I had the pleasure of attending Rebecca Lerner’s workshop workshop last December and was pleased with the depth of practice I was able to achieve in a such a short time. I went to all the classes, including the teacher training segment, which turned out to be about 15 hours in three days.
There’s something transformative about practicing that much that I don’t get out of my regular practice. There’s a depth that can be reached and it feels like the practice really has a chance to integrate on a very deep level. Rebecca Lerner was very insightful and brought awareness not only to the asana practice, and helped to deepen our understanding of the poses, but she also incorporated philosophy and messages from the sutras that brought together the whole experience.
She taught us about the movement of energy in the body, which direction it should move, and how to envision it. For me, this is what these workshops have the capacity of doing. To bring awareness to the most subtle realms. It’s in these subtle realms that true and lasting transformation happens, and with someone as gifted and experienced as Rebecca Lerner to guide us, it happens quickly. At the same time, the experience integrates over time. A couple weeks have past since I attended the workshop, and I feel that there are still aspects of that experience still seeping in.
The teacher training segment was excellent and I think it’s a must for anyone going on that venture. We were each assigned poses to teach and then took turns teaching, demonstrating, and then sharing feedback. It was really inspiring to learn and get a sense of where I am on my journey as a teacher, and also the road that lies ahead.
I liked getting feedback from the other student/teachers, as well as Rebecca Lerner, and my teacher Heather Haxo. Phillips. It changes the game when it’s no longer your own students and friends, and not your teacher evaluating you, but a full spectrum of feedback all at once. It made my understanding of myself as a teacher more solidified. It’s always inspiring to get a taste of the possibilities and also humbling to know where you are. I left feeling far more confident in my abilities as a teacher and feel thankful for that understanding.
I recommend that anyone with a growing interest in yoga at some point participate in a more immersive yoga workshop. It’s hard to talk about the magnificence of subtle things, because it’s not what we see, it’s what we know and feel at a deep level. I think if you’re open to touching that divine nectar then it’s going to happen eventually, and what better way than immersion to catalyze that happening.
May all beings find peace and may we all recognize that we’re all in this together and have unique gifts to share. May yoga be our guide and our foundation in recognizing and activating what those gifts are.
~Namaste
Maya Krow
Adeline Yoga Student who began her teacher training program at IYISF in January