YOGA for YOUTH!

So I’ve been MIA again from this blog, and been hard on myself because of it. Do I really not have time in my schedule to write? This has long been my outlet for expression, but life as it seems gets in the way.

 

I just completed another teacher training certificate to add to my repertoire. This time, it was with Yoga for Youth led by the great Krishna Kaur.  This training was like no other, and it was truly transformational.  My original understanding was that I would be learning about teaching yoga to at-risk youth, and to get the necessary tools on how to teach these types of kids with issues (poverty, substance abuse, violence, crime, family, education, minority issues). I thought to myself “how rewarding it would be to get out and give the gift of yoga to these underprivileged youth”.

On my first day, I was excited to get back into training mode. I’m not a downtown driver, and during the workweek, the streets of TO are chaotic. I left super early, but still arrived 15mins late….not a great start. From the moment I walked into the room, around 70% of the class were wearing all white and turbans. Ummm, did I not get the memo! The training was taught Kundalini style!!  What did I get myself into?!

The chants, mantras, mudras, and poses were so foreign to me, it freaked me out! It actually terrified me.  I wanted to leave, but how would that make me look? I’m not a quitter and decided to suck it up and go with an open mind. I’m so glad I did! Everyone was so welcoming, and we became one big loving family. Through heartache, trauma and sorrow, we discovered happiness, hope and determination. I was an emotional wreck, mentally and physically exhausted from all the stories I heard of young people and those that experience first hand at abuse. I had chest pains and to top it off, nightmares, which my mom had to come rushing into my room to calm me down.  We meditated A LOT, which was a great release for me emotionally and opened my mind in full force.

At the end of the training, I realized that we all have a lot in common even though we may not know each other; we are not alone. I found a new appreciation for kundalini yoga and that I really want to start teaching with a purpose…with more light, more heart and more meaning.  We really don’t know what goes on in people’s lives and where they come from. If I can make someone smile and change a person’s life for one day, then I have done my part.

Thank you to all the wonderful people I’ve met. I will cherish each and every one of you. Sat Nam xo