YTT: First Semester Complete

First semester of Yoga Teacher Training is complete! Monday was the last night my beginner asana (or poses) class met. There wasn’t a final associated to the class, and we were surprised with a guest teacher. She had actually graduated a year ago from the same teacher training program.  I enjoyed hearing a different voice and getting new guidance and perspective on familiar movements.

Since I am taking the YTT certification classes through a community college, the anatomy class I was enrolled in was just a typical anatomy class and not focused specifically on yoga or alignment. I had taken anatomy as a high school junior and it was fun to see how much I remembered; although I wish I could remember more. This time round, I found it incredibly difficult to understand chemical reactions in the bodies. I would get completely lost as we discussed molecules, ions, filtration, and what diffuses where. I do not remember those concepts being so difficult in high school, but maybe we didn’t focus on them as much or maybe it’s my old mind. Either way, I had to put all that I could and could not remember to the test yesterday.  I am supposed to hear on Friday how I did.

Dylan and I actually got to take anatomy together since he needed the class for his minor in nutrition. We were able to remind each other of due dates and work together to prepare for the final. Discussing the final after the test ended, I think we both did pretty well. Test results will be out on Friday.

My Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) is definitely a bit different than most YTT programs. First as mentioned before, the whole program is done at Scottsdale Community College. It is the only college in Arizona to offer a Yoga Alliance certified yoga program. The training also follows a typical college schedule, so there are summer and winter breaks. The program is designed to take about 3 semesters to complete.

 I had always wanted to become a yoga teacher. I did not necessarily want to teach full time or maybe at all, but I knew I could further my knowledge and yoga experience with YTT. When one of the studios I had practiced at sent me an email about their upcoming YTT program, I began to research. Of course I already knew about the many concentrated 30 day programs in amazing destinations like Costa Rica, Thailand or India. There are also local programs that run for a few months and have class a few nights week and then all day Saturday and Sunday classes. With my schedule and current job, programs like these were just not doable. I figured my desire to complete an YTT would just have to wait until I had the time.

Luckily, I was later drawn back to the Yoga Alliance website and found a list of local YTT programs. Scottsdale Community College appeared and I quickly went to the website to learn more about the program. After meeting with the director, I enrolled in classes. Since SCC is a college, I can actually pick classes that work with my schedule. The teachers at SCC are all Iyengar yoga certified, and they have developed a great yoga community with the college. Iyengar is a form of Hatha yoga that focuses on safety and alignment. Students are verbally guided into the traditional movements and poses by a teacher. I had not practiced Iyengar yoga prior to starting YTT, but it has been great to learn as part of my 300 hour certificate.  

Next semester I will be taking a few more classes, but for now Dylan and I have 5 weeks of pure bliss to enjoy the holidays and family. Of course, I will have to keep up on my yoga practice and maybe learn more Sanskrit, but that is more fun than work.