By Rachel Wallace, Soma Yoga Institute Graduate
An alumna of the United States Peace Corps, a life-changing program, I doubted I would promptly experience anything else so profound. The Soma Yoga Institute proved me wrong. This past July, in what was the most intense 21 days of my life, I flew to the Big Island of Hawaii to train as an Therapeutic Yoga Instructor in a life-changing Yoga Teacher Training.
To many Americans, yoga is mainly a physical practice that one does at a gym or alongside a DVD. In short, it is another workout. Firstly, at first, drawn to yoga because of the tangible stretches. However, as I practiced, my senses became open to the intangible aspects as well. I couldn’t quite articulate what I felt, but it touched me to the core.
Soma Yoga Institute provided me with the history and vocabulary to better understand what I was feeling. Soma’s impressively well-rounded teacher training program painted a richer, more contextual portrait: the physical practice, known as asanas, is but one small element in the intricate and complex web of yoga. With its many limbs, yoga is not limited to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:30-6:30pm in a studio. Yoga is indeed a lifestyle. Through the weeks of study, I did not simply earn a certificate to teach others yoga. I began an enriching, new chapter of my life.
Scholarships for Life-Changing Yoga Teacher Training
To backtrack for a moment, I first moved to Japan this April. I was hopeful that I would smoothly transition into a satisfying job. I had updated my resume, practiced my interview skills, had been studying basic Japanese, and was networking. However, I kept running into closed doors. Additionally, nearly everyone I met told me my search for a job was next to futile. “Just volunteer,” they said.
Highly discouraged, I sought the advice of the other spouses. They introduced me to the My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) scholarship program, an initiative of the Department of Defense. MyCAA offers up to $4,000 in tuition assistance. This is for eligible military spouses over the span of two years.
The premise of the programs that MyCAA sponsors is that they lead to portable careers. These are ideal for the ever-moving military spouse. Additionally, the program requires that the education requisites be met in a short amount of time. Thus, the scholarship focuses on certifications, licensures, and associate’s degrees. The application process is easy, and MyCAA career counselors are available to respond to any queries. In the span of only one week, I searched the MyCAA site. Then I found the Soma Yoga Institute Yoga Teacher Training, and had my scholarship money approved. In the wake of the dismal employment outlook in Japan, MyCAA and Soma gave me much needed hope. I was about to join a life-changing yoga teacher training in beautiful Hawaii.
My Transformational YTT program Journey Begins
Two months later, I flew to Hawaii to begin my training. Amidst a breathtaking backdrop of craggy lava cliffs and pounding waves, my heart was opened to the deep joy and healing power of yoga. Liz Heffernan and Molly Masaoka, the two veteran yoginis of Soma Yoga Institute, complemented one another with a beautiful balance of teaching styles. They were an incredibly versatile, intensive, and nurturing program. Alongside a class of inspiring peers, I learned the anatomy and alignment principles that one would expect. I learned to craft safe sequences for both my students and myself. I studied sanskrit, discussed philosophy from texts such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita. Additionally, I engaged in practice teaching every day, internalizing the practice and build up my confidence as a budding yoga teacher.
As a therapeutic program, the Soma Yoga Institute emphasized the ability to use yoga as a tool on the healing journey. It teaches one to move from imbalance to balance within our lives, be it an injured shoulder or depression. Many of us who were drawn to the program came with physical and/or emotional scars. We came having already seen the healing effects of yoga on those wounds, and wished to deepen our knowledge. From pranayama, to ayurveda, I learned countless techniques to tune into the subtle language of my being and listen to the needs of my body. In many ways, yoga is a journey of self-acquaintance, and only once we know ourselves, truly, can we heal.
Yoga Teacher Training for Self-Empowerment
Soma also accentuated the importance of self-empowerment and taking care of the body while practicing yoga. Having dealt with chronic knee pain for the past two years, this permission to make myself comfortable was monumental. Too often we strive to match our posture to that which we might see in a book. We perceive any other iteration of the pose as some kind of failure. Not wishing to hurt our pride, we ignore the signs of our body. We push ourselves into a place of pain. Yoga is opposed to the standard American workout motto, “No Pain, No Gain,” which can lead to injury. Yoga’s mantra is simply “No Pain.” This does not diminish the ability to have a sweaty, challenging practice. However, the goal of yoga is to never move into a place of pain.
Soma encouraged me to listen to the signs of my body. It taught me to modify my poses to make them more realistic, and ultimately, more enjoyable. Similarly, I used to think that meditation was arduous. However, I was allowed to tailor my experience and now I truly look forward to it. Our bodies are constantly shifting. Yoga helps us remember to grant ourselves permission to be just as fluid with our practice to accommodate our needs.
Benefits of Transformational YTT Program Experiences
As a military spouse, yoga offers a new means of flexible employment that is independent of a single geographical location. More important though are the transformative lessons it teaches which are invaluable to me. Yoga is all about living in the present moment. It encourages us to slow down the endless stream of our busy minds. To observe our breath, and develop an awareness of the ever-changing sensations that arise in our body.
Through the practice of yoga, we come to understand the connection between our physical, emotional, and psychological states. This recognition of unity, both within ourselves and our world, is the very essence of yoga. During the time that I practice yoga, my mind shifts from worrying about finances or missing my husband. I tune into my breath pattern and the physical sensations in my body. A soothing peace washes over me and. If only for a minute, I can live fully in the joy of the moment.
Many thanks to MyCAA for their financial support. Additional thanks to Liz Heffernan and Molly Masaoka at the Soma Yoga Institute for their masterful introduction to yoga. I am truly excited to be on this journey of curiosity, self-love, and flexibility. I am honored that I may now share the path of yoga with others.
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