#yogastory: Keeping the Dream Alive

Amazing!!  Six weeks have already gone by since I completed evolation’s hot yoga teacher training and left the the US. Don’t they say “time flies when your having fun?” Australia’s Sunshine Coast is beautiful country, with beautiful people, amazing light, incredible energy, and of course plenty of sunshine.

And yes, the sun does shine literally every day even in winter, and lucky me, I get to see the spectacular beautiful glow of the awakening sun that shines over the sea and sand. As this ball of fire begins to rise, the sky is filled with an array of spectacular colours from reds and oranges, to yellows and pinks, all melting into one another to create the birth of a new day, re-energizing and revitalizing the earth. The day begins at 6am or even before that, as the sunrise is something that is NOT to be missed. So by 9:30 it’s already the middle of the morning–very different from the “Latino” lifestyle I’m used to living: no meeting for a glass of Rioja, but instead gathering over morning coffee, made with local beans, of course!  It’s all pretty much normal to me now. After all, when in Rome do what the Romans do…so Lou when in Oz does what the Ozzies do.

Of course keeping the dream alive does also have it challenges, it is not always a bed of roses. As I was told in the training, this is just the beginning. I laughed. What, a constant training? I’ve only just started and I can confirm that it is completely true….and I have to say that it is a wonderful and fulfiling journey to be on.  But there are moments when things are not easy. If looks could kill, I would definitely be dead by now!!! Oh boy….are they really looking at me like they want to kill me? Do I really make them suffer that much?  Was it something I said or is it just in my mind…..?

It’s ironic, but the deadliest looks normally come from those students who come skipping out of class with huge smiles on their faces, saying “Amazing class Lou, love your classes” ….Mmmm, okay, so it is all in my mind!!  It’s that vivid imagination I have that drives me crazy, or maybe that damn ego has something to do with it, thinking that they are focusing on me…”NO Lou, they are not actually looking at you. It´s the mirror they are looking in. They are just there to breath, stretch, and sweat, just like you are when you are practising!”

If the killer looks are a challenge, then the dreams–or should I say nightmares–can be worse, waking up believing that every single student has escaped your class and there you are just talking to yourself…alone in the hot room. That dream has happened various times now. I can assure you it‘s not nice, especially when you actually wake up believing it has really happened….it’s either that dream or the one where you are actually reciting the dialogue in your sleep–I’ve even woken myself saying “Ustrasana” out loud before……is that normal?

I can definitely say that every day is a new challenge, especially in a new studio, as a new teacher with mainly beginner students. There is so much to do, so much to learn. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, but taking the odd breath or doing a few backward bends between classes often helps. After all, it’s all a learning process. Isn’t that what life is all about? Learning? Or even better, learning together?

Patanjali says “The teacher must impart a life force–a little current–into others,” so I do my best to inject this “little current of life force” into my students. It´s so humbling to teach. I love it.  Just watching the students move as you speak and how they talk back with their bodies. It’s almost like a mirror, I know the facial expressions, the body language…after all I´ve been there and am still there, practising!  Teaching for me is something that will be a part of my life forever. When I walk into that hot room, everything goes out of my mind. It’s just like practising myself or maybe even better. The only difference is my focus is on my students.  It’s not about me; it’s about them.

One of the most enriching parts of being at evolation yoga sunshine coast in Australia is seeing how someone else’s dream comes together, watching it grow and being a part of it. It certainly makes me feel happy to see how two dreams merge together to make one big dream!

Now, all we have to do is work on keeping the dream alive…..

Lou is a blogger & yoga teacher. After completing evolations primary teacher training in July 2011, she is now traveling the world (current stop: evolation yoga – Sunshine Coast in Austrailia) to share the yoga love.