A few months ago, we published a blogpost for new Clayton Yoga teacher trainees. Its title was “Ten Key Preparation Steps in Preparing for Clayton Yoga Teacher Training” or this link here, http://claytonyoga.com/10-key-action-steps-to-a-great-yoga-teacher-training-course/. We wrote these ten key steps to help establish both readiness for the training as well as deepening one’s connection to a better daily yoga practice.
The following blogpost is a follow up providing 7 key action steps in continuing to encourage growth along the path during the training. These steps are useful for both deepening one’s yoga practice and well as becoming a certified yoga instructor. And may be used by both Clayton yoga Teacher trainees and everyday yoga practitioners.
Step One. Find your Tribe. Learning the 22 key restorative postures in our yoga international course, increases an open diaphragm and builds greater courage! Find a new yoga studio and introduce yourself to the teacher. Share and offer tips and support with others who encourage your growth. If you enjoy the class, ask your instructor for some take home handouts, or offer to sub a class or volunteer to water the plants! Having a like-minded friend, group or support team is essential to the enjoyment of your growth!
Step Two. Seek out sound advice. This step is very important. Be careful who you listen to and share your dreams with. How many times in your life have you got a great plan and then share it with a well-meaning relative or loved one who wants to protect you and inadvertently dashes all your hopes and dreams. Take this advice. You will want to get stronger for your friends. Therefore, make friends, not fans.
Resources are often right under our nose. Things worth having often require us to look out for the long run, and not take the short cuts of life. A real supportive friend will tell you honestly what you may not want to hear. A fan will not really care. Share your business dreams and plans with those who are going to believe in your, lift your spirits and encourage you to make it all come true! Surround yourself with real friends who have an authentic interest in your own personal growth. Even if you have no friends at all, remember, wait it out, for good friends will come your way when you remember this difference.
Step Three. Learn to write “Daily Action Step” programs. Create daily action plans that push you daily to exceed your level. In our international yoga teacher training courses, we take 98% of 90 minutes daily to practice mindful yoga. We also ask each students to write a breathing exercise using our five sense to bring us into the 6th sense, intuition. Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga are all key topics covered in the Clayton Yoga Teacher Training. Each day, when practicing, we encourage you to pick your flavor. Skip talking about it, do it.
Step Four. Play the edge in every pose. Make sure when your practicing, that you are not jamming, cramming, or seeking agenda, pushing tension and fear deeper into the body. Yin Yoga Practice is perfect for learning about our edge. These long held yoga postures work to soothe the nervous system, increase synovial fluids and provide tremendous benefit to the mind. We ask all students to present 3 Yin Yoga Postures, with two benefits per pose and great modifications to use! Some days, you may actually need to pull back and go a little slower. Use your attention to place it on the breath, move from wisdom not woe.
Step Five. Create your Ideal Day. Do something nice for yourself! We have an exercise in our training that ask students to write out their perfect, ideal day. What values are important to you? A clean house? A long walk in nature? Listening to music, listening to spiritual teachers, taking time to make conversation with a friend, writing a long letter to a loved one. Living in a way that is true for us awakens our heart and increases motivation to give selflessly.
Step Six. Practice Meditation. Do something nice for yourself-meditate! Sitting still gives us awareness to choose the best response in any given moment. The way of the spiritual warrior is not to cocoon oneself away OR to become aggressive. When the Buddha was teaching, students were encouraged to not mistake the moon for the path. This meant that everyday life gives us all we need to grow! Stay connected.
Step Seven. Learn 50 Modifications Yoga Postures. Moving the body mindfully provides a tremendous elixir to the body, mind and spirit, bringing about an internal harmony, rhythm and celebration for life’s challenges. In this Clayton Yoga teacher Training course, students from all backgrounds, levels and abilities are encouraged to breathe together and find challenging, accessible postures designed to animate the spirit and heal the body.
Would you like to take this opportunity to reboot your spirit and reset your soul? Most of us realize that looking to the New Year to set new intentions doesn’t work. How about making those positive changes everlasting! Christmas Intensive Yoga Teacher Training December 14th-31st: Get Yoga Alliance certified still in 2015! 6 spaces left! Click here to set up your free phone consultation today: www.claytonyoga.com/call.
Step two really spoke to me. Seeking advice from a true friend led me to call Clayton Yoga. She helped me look for the training tools I wanted in a class and encouraged me to follow through. I can share my hopes, dreams and fears with her about this training and she totally understands. Finding people to lift you up in any situation is important. I also like the daily action plan. For me, seeing a plan on paper helps me accomplish those tasks each day, no matter how big or small.
I love all of these. I definitely have found my tribe meeting all these wonderful, intelligent women on this journey. Some of the latter steps I am going to take with me every day after, just to make sure I have my stuff down. I can also take the others into the real world. I loved this post, it is very applicable and I appreciate that.
Step 2 and step 6 really caught my attention in this post. I have had tendencies in the past to let loved ones alter my dreams about things that I wanted to go out and do or accomplish, but finding my voice(and a better boyfriend) has helped guide me into the path that I know I was meant to take. Also, meditation has helped me grow into a stronger person, and I try to take time for myself every day to meditate. This post was very exciting to read, and I cant wait to get started this Spring!