Yoga Teacher Training in Canggu, Bali: Week 1 & 2 

If someone would have told me a year ago that I would attend a yoga teacher training during our trip around the world, I probably would have been very surprised. I don't  remember at what stage during our travels I came up with the idea to do a yoga teacher training. Was it Sri Lanka or Malaysia? Once the idea settled, I couldn't get it out of my head. As I looked through some yoga teacher trainings online in Bali, I figured out that most of them had to be paid in advance. With an anxious and uneasy feeling I just clicked on BOOK and paid for something, not knowing what to expect or what I would really be learning. But it was decided, no more pulling back: I was scheduled to become a yoga teacher in Canggu, BALI with Santosha in October. 

For the first time since we left Austria, I was traveling on my own. Michael visited a friend in Watukarung, Indonesia while I headed to Bali. On the first day, we started with a welcome circle to get to know each other in the yoga shala at Serenity Eco Guest House. There we met some of the teachers as well as the Japanese students and their translators. 

I was happy to meet so many new people on the one side, but on the other side, I was quite anxious about having such a long schedule every day. For more than 6 months I had been doing pretty much whatever I wanted throughout the day. I was also a bit nervous if I would be in a class together with super yogis who practised for years already (with a little help I'm able to do a headstand, but I'm still with far away from a handstand and still scared of it. You get my point...)

The first two weeks we studied so much. Our timetable still reminds me of school. When I left Thailand, I thought we would practice so much yoga throughout the day, and I was scared that I wouldn't be fit enough. I thought we would do asana classes over and over again. That didn't happen.

Our days started with an Asana class, depending on the group, either at 6:00 AM or 7:30 AM, 6 days per week. We learned more about our mind which they call 'monkey mind'. We learned that most of our problems are made by our mind and if we would focus more on the here and now, they wouldn't even exist. I wouldn't be able to worry about the future or the past, I would simply live in the moment. This is sometimes really difficult for me, and I'm working now to become more aware and conscious whenever I drift towards the future and pull myself back to the fact: I'm here in Bali, whatever comes in the future, comes. 

The first few days we learned to locate our breath, philosophy, koshas, doshas, prep poses, meditation and of course, anatomy. We sat hours and hours on our yoga mats and listened to our wonderful teachers. I am grateful for how much we learned in the first two weeks. It was great to sit on the floor and I got really used to it. We used cushions and pillows to sit comfortably and it's such a different way of learning as compared to sitting in a classroom on chairs. In anatomy classes, our teacher would show us some postures so we got up and our body was in movement again. It's great to have breaks like that. 

By the end of the second week, we started teaching Asanas and sun salutation and slowly worked ourselves towards becoming yoga teachers.

My favorite teacher, Peter, has studied many years in India and has such a broad range of knowledge. He's wonderful. if you ever have the chance to study with him, please do so. He knows so much about anatomy, breathing and works closely with many clinics around the world. 

The last two weeks, our group spent lots of time together. After a few days, I knew all of the names. Everyone was from a different corner of the world providing such a broad range of culture, interests and languages. It was so multicultural and everyone had such interesting stories to tell. We spent our breakfast or lunch breaks together. We rode our scooters to the coolest cafes to hang out together, ate the most delicious breakfast owls I have ever eaten in my entire life and did some cool people watching (lots of them here in Canggu). Sometimes we would do our philosophy homework or readings together while we had breakfast. 

Our breakfast at Crate: books, cappucino and super delicious breakfast bowls. 

On the first day off, I didn't feel like doing anything special, so I hung out mostly at the pool and went to the beach for the sunset. It felt so good to have a study break. 

So, two weeks passed quickly and before we knew it, we were heading towards the last assignments and exams to hopefully soon become certified yoga teachers (200h). The first two weeks have been a crazy ride. So many new things, I changed lots of patterns that I used to have. I learned where I had been making mistakes and I was ready to change all of that. I still work a lot on my sitting and tight hamstrings. I'm still far away from where I want to be with my practice, but I know it's a beautiful path and I can't wait to explore it further. Our group is wonderful. They come from all over the world, have different cultures, speak different languages and are all so inspiring. I'm so happy to be with all of them here in Bali and to learn each day with them. There have been ups and downs, there have been worries and doubts, happy moments and so much laughter. 

Thank you for reading my story from my yoga teacher training in Canggu. If you're interested in doing a yoga teacher training and you have some questions, please just write me a comment or an e-mail. Lots of love from Bali. May you be well and may you be happy! Namasté!