It has been a whirlwind of a week so far!

We had our welcome ceremony Tuesday evening. We met all the instructors and other students and learned what the next month would look like for us. We did some ceremonoial traditions like chanting and throwing rice into a fire. They had one of the yoga shalas decorated with flowers and it was so beautiful!

My schedule has been packed with classes, meal times and more classes. I feel like I am back in college taking notes rapidly in each session, but eager to learn and very interested in the information we are being taught. I am already learning so much and have increased my yoga skills and knowledge.

I have a variety of classes from meditation and pranayama to vinyasa, hatha and yin yoga classes as well. I also have several classes like yoga philosophy, ayurveda (one of my favorites!), anatomy and alignment classes. I also have my Reiki class as well and have already completed level 1 of 3 for the Reiki course. They truly pack as much as possible into our days.

Today was our first ‘off’ day. We did take a trip this morning to the beach for yoga and then had some time to explore there as well. Some of us went to the local market which was really cool. Compared to the local farmer’s markets at home it was amazing! They had vendors selling jewelry, food, clothes, incense, tea and much more! I love seeing all the holistic and local items being sold. Wish I had more room in my suitcase to bring back all the goodies!

My humble abode is really nice. I have my own private room and bathroom. It is very minimal but I have enjoyed that. They come and have ‘room service’ clean our rooms and make our beds daily which is also wonderful. There are two pools on site here as well and three different shalas (places where we practice yoga). I have been enjoying the vegan/vegetarian food they serve us for each meal as well. We often get fresh fruit juices and even some vegan desserts along with the variety of flavors and textures in the meals.

I think one of my favorite parts of doing my teacher training here in Bali, is I have been able to meet many people from all of the world. In my cohort of the 300hr course, there are only nine of us and everyone is from all over! I have become friends with some of the students from France, Germany, Italy, UK, Mexico and others from the US as well. It’s been cool to meet people from around the world and learn about their cultures as well. My instructors are also from different parts of the world, ranging from India, Italy and here in Bali as well.

Overall this experience has been absolutely enlightening. I am enjoying being on a routine schedule and eating healthy food consistently. It’s been challenging but rewarding to immerse myself in my yoga practice and be around like-minded people. And side note, I expected myself to be sore from all the yoga after the first week, but I actually feel quite great!

First week complete!

Food, geckos and yoga!

Elephant in the Sky