Finding my Path

One of my fitness/career goals is to expand my knowledge and ability in yoga and become a yoga teacher. I had decided to go through a national teacher training program that focused on yoga for fitness - a more asana-based practice, definitely non-traditionalist. For training, you complete a series of workshops, combined with reading and home study. The time commitment of this program appealed to me - while it is 200 hours (like all yoga teacher trainings), the distribution into weekend sessions allowed me to continue my normal routines. Also, the tuition is spread out - pay as you go for each session - as opposed to pay for an entire year at once or in four payments.

However, after spending time researching the program a little more, including talking to people who have experience training with the program and working with teachers trained in it, I am getting the feeling that the substance is lacking. While I initially came to yoga for its physical benefits and definitely continue to appreciate that aspect, I have come to embrace more of the yoga philosophy. I cannot say that I adhere to all yogic principles, or even that I agree with all of them, but I do want to shape my yoga practice around more than just athleticism and flexibility.

But after exploring the time commitment associated with the local teacher training program, it is intense! It is certainly not something that I can begin this year, maybe not for another two years! I am not sure what I want to do ... I feel like I am at a crossroads in my practice - I want to learn and grow and expand, and a teacher training seems like the next best step, but the course that I would like to do is unattainable at the present.

I just read an article today by Tara Stiles in which she talked about living in the present moment. I suppose I need to take a lesson from that and say that there is no need to rush into a training program, and I can satiate my need for "more yoga" by taking workshops and delving into a more intensive practice. Perhaps I can attend a yoga conference in 2010, or even take the first workshop in the original series I was planning on doing and see how I like it. I need to let go of my need to plan everything in advance, take a breath, and live in the moment.

Today's workout:
33 min. elliptical weight loss interval (3.2 mi)
30 min. resistance training
10 min. stairmaster
60 min. yoga