8 things I learned from Luna’s Yoga Teacher Training - by Natacha Khalife
You might already know about the eight-limb path of yoga. Yoga is more than the physical poses that make for a workout, as you practice and learn more about yoga, you may come to appreciate that it is the union of Breath, Body and Spirit. It is also a practice made up of eight limbs, a practice for life or at least until you (hopefully) reach the ultimate goal of Bliss or Enlightenment. If you have ever felt or glimpsed this union, you may be interested in deepening your knowledge and practice!
In this blog, I have summarized the key takeaways from my teacher training journey in eight points to help you decide if you’d like to experience it for yourself! Though this is a personal journey and it might be different for you, Luna Yoga’s 250H Teacher Training curriculum is sure to include the following points in various stages throughout the ten months of your training.
1. Presence and Awareness
Being present and aware encourages natural curiosity, or what we can call play. As adults, we rarely play. And in the open spirit that is play, we glean freedom from fear. This helps us foster non-judgment, the ability to accept ourselves even if we fail and therefore accept others.
2. Knowledge is power. Empower yourself.
With learning, we can cultivate that awareness and support it with knowledge and confidence. Confidence brings about the security to act on that knowledge, propelling you into your future by being proactive in your own life and sharing that knowledge with others.
3. Lineage is History. Learning the history of yoga is respecting the lineage. That’s how we honor what we know.
Honoring the people that brought us knowledge: our dedicated teachers, gurus and the pioneers of the various traditions in the history of yoga. Learning is sacred, and respecting our teachers and their service helps us solidify our own teachings, and our ability to remain students for life.
4. The courage to be vulnerable and overcome the fear of the unknown
Taking the first step, so the rest can follow. Setting an intention is powerful. It will set off a chain reaction of events, simply through the energy of momentum. You are the catalyst.
5. Your limits are not set in stone. Nothing is. That’s why everyone is worthy of compassion
With practice, your limits will shift naturally. Even when you come upon roadblocks, your persistence will bring about transformation. Practice is discipline. Discipline is resilience. Everyone is on their own path, and you will come to appreciate your own and the path of others.
6. Compassion extends to everything and everyone and ultimately involves reciprocity, i.e community.
Reciprocity involves being of mutual aid and service to others and accepting help in return. It is a vulnerable thing to share an experience with others but it’s worth every moment. You are able to create opportunities for growth together, and the intimacy and compassion that results from those relationships is a part of the teacher training experience, as much as it is a part of the true nature of yoga.
7. The importance of community - the Sangha.
Community means you. You are a part of everyone and everything. Togetherness in all, i.e ritual, is the foundation of community. Togetherness in all is Yoga.
8. Ritual is sacred. Honor the Source of all practice in awareness.
Devotional yoga is intimidating for most practitioners at the start to say the least. However it becomes an essential part of the practice after you experience the transformation of yoga in its wholeness. The practice is eight-limbed, and extends past breathwork and postural yoga. You will come to enjoy the breadth and depth of the practice throughout the teacher training, including spirituality, self-study, meditation, energetic anatomy and history.
As a final note, I’d like to encourage you to follow your instinct and to take a chance on yourself. You alone can start on your path - the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said; “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” Take your first step! It is an act of trust that will plant the seeds of your future and will hopefully bloom into self-realization.
With love, Natacha.
