yoga-ed!

Over several years now, yoga has been a steady element in my life. When I started practicing, thirteen years ago, in Vancouver, I discovered something that really allowed my mind to be free of worries, for the time of the practice, at least. While at first it was something I did for my own benefit, I eventually started to teach, initially informally to friends and acquaintances, for the pleasure and for the lack of other alternatives. (Think Ziguinchor or Brazaville, where the local yoga school was not yet opened).
In Washington, I fell in love with post-natal yoga. A great way to take myself out of the house and move with my little one. I did it as much as I could, met wonderful people and teachers, and went on doing a training. When I landed in Beijing, I started teaching at Yoga Yard Mommy and Me yoga.
Then last fall, when a special Yoga Teacher Training came to Beijing, I registered, thinking it would be a fun way to officialize my skills. Which turned out to be fun indeed, but also quite serious. Our teacher, Matthew Cohen, was quite interestingly fusing yoga with martial arts - qi gong and tai chi - in what he called SEA (Sacred Energy Arts). It was compelling, challenging and enlightening. And not to mention, frustrating and demanding at times, too.
There I have met amazing people, and I have learned about myself in a different way. I am glad I completed this training, and I hope to make use of what I have learned in the yoga studio as well as in my daily life.

After completing 4 modules and 222 hours of training, countless hours of practice and a great number of observation classes,  I can now say that I am a real yoga teacher, a Yoga Alliance registered one! At last!