This blog has been a long time coming. I’ve wanted to work on it since last summer, but I finally had the mental clarity to bring it to life. I’m still processing and digesting everything I learned in my yoga teacher training with Marianne Wells Yoga School from this past summer.

Making the decision to book this training was one of the best decisions I’ve made to date. I was a little concerned about timing and money. Yoga Teacher Training is not cheap, and I was in the midst of planning a wedding and honeymoon that year. After reaching out to friends on Instagram, Jenny Abercrombie told me about her experience with MWYS and encouraged me to look into it. This happened in January 2019; I was getting married in early June and the training was to begin in July. For those who don’t know, I also work a full time job at a non-profit in my area and I had already planned a two week honeymoon in Europe. But after discussing things with my husband and my manager, I made the decision to book!

Flying to Costa Rica to spend a few weeks at Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort with complete strangers is seriously my idea of the best possible time. I really didn’t feel nervous. In fact, I felt completely assured that this was the right thing for me to be doing. As I’ve grown, I realize how important it is to trust your instincts and invest in yourself.

The Experience

I landed in Costa Rica and stayed in a hotel close to the airport for the night. I met up with most of the group that morning, and we took a bus to Nosara where we would be staying for the remainder of our trip. Excitement was high! While some of us rested on the bus, I ended up having the best conversation with the girl I sat next to who was also to be my roommate at the resort – Andrea.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with coconut drinks and warm hugs from Marianne, Ron and Ali – who were to be our teachers and guides throughout our training. It was the warmest welcome you could ask for. Walking up those steps felt like walking into my own future. 

A Typical Day

After initial orientation on our first day, we began to get into a rhythm. Each morning started similarly. We woke up around 5:00 am and were asked to remain in silence. Marianne shared that mornings are sacred, and a time for inner reflection and contemplation. I would wake up early, walk to the breakfast area and enjoy a small cup of coffee while working in my training manual. I savored those quiet mornings where we exchanged silent smiles with one another, found a spot to settle in, listened to the birds, watched the sunrise, and prepared for the day. Every morning from 6:00-8:00 am we practiced yoga with Marianne in the outdoor shala. It was my favorite part of every day. I deeply miss those early morning practices. The mornings were often met with a steady rain, howling monkeys, and cool air that brushed our skin as we moved our bodies through time and space. Marianne guided us each morning through various yoga sequences and types of yoga including partner yoga, chair yoga, kundalini yoga, and more. It was always a great learning experience. 

After our morning practice we ate breakfast together (always delicious and always vegetarian) and prepared to meet in the next shala where we would work on anatomy for the remainder of the morning. We’d break for lunch and in the afternoon we spent time workshopping different asanas (poses). In the evening we would often close the day with a type of ceremony, usually based around one of the seven chakras. These were always really special events in which we used our bodies and nature in creative ways to physically and visually express the chakras, or connect with one another. When we were really lucky, she would take us down to the beach to complete the ceremony. Dinner followed with lots of hugs, laughter, and recapping of the day’s events, sometimes accompanied by dancing to a live band that performed while we ate. Homework/reading, showering under the stars, and a very deep sleep awaited us at the end of each beautifully full day.

My Takeaways

While the purpose of yoga training at a basic level is to complete a number of hours practicing yoga, teaching yoga, and learning about anatomy in order to be prepared to go home and teach, this training went so far beyond that. Through our daily practice I experienced a physical change in my body, but more importantly, my mind. I learned how far I could push myself (similar to my experience hiking the Inca Trail awhile back.) I made connections with people from all over the world. These women were each so unique and impressive in their own way. We each brought a different set of beliefs and skills to this training. We supported and rooted for one another in every pose. We physically held each other as we learned inversions, and emotionally held each other as we experienced tear-jerking breakthroughs or emotional releases.

Any barriers we had around us were torn down quickly. And Marianne, Ron, and Ali were always there to support us along this spiritual journey.

I am now able to teach with a heart that is filled with compassion and understanding for my students. I blend together not only proper alignment and cues, but also information about the chakras, ayurveda, and our connection to everything and everyone around us. I am still in the very early stages of my own yoga journey, but I feel that through my training and my own intuition I have been able to bridge together years of wisdom from my teacher and my own soul experience to provide a unique class for my students.

Post-Training Advice

I am so grateful for the wisdom of the friends I made in my Yoga Teacher Training. All the girls who held me when I found out bad news about my dog while I was away, my roommates for staying up late and talking with me about the day’s events, the universe and everything in between, the friends who pulled me into the pool and the ocean and asked me to lead a moon circle for them.  But I am even more grateful for the wisdom Marianne passed on to me. I still feel such a connection to her and her training, I dream about it on a regular basis. She is living out her life purpose, and supporting her students near and far.

It was such a wonderful experience diving deep into nature, the philosophy of yoga, and my own soul during this training. But we all knew “re-entry” was going to be a challenge. After opening your heart to all these strangers who eventually became family, it was very sad to say goodbye. But we all stay in touch regularly through our Facebook group and root each other on from around the world. I encourage you to start teaching friends and family soon after you come back from training to practice all the skills you’ve learned. And hold on to the lessons you’ve learned. Incorporate them into your day-to-day rituals. It’s easy to be zen in the jungles of Costa Rica. It’s not always easy when sitting in traffic on your way to to work. But to really live the yoga lifestyle, you have to make that effort to bring magic to the mundane. Because the mundane is where life happens.

When I returned from my training, I reached out to my apartment’s building manager and we put together a donation-based yoga program where I taught the apartment residents yoga each week. I was also a student at FierceOm at the time, and just a month and a half later I was hired there and it’s where I’ve been ever since. And what a gift that has been. I feel very fortunate that I was able to start teaching in a local yoga studio in September, very shortly after coming home from my YTT experience. This home studio I found was meant to be. The way I was hired was incredibly aligned, and after a few months of leading yoga classes, meditations, and moon circles, I truly couldn’t have selected a better place to call home. I am incredibly grateful to have met Jenny, the owner of FierceOm. I would like to thank her for believing in me and my ability to share yoga in her studio. We nurtured a deep connection so quickly and her beautiful spirit and open mind support my ability to teach in my own unique way.

I still work full-time, teach several yoga classes a week, host monthly moon circles, and run a crystal shop. But when something is important enough to you, you make the time. Spreading health, peace, and wellness is my passion.

Advice for anyone looking for a Yoga Teacher Training

Yoga Teacher Training is not just for people who want to teach yoga. In fact, I feel it’s an important experience for almost any human on this planet. Pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone physically, mentally, and emotionally is the only way to grow and evolve. We didn’t just learn about yoga, we really did learn about ourselves in the process. For those who are considering a Yoga Teacher Training, the first step is to figure out whether you want to complete your training at a local studio or an immersive training away from home. Teacher training is a very personal experience, so look at what works best for you. There are benefits to both styles of training – whether close to home or a far off destination. The most important element to consider is how aligned it feels for what you’re seeking to get out of it.

I am very excited to share that FierceOm is starting their own Yoga Teacher Training later this year, and I look forward to being involved with this training! So for those who want to experience an immersive training in an international destination, I can’t recommend Marianne Wells Yoga School enough. For anyone local to the northern Virginia area, I invite you to stop by the FierceOm studio to take a class and learn more about the upcoming training that will be held there.

Thank you to my teachers, my students, my friends, and my family for supporting me on this wellness journey. I seriously feel so lucky to have this gift of yoga in my life AND to be able to share that gift with others.

If you have any questions about yoga, teacher training, meditation, moon circles, or anything under the stars, I am always here.