Last updated on August 30, 2019
When I first got on a yoga mat at 26 in ’76 I never dreamed that it would become such a big part of my life. What I discovered then was that I felt good doing it. My body responded in positive ways but more importantly my spirit soared. The inclusive philosophy along with the practices of chanting, meditation & service offered me a sustaining life path for 40 years.
When I took my first residential teacher training in ’99, becoming a yoga ‘teacher’ was the furthest thing in my mind, and if my Teacher hadn’t required us to teach a public class I might never have taught one. I wasn’t immersing myself in yoga to create a career, earn money, or achieve fame. I wanted to know how to live an authentic life, how to fulfill my own potential, how to comprehend the cosmos, and most importantly, how to help others find peace. But first, I needed to recover and heal myself of more than a few personal trauma’s. From the first moment I understood yoga to be a healing modality I recognized a path forward that was good for me and good for others at the same time.
On September 13, I arrived in Southern California to assist in a major family crisis, and then on September 14 I received word that my application was accepted by the IAYT! It had takekn me the whole summer to complete that application which required detailed, evidence-based, documentation for a minimum of 700 client hours. In addition to over 500 hours of training in yoga therapy, I was able document 2,808 client hours of yoga therapy, and over 10,000 hours if you include astrological counseling as part of yogic science/tradition. That’s a lot of hours and I’m really grateful to be able to practice my passion with others.
The irony of a significant family crisis at the same time as this validation of my life’s work was an impossible moment.
So now, the I have been deemed competent with a skill that bridges the gap between yoga and our current medical system, a system that is broken in many ways. But, cynical as that may sound, I am honored and I heartily accept the responsibility of representing current yoga therapy to the medical community, and any other community that will have me.
Please know that this achievement could not have been possible without the willing participation and support from all of my teachers, students, clients, peers, friends and family that have walked this path with me. May you all feel the love I have for you.
Om Shanti,
ida
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