The first day of the Course was great! Getting to know everybody, doing a general Yoga sequence in the morning, being in this paradisiac island by the sea and being served delicious vegetarian meals all day. What else can one want?
The second day though, it was very hard on me. I was totally depleted of energy, I couldn’t keep focus, the practice in the morning was extremely difficult for me, mostly because I have flexibility issues with my legs, but then – as I realized later – above all it was mentally difficult for being faced with my own limitations. In the theoretical classes I also had to read a bit in order to keep myself up, since reading is the only activity that fully engages me and my beloved kindle really helps me with that. I couldn’t fully engage in conversations with my peers and I wasn’t present in the activities I was doing. However, by the end of the day instead of trying to wrap it up and pretend like it never happened, I decided I really wanted to look into this: I’m in a paradisiac island doing a Yoga course. What’s wrong with me? And then I realized that my monkey mind was what was wrong with me and seeing things from the perspective of negativity like “what’s wrong with me” wasn’t helpful. So I decided to pick up my journal, acknowledge this, write it all down and defining how I was going to get trough the trainings and truly commit myself into being the best possible version of me and use this chance to do that. Facing the pain, the frustrations, the difficulties, the sore (oh so very sore!) muscles and truly engage! I acknowledged this as if this was the core of my being and as if I was already that person and started to act as such. I fell asleep that night with a sense of happiness and gratitude and, of course, the next day was much better. My attitude had changed and therefore the days went on much better.
The next days had some challenges but I was resilient and I was able to hold on. I truly engaged in the tasks and activities and finished the days laughing out loud and swimming with my peers (even though the schedule is pretty intense, there’s always time for a swim under the stars). The people with whom I’m sharing this experience are wonderful beings filled with light, each of them a country on its own (or like Katherine said it in The English Patient: “We’re the real countries, not the boundaries drawn on maps with the names of powerful men”).
In an age when Yoga has become a mainstream fashion rather than a noble philosophy, it’s impossible not to go to such training without skepticism about what you will find. I can say that Johnny Nasello leads a serious and complete training where we are not only challenged to our core (literally to our core) to stretch that extra milimeter every day, but also challenged in our minds to the philosophy of Yoga. We are being and will be taught about the discipline to master our minds and reach the higher connection that the essence of Yoga is al about, as some of the books that Johnny instructed us to read (especially The Baghadva Gita) describe.
I know that this month will help me create a new habit of health and wellness in my life where I treat my body with the kindness and respect it deserves and supporting this temple of the soul is the first step for further improvements. Every time my mind tries to trick me I will have these words present, I will go back to them as I will go back to the inspiring perseverance of Wallace or Dusfrene. And most importantly I will have my teacher’s words present: I will enjoy each and every step of the journey, because the goal is not the destination, but the path itself. It’s like a dance! And I will enjoy each moment of it!
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