Cycle 1 (Day 1-4)
Here I am, getting my 300-hour yoga teacher training in Peru! I had a pretty long travel day. It was probably 24 hours, including everything. I didn’t give myself any days to adjust, so I am just hoping for the best with altitude sickness! On day one, I arrived at the retreat center, settled in, and met a lot of new people. I am mainly with my 300-hour group, but there are many 200-hour students here as well.
We wake up very early here, earlier than I am used to. It’s 5:30 am, and I went to sit outside with the mountain and the cool air. I find myself enjoying silence a lot here. Trying to figure out how to balance the social aspect with the inner stillness. In today’s morning practice, we really focused on forward folds with a flat back. This might seem simple, but I have been “swan diving” this entire time, which apparently is not good for your neck or back, as it blocks the prana. The food here is so fresh and delicious. We have been going over some basics so far, the importance of breath and the qualities of a good teacher.
I am starting to feel a little homesick. It’s only been three days, but it feels like three years. We are learning a lot of content. We have 14-hour days, with some breaks in between. This land is definitely bringing up a lot for me, much unresolved emotions. I feel like I am in a vortex in the Sacred Valley of Peru, and it’s like everything I thought I healed is just being amplified.
Today is my 25th birthday!! And I am spending it here, WOW. We just did a guided meditation that made me a bit emotional. I was on a beautiful mountain, sunbathing on a rock, surrounded by all these animals. I haven’t felt peace like that in a while. Later that day, everything felt like a dream. We had a shaman come in for a Despacio ceremony. I am calling in many big life changes this year.
I am grateful for my life and for being in Peru for my birthday. The energy is magical. We all got dressed up in some beautiful ceremonial clothes, and the Shamans helped us call in the four directions, release negative energy, and call in new blessings. I felt very peaceful during this. The ceremony was powerful. Afterward, I got to eat some delicious dinner and a vegan, gluten-free vanilla pomegranate birthday cake! It is a full moon and an eclipse on my birthday, so we had a bonfire to celebrate.
This is the final cycle of Ganesha. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles. What do I need to remove in my own life? Physically? Mentally? I have been loving the deep conversations I have here with people. It really opens my perspective on life and makes me think. Today we dove deeper into some postures, learned more about sequencing, and Ayurveda, specifically revolving around the hair, nose, eyes, etc.
Day 5: Exploring Pisac (shopping, eating, etc.)
On our first day off, we started the morning off with a local waterfall hike near the retreat center. Then we took a shuttle to Pisac, where we went shopping and ate some yummy food!
Cycle 2 (Day 6-9)
I have been really loving having two different facilitators. Some mornings we wake up with an ayurvedic-inspired yoga practice, others are more focused on a different structure of sequencing. I have just been constantly reflecting. Trying to balance embracing all these personalities, while also coming back to my own inner stillness. Having a personal practice is something I developed here with the help of one of my teachers. I did not realize its importance until now.
We had a pitta-inspired morning practice and learned more about Lakshemi! The goddess of abundance, I am really inspired to have her within me soon. Om Shrim Maha Lakshemi Namah! We also learned more about apana kriyas and sequencing. Wow! There is so much I didn’t know. I am starting to feel like an imposter in the last year of teaching yoga.
We had a cacao ceremony around 3 pm. It was amazing. We all laughed, sang, and danced. I pulled a card that talked about opportunity. I have been calling this in.
Day 10: Our second day off! Exploring Uramabamba.
We ate at this beautiful outdoor restaurant called AMAS, and we saw the salt mines.
Cycle 3 (Day 11-14)
In this morning’s practice, we kept pondering this concept of what type of student I want to be when faced with challenges. My struggle recently has been finding a career path in my highest alignment. Something that is fulfilling and brings me purpose and joy.
I am about halfway done with the teacher training!! This is crazy!! It is going by so fast! This land is amplifying everything. It takes a strong effort from me to be able to stop my negative thought patterns. Reflecting on my experience so far, I am constantly learning, even though it is overwhelming at times. I know this experience is temporary, and before I know it, it will be over. So who do I want to be? How do I want to be? What do I want to do in this world? How can I harness the magic of this land? My intention for coming here was to find clarity on my path, to open doors and opportunities, to surrender.
Time is flying by here. We only have two more modules after this. I don’t even know what day of the week it is here. I am still working on changing my samskaras (patterns), to ones that better serve me. We had an amazing sound bath tonight. There were so many instruments and sounds, I felt like I was transported into another dimension. I felt lighter today. Amazingly, we are constantly surrounded by dogs here! We have like four dogs near us at all times! They are such sweethearts. I guess the energy of the group must be strong if we are attracting animals like that.
We finished tonight with a beautiful star meditation outside. The sky here is phenomenal. I have been trying to sit outside more at night. The constellation Scorpio is prominent in the sky here; I have never seen it before. The veil is thin here; anything is possible. Oh boy, I am starting to get that feeling of impending doom that the training is ending. I am getting a little nervous about going home. I love this high vibrational cocoon I am in here. Still feeling very lost and confused in my life, but I am also grateful to have been able to come here. I am learning to surrender
We are in the kitchen today! Learning all about Ayurveda spices, cooking, and lifestyle. We made Kitchari, cucumber snacks, Ghee, and date balls! I am so fascinated with Ayurveda, and I am very passionate about cooking (as you can tell LOL). I picked up many new skills and recipes!
Day 15: Hiking Pumahuanca Valley & Massages!
In the morning, some of us hiked in a beautiful landscape near Uramabamba. It was pretty intense. We saw ruins, valleys, mountains, and wild horses. Then in the afternoon, we got massages at the retreat center we are staying at. Much needed!
Cycle 4 (Day 16-19)
I got to give a Dharma talk today! I chose sutra 2.16, which is heyam duḥkhamanāgatam. This translates to “The suffering that is yet to come may be avoided.” I feel like I embody this sutra in many ways. I reduce suffering through eating healthy, whole, plant-based foods. I create easy recipes to help people choose a softer, balanced diet. I also reduce suffering through creating music, teaching yoga, holistic health, sustainability, hosting women’s circles etc. I try to help people reconnect with themselves, physically, mentally, spiritually, through community, and the earth. For my presentation, I showed some meals I have created on this blog, some photos of my studio at home, and sang some original songs/showcasing my music.
For practice this morning, we hiked up the local waterfall. We did a walking meditation, and reflected on some questions like asking the land what we need, what we are releasing, what quality do I see around me that I want to embrace more of? When we got to the top, we screamed into the waterfall, a full body release. We also sat with a view at the top, soaking it in one last time.
We start self-teaching today! Everything is coming to a close. I had a beautiful practice this morning, run by my peers. We also had a plant bath at night. We infused a large pot of water with medicinal herbs on the property. This is a tradition here.
Day 20: Kirtan Circle
On our last day off, we took it slow. Really trying to enjoy the property and soak everything in. We ended up going to a Kirtan in Pisac. It was so beautiful to be in the mountains and surrounded by medicine music, cacao, and free-spirited souls.
Cycle 5 (Day 21-24)
The last few days were a blur. I co-taught my final class. Our theme was to trust the flow of your life, with a functional posture of dancer. Everything was wrapped up, and we went to a cool museum to learn more about the Inca culture. I took my peers’ classes they taught, and it feels like I blinked and just like that it was graduation day. I am officially a 500-hour yoga teacher certified. As always, a big shout out to School Yoga Institute, without them and this amazing experience, I don’t know where I would be. I have learned so much from this school, getting my 200-hour and now 300-hour through them. This school is more than just asana, it’s community, it’s friendship, and it’s deep spiritual teachings.
