By Michelle Blackwall, 24th April 2019
If somebody had told me 18 months ago that I would be sat here writing this blog, about to graduate from Trybe's YTTC class of 2019, with a few public cover classes under my belt and my very own classes about to be added onto the timetables at Trybe and Adlington, I would have laughed and then felt utterly terrified. Because at that point I didn't know my asana from my chakra, never mind what pranayama was. And that's just for starters!
Fast forward 18 months and my outlook has changed immeasurably. I can honestly say that from the moment I took those first tentative steps up the stairs to the Adlington studio, feeling a bit out of my depth, certainly unfit and my head space feeling completely overwhelmed and unmanageable due to one thing and another, I have never looked back. It seems absurd to me that it took me 34 years to find this lifelong friend on my mat, including travelling to India and ignoring every yoga class I saw (what?!?!). Everything just started to make a lot more sense and I knew very quickly that I wanted to teach and help other people discover yoga as I felt lucky enough to have done myself.
So, I started to research various YTTCs abroad and when Trybe announced their plans to do an intensive 11 week course starting in March, I looked at the phenomenal array of teachers involved and I couldn't sign up fast enough. I tried not to overthink it, I read all the coursebooks, I went to as many different workshops and classes at different studios as I possibly could as I still felt like I was playing catch up to some extent.
Nothing can prepare you for spending 20 hours every week (plus the additional time spent attending classes) learning about all things YOGA. It's awesome. It's intense. There's 17 of us on our course, all from different backgrounds, different age groups, different experiences in life and with many different reasons for choosing to do a yoga teacher training course at this point in time. But there's one thing that binds us and that's a deep love and respect for the practice and the transformation it can bring.
So, what to expect if you're thinking of signing up to Trybe's next YTTC.......??
The learning. Oh, the learning!
Anatomy, philosophy, pranayama, chakras, mudras, asanas, posture clinic, yamas, niyamas, bandhas, sanskrit, different lineages and styles of yoga, meditation, modifications, alignment, adjustments, I could go on and on and on. At times it can certainly feel overwhelming, so take a moment to breathe and remember that this is a lifelong journey of discovery. There's no magic pill to becoming a great yoga teacher, it's a lot of hard work both on the course and in your own time. I feel like I am barely scratching the surface of all I would like to know. But if I can learn a little bit more each day and bring what I'm constantly learning into my classes to share with you all, then there are certainly worse ways to spend my time.
Oh and you will cry. A lot. Every one of us on the course will be experiencing something
different but I think it's fair to say that we have all shed a tear. Be that in private or in public. The course forces you to search your soul and you might not always like what you see. But that's the point. Transformation and deciding how you want to go forward and live your life both on and off your mat. There will be times when you want to lock yourself in the toilet just to have a moments peace from the array of personalities but there will also be moments when your heart sings with pure joy at the camararderie and support from all these wonderful souls sharing a common goal.
Whether we all teach straight away or in a years time or whether we decide just to embrace the learning, this feels like our moment of opportunity and I for one cannot wait to see what the next few years will bring for all 17 of us. If you're not sure whether to jump onto the next course with both feet, come to class, come and have a chat with me afterwards. Wherever you are at with it, it's never too late and I can guarantee whatever the outcome, you won't regret it.
I look forward to seeing you in class,
Michelle x
Namaste 🙏