and the bonds made in sacred space may possibly last you a lifetime.
After completing my first 200hr training I started teaching in a gym, which lead to a country club, which lead to small studios and eventually I was able to open my own studio. After completing 500+ hours of training I became YogaWorks certified and began down my path to becoming a trainer. This training will be the 9th training I've taught over the past 6 years and sometimes I still feel like the more I know the more I don't know. I'm always growing, always learning and I enjoy sharing my experiences. I try not to take myself too seriously and I'm as open and honest as I could be with my students. My goal as a trainer is to make the information as clear as possible so my students walk away feeling confident about sequencing the postures safely and there's an understanding of how the body mechanics work without making it overly anatomical.
Namaste' Sweet People
xoxo Dani
xoxo Dani
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