Surprise! I am heading to Acapulco, Mexico for 9 weeks from September 17 to November 19 to attend Teacher Training and officially get certified to teach Bikram yoga!
As many of you know, Bikram yoga has become quite a passion of mine, more than I could ever explain in a single blog post. I have not blogged about it recently but I am just a few days away from my 270th yoga class (in 270 days)! You can read about my journey in my previous posts:
A lot has happened since my 100 Days! There have been good days/weeks and bad days/weeks for a number of reasons, mostly personal and none worth re-living. The yoga studio was my happy place for a long time but there was a period of time where it was my least favorite place and it was really difficult to maintain a good practice and be there. I continued to push through with my challenge though and over time, things returned to normal and now here I am… finishing 9 consecutive months and going to get certified to teach! What a crazy ride.
In 9 months, I have completed:
- 189 90-min Bikram classes
- 41 60-min Bikram classes
- 22 Inferno Hot Pilates classes
- 20 Yin classes
- 4 Misc classes (hatha flow, pilates, etc.)
Note: Somewhere along the way I decided to change my challenge from “365 yoga classes in 365 days” to “365 90-minute BIKRAM classes in 365 days.” This means that instead of finishing my challenge in November, I will be finishing it sometime in December! I have a lot to make up!
Anyway, I had been considering going to Teacher Training (TT) for several months but always talked myself out of it. There were too many unknowns and too many logistics to sort out. How would this impact my job? How could I leave Elliott for 9 weeks? How do I pay for it? The list goes on. Everyone just kept telling me “you will know when it is time.” In typical Rahn fashion, my logistical/conservative/traditional side was holding me back. When I visited Laos last June for his TT graduation, the wheels started turning faster than ever. A lot of the unknowns became known and a few weeks after I got home, I knew it was my time. Everything holding me back was no longer a factor. For anyone who knows me beyond just a Facebook friend, you know that when I put my mind to something, I make it happen. I am also a big believer in the concept that if something (or someone) is important enough to you, all excuses disappear and you will do whatever it takes to make it happen/work. So, I set out to do it.
The first and most important step I had to take was to talk to my bosses. I love my job and do not currently desire to be a full-time yoga teacher; meaning when I get back from TT, I would like to return to the company and only teach yoga on the side. I needed to sort out if a leave of absence was not only possible but sort out what kind of implications may exist. Gary and I went to lunch on a Friday and talked through every aspect of it. The following Monday, I met with Eric. Several meetings and conversations took place over the next 2 weeks between the 3 of us and everything was approved/signed off on/sorted out. Just today, we announced it to the rest of the company (tough secret to keep for so long!).
After working out the job portion, I started focusing on everything else it would take to be able to go… which was a lot. I had many conversations with my family and friends to not only explain my decision to go – because it is so ‘unexpected’ from me and because people who do not do yoga just do not understand it, which I recognize – but to get their advice and help on handling the rest of my to-do list: my brother to get my mail, my dad and stepmom to watch Elliott, etc.. I made so. many. spreadsheets. Everything just came together so smoothly which really helped me feel even more at peace with going.
Now that is official, I have about a month and a half to prepare! At work, I have to help the team get prepared for my leave of absence. We have a lot to do so that everything runs as normal as possible for 9 weeks! Outside of work, I have already started memorizing the dialogue and putting together a shopping/packing list. I thought packing for Europe for 1 month would be impossible but packing for 2 months… overwhelming. The good news is that I have been to Acapulco and to the hotel (and was dating someone who was at the most recent TT) so I have a better/insider insight of what to need, bring, and expect.
The TT scheduled is intense:
- Monday-Friday: two 90-min+ yoga classes and two 3+ hour lecture classes (general lecture, anatomy class, and/or posture clinic); the days go from around 8am to midnight or later
- Saturday: one yoga class in the morning
- Sunday: off
x 9 weeks. If I have any energy left by each Sunday, I will try to blog about the week’s experience so y’all can follow along!
I am so excited, nervous, scared, sad, anxious… everything! I am nervous that I will not do well while I am there. I am scared to miss so much at work. I am sad to be away from my family, friends, and ELLIOTT for so long. I am also sad to be missing what would’ve been the 5th annual pumpkin carving party with Kelsey and John… and to be missing most of football season! I am anxious about going out of my comfort zone. I am mostly excited though and am really looking forward to this experience and being able to teach!
I will keep everyone updated on any “going away” shenanigans that might occur! Stay tuned.
Here goes nothing!
Jillian
jillian goes... 