This past weekend, I began the second half of my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training, just a few months after completing my 100 hours in Belize. This time, I opted for a local training, spread out over the course of 4 months, versus an intensive 1-week training. This way, I can have more time to absorb all of the information. Also – I only get a few weeks vacation every year, and I couldn’t exactly take any more time off during the week ;).

There are 6 Weekends of Training:

Module 1: Refresh – A course designed to Reflect, Reconnect and Refocus your Teaching (15 hours)
Module 2: Educate – Create Workshops that Wow (8 hours)
+ 2 Hours of Workshop Presentation & 8 Hours of Attending Other Trainee Workshops (for a total of 18 hours)
Module 3: Source – Gain a Deeper Understanding of Yoga as a Science, Philosophy and the History Behind It (10 hours)
Module 4: Body – An Exploration of Anatomy, Physiology & Subtle Energies (14 hours)
Module 5: Edge – Take Students to their Edge and Help them Find Their Greatness (10 hours)
Module 6: Formulate – Create Your Special Sauce (10 hours)

I’ll give a breakdown of everything I learn as I go – below is a recap of my first module!

Module 1: Refresh – A course designed to Reflect, Reconnect and Refocus your Teaching (15 hours)

Day 1:

• 8 am: 1.5 hour heated yoga class
• Set goals for training
• Create Yoga Biography & Purpose statement
• Create Yoga Vision board – got a little crafty with magazines to create a vision board for what I want out of my yoga experience/career
• impromptu teaching – taught part of a class and received feedback from instructors
• Learning how to create a yoga class based on a theme

Day 2:

• 9 am: taught part of a yoga class w/other trainees based on a theme we chose
• Yoga vocabulary: learned how to cue with different words/statements
  ex:  instead of the basic “straighten arms,” knee over ankle”, etc, learning how to say things like “Ignite the power in your core, shooting energy through your toes… or something along those lines 😉
• watched a Ted Talk on Vulnerability
• bonding: exercises with other trainees, getting a little bit deeper with our fears (insert: tears & hugs)

Homework due at next module in September:

• Create a theme-based class
• Complete yoga vision board
• Begin a daily mantra/meditation practice
• Complete online module

Overall, it was a long and exhausting weekend. I absolutely love every one of the trainees, which makes everything that much more fun. This is just the beginning of growth in continuing on with my Yoga Teaching – always learning, growing, and facing a lot of uncomfortableness along the way. I’ll be posting updates after each class completed!

In other news, Pranamat sent me one of their amazing products to try, and I have been testing it out for the last few weeks. I received a Turquoise Pranamat, and have been laying on it almost every day. What is a Pranamat, you ask? According to the website, “The Pranamat ECO therapeutic massage mat is designed for home use and is made from 100% natural materials such as linen and coconut fibre, which means it’s kind to both your body and the environment. The lotus-flower massagers are arranged in a honeycomb pattern, a natural design that helps channel energy into your body. It’s a wonderful example of bio-design, combining modern technology with the knowledge of the ancients.”

So basically, an at-home accupressure mat that helps stimulate the movement of energy to your body.

While there are several different ways to use the mat, I mainly chose to lay on my back, as I tend to have lower back problems and a tight upper back. Some nights, I bring this to bed and lay on it for 10-20 minutes before going to sleep. This helps me relax, and I feel like I sleep well every night I use it. Also, It releases a lot of tension in the muscles in my back when I lay on it for more than 15 minutes – normally I prop a small pillow under my lower back or neck so the mat shapes to my spine. I had a crick in my neck a few weeks ago, and this mat was a godsend for the bunched up muscles!

There are other ways to use the mat, too: Sciatica, cellulite, back pain, sleep improvement, headaches… all things that I am sure, most have struggled with. In order to see benefits, you DO need to commit to laying on the mat for about 20 minutes a day. So if you can find time to do this, you will definitely notice a difference! Overall, I love the concept of this mat and that it offers relief similar to acupuncture. While this mat has helped with tight back muscles, I am going to be testing this out for cellulite next!

20 minutes of Pranamat!

Has anyone ever tried using a Pranamat? If yes, what were your results?

Thanks for reading through this loooong post! Lots of new reviews, giveaways, yoga and traveling in the works! Stay tuned 🙂