It is all a practice and a journey.

I have intentionally avoided writing about my experience with yoga teacher training. I have done this because it is such a tough, beautiful and personal journey. Not only am I learning how to teach yoga physically, spiritually and mentally, but I'm also learning how to accept the good pieces of me, be okay with the junk I carry with me, and how to walk in this world with confidence. Quite a lot to learn in an eight week program.

In eight weeks, I will learn the foundations of teaching real yoga. I will not learn all of the secrets of life in eight weeks. I will not be done learning how to be a good yoga teacher in just eight weeks. I will not know everything. That is the incredible piece of this life and journey. I will never be done learning...and that is brilliant. What I learn will help me learn more and allow me to practice and teach with greater intensity and intention.

Every breath provides us with another moment to start fresh, to begin our practice again. Yoga helps us realize this life is a practice and not a perfect. It is OK to screw up. It is OK to walk out into the world with the best intentions, mess it all up and start again in the next moment.

Ahimsa. The first Yama. Non-violence. I think of ahimsa as compassion. Compassion for myself has been one of my most frequent yoga class intentions. I am here. I am being and doing and when I forget or slip up, I can start again. I'm stronger than I think I am. I know more than I think I do. I need to trust and to remember ahimsa. We are all strong, we all know a lot and we are able to get a "do-over" in each breath.

We have all heard that you must love and care for yourself before you can honestly do so for others. This is true. Nourish self so that you can nourish the world. Community. Support. Strength and courage in each step and breath. Just be and do. One of my all time favorite quotes is "do or do not, there is no try" ~Yoda. Ahimsa. Shanti. Peace.

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