As part of the RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) program at the Rising Sun Yoga requirement, I am obligated to keep a journal of my “journey”. So here it is (I prefer typing than actually picking up the pen to jot down my thoughts).

What made me do it. Why did I sign up for the RYT 200 program instead of just taking normal yoga classes like other people. Well, there are many reasons why I just jumped into it head first. I’ve never even taken yoga at a proper yoga studio before this, and all my previous yoga experience had been at the gym or at-home-DVDs (to make it even worse, it was the MTV version). But anyway, my mom had suggested to me many months ago before the wedding (not too long ago) that I should look into teaching yoga. I have no idea where she got this idea, considering that since I had begun planning for the wedding about 400 days before the big day, my yoga practice had been stunted. I had shifted my focus to lifting more weights, running, mountain biking and kickboxing to look good for the wedding. Yoga was nowhere a part of my life during that time. It then took me 50 days after the wedding to get my mind back into yoga seriously. At this point, I have lost much of my flexibility that I used to have before the wedding.

I have heard about Rising Sun Yoga when I first began to work for Ford Credit. I live in Dearborn and I heard that this place is in Southgate. I googled it, found the website and mapquested it. Hmm… Not close enough (excuses!) , I told myself at that time. Anyway, I signed up with the gym at the mall across from my workplace to compensate. Eventually, after the wedding I decided to look into yoga again, this time for certification, and gave Rising Sun another thought. Well, the drive is really about 20-25 mins so I thought I’d check out the place first before sinking US$2100 into the course. Well, I found that the drive was really easy, and the studio was really small and cosy. I knew that this is the place that I wanted to take my practice instead of the frigid gym rooms.

Again, why did I decide on the certification program? In fact the owner/founder of the studio, Jim Pero, allowed me to sit in on the first class just so that I know that this is what I wanted to do. Frankly speaking, I was really afraid to get into it because I had not practiced for quite some time now, and I am no where near the advance stage of yoga. I did not know all the names of the asanas (poses) nor do I know the name of great Yogis. I was afraid that everyone would be able to do headstands effortlessly while leaving me behind right from the start. Much to my surprise, there were many of us who aren’t that advance in our practice and had signed up just to deepen one’s practice. We were briefed on the syllabus and the certification requirements and it is intense, I tell ya! Along with spending 8 hours on Sundays to learn anatomy, yoga sutra classes and de-constructing everything that we know about the poses and re-learning them with proper alignments, there are also workshops, retreats, tests, exams, classes to teach, assist, observe and attend. And all these are supposed to be accomplished by Dec 2 (we started on July 15)!! Why, why did I still do it?

Long before I got lost in the world of westernized concepts of living, I was quite hardworking in my practice in Buddhism. Somehow I got distracted along the way and I find that certification program was much more than being able to perform and memorize all the asanas. I was very happy that the program is finally giving me the opportunity to “correct” myself before it is too late. The Yoga sutra contains many similar concepts of Buddhism and I am simply learning more in every class that I go to (especially from the teachers who are RYT certified). Part of the “correction” process identified in the program is that we have to perform 10 hours of volunteer work as part of Karma Yoga. When I went home to Malaysia to see my “teacher” a.k.a. Wang Mu Niang Niang, we had a heart-to-heart talk, which I miss so much from being overseas. She told me that now that I am working, I must find a purpose in my life. All the money that we are able to earn should not be because we want a bigger house, or a bigger car. The purpose of this life is to make life better for others. This really hits me as I sat in Sunday’s class. I found that THIS is my calling, my purpose. In fact, I found out that there are such things are FREE YOGA for the community!

The other reason is simply listening to my own body. This is that Daoist part of me — trusting my own instincts. It has always boggled my mind to see the complicated yoga poses as portrayed to the mass. I just learned today that it is not that hard if we simply listen to our own body and from concentration and meditation. I went to Micha’s class today (she’s such a great teacher — not because she can do headstands and twists, maybe she can, I don’t know because she wasn’t performing the poses in front of the class). Micha said to keep our eyes closed, and that of all the senses that we need to be able to do yoga, the sight is the least important. Hmm… interesting, I thought to myself. As she guided us through some very basic movements and poses, she said that we should never compare ourselves to others because yoga is a private practice. How very true! I’ve been intimidated and felt insecure about myself and my practice because I had been doing so much comparison. The moment I was going through the poses with my eyes closed, I felt that my body is feeling like it can do so much more!

So there you go, here’s why I’m doing this, and before I forget, I’m supposed to keep a journal of what I eat for the first 6 weeks of the program.

Yesterday’s breakfast: Granola bar

Yesterday’s lunch: Granola bar, handful of almonds and strawberries

Yesterday’s dinner: Leftover green bean and tofu red curry with rice (I was really hungry when I got home after 8pm, was at the studio from 12-8pm)

Today’s breakfast: Organic coffee, oatmeal + raisin granola bar,Fig newtons

Lunch: Leftover from dinner (wholewheat pasta tossed in olive oil with sundried tomatoes and artichokes), an apple

Dinner: Homemade guacamole and a handful of tortilla chips