A Trail Runners Journey to Yoga Teacher

How did I find myself an avid trail runner suddenly signing up for yoga teaching training? What started as an idea of maybe I could do this to being yoga teacher, the last 8 months have been exciting from start to finish.

As a runner, I have always tried to incorporate cross training into my running training plans. Through the years I dabbled in yoga quite a bit. I started by taking classes at the YMCA years ago. I fell in love with the movements but never fully took on the mind body connection.

Trying to Run it Off

What lead me to this journey. The past year and a half has been very challenging for me as a nurse and mom. High stress and anxiety has been a part of most of my days. Running has always helped to ground me. Throw in a pandemic, working full time and virtual learning and there was no amount of running that could help with that. To top it off all my races were cancelled. There wasn’t much to look forward to as a runner.

I still carried on working on my training plans and running virtual races. This seemed to help, but I still felt I needed more. Some days were definitely better than others. All of this all lead me on the path to a greater understanding of what I value and what is important to me.

Finding my way

I started to incorporate more yoga into my trail running training. I had given up my YMCA membership at the start of the pandemic. Since everything was shut down initially, I worked out at home. I mostly did online classes. Luckily for me there is plenty of online fitness classes to take.

I kept going back to yoga though. Yoga is a great choice for runners and high stressed nurses. It’s a win win. I began with a 30 day yoga challenge and then another. Yoga was perfect for my tight hips! The more I did the better I felt mentally and physically. I got an idea of exploring yoga teaching training. Generally when I get an idea, it is not just a fading thought. As a nurse, one of the things I have always loved the most was the teaching aspect. I also love learning, so it didn’t take me long to make a decision.

Prior to registering, I spent a lot of time researching yoga teaching training programs. The Yoga Alliance was my resource for finding teacher training. The Yoga Alliance contains a directory of registered yoga schools. I live in Wisconsin, so I initially searched throughout the state. My search met some challenges though. Cost was one. Some schools offered training up to $3000.00, which was not something I could afford. The other was time away that would be spent in class.

One silver lining of the pandemic was the move to online education. I didn’t find anything locally that fit my needs, so I continued my search looking for an online program. Each time I did a search, My Vinyasa Practice came up. The reviews were excellent, it was affordable and all online. I clicked register!

Yoga Teacher Training

I never expected to enjoy the training as much as I did. I initially wanted to take the training to enhance my own practice and improve my running. It did that and more.

Each aspect of training was well laid out. The option of live Zoom training or viewing pre-recorded training sessions was perfect for my needs. I needed something very flexible and this was it. I am not sure if I would have been able to complete it without the flexibility of the program. The reviews were spot on.

Completion

Yoga is for everyone. Anyone can do it with pose modifications as needed. I have learned though that the poses are only the tip of the ice berg. What has truly helped me the most is learning the philosophy of yoga, breathing and meditation. Yoga has definitely made me a better trail runner giving me strength and balance for running down the trails, but also more mental clarity.

Not only did this make me a better trail runner, but yoga teacher training has been a huge investment in myself and my personal growth. I am happy to say that I finished my 200 hour yoga teacher training. Although I am not sure of where this will lead, teaching is not always about standing up in front of a class it’s about sharing what you’ve learned with others. I can’t wait to share my love for yoga with all of you!