I wrote this journal entry at the end of DAY 1
of my Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training with Tamal Dodge….
"I went into yoga teacher training like I do
most new and unknown adventures: a little nervous and anxious. I was out of my element, away from home, and
safety bubble. I have to admit, I was most anxious and sad to say good-bye to
Jared. Goodbyes seem to remind us of the dreadful deployment days. I knew that this was only
for a short time and I found comfort knowing that I’d be able to go home on
the weekends. Totally do-able. I was excited for the new
adventure. In my heart I knew I would
have a great experience and knew that this is exactly what I needed. I spent
all of Sunday prepping food the week.
Monday, April 8, 2013: 3am start.
Oh, so early!!!
Day 1 was better than I imagined. We started
the morning promptly at 7:30am. Tamal’s opening words were about his life
growing up on an ashram in Hawaii. He
talked about his father’s journey to Yoga as well as his own journey to Yoga.
Their stories are inspiring. Before
Tamal became a yoga teacher, he was touring musician. Spoiler alert… Tamal is a talented musician
and an even better Yogi!
After our opening meet and greet circle, we
jumped right into an intense 2-hour power vinyasa yoga class. Maybe it was just me, but, I think we were all
a little unsure what to expect. I
wondered, “Would he look for perfection? Am I doing ok? Am I even doing this right?” My mental chatter was quickly hushed as I
just felt the calmness and directness in his instruction. I noticed how his voice matched the intensity
of the class and guided me through each step.
It was the perfect blend of challenge and just letting me be me.
I had never done a 2-hour class before, but
before I knew it, I was in savasana. This amazingly beautiful music began to
play- was it coming from the speakers? I assumed it was just the play list. No wait… It’s wasn't! It took me a few seconds to realize that it
was Tamal singing and playing a little guitar. (guitalele) It was
so beautiful and at that moment, my heart filled with gratitude for my life and
the opportunity I had to be there. I was
filled with gratitude for the people who support my dreams- Jared, my parents, and
my family. I felt so blessed and
fortunate. Tears started rolling down my
cheeks. It was an amazing
experience. Oh, and I love that he combines his passion for music and yoga to make his class his own.
Early wake up call at 3am, a 2 hour drive, then 2 hours of rigorous yoga class, followed by
hours and hours of lecture, and finally topped off with another 1 hour and 15 minute hot power
class. Yep…we are at 19 hours later… this gal
feels great and tired at the same time. Good night!"
