It is 7:31 a.m. on Sunday, and I am sitting up in bed wondering how to start writing and what I want to say. I spaced taking my laptop to Tempe, Arizona last week for my Anusara Teacher Training, and even though I could have used my roommate's Mac, I was way too worked to make any posts. I was matched up with Brigette by our instructor, and we hit it off immediately. She is young (27), enthusiastic, motivated and owns her own yoga studio in St. Louis, Southtown Yoga. We both got in in Sunday evening, and after an irritating and confusing check-in process at the University Inn and Suites with "Bob", right across from Arizona State University, we headed out for Thai food and commenced the Getting To Know You process over coconut curry.
The teacher training spanned four days, from 9 to 6, with a 90 minute lunch break. We had 56 students, most everyone already teaching yoga in some capacity, working towards Anusara Certification, which is lengthy and rigorous. We had a cluster of cool girls from Vancouver, Clara from South Africa, Phil from Hong Kong (and this guy just might end up running a country--I would vote for him), people from Atlanta, New York, Missouri, California, Colorado...you name it.
I posted an entry last November about Desiree Rumbaugh and the classes I attended in Hollywood, Florida, right? Well, Tempe is her stomping ground so she was able to invite some friends and colleagues from the area to help us througout the training. It was pretty intense, the whole week. Mornings were deep deep practices and afternoons were teaching practices and exercices. When I returned on Friday I called Kelly in Boulder to try to get some perspective about the difficulty in re-entering my life here, and we talked about when we return from events like these that are so rich and so demanding, we feel simultaneously full from the experience and also incredibly depleted. And then I return here and my life feels suddenly empty and silly somehow.
The weather was gorgeous, clear and in the upper 70s, so I got a good dose of sunshine every day on our lunch break. Brigette and I would awaken at 7, she would shower while I lay around in bed, and then we walked the 5 blocks to the Tempe Womens' Center, stopping at the Roots Cafe for a latte and eggs on the way. At 6 we were starving and exhausted, and we ate really well every night we were there--Thai, Greek, Sushi and Sake, pizza and wine and Cold Stone ice cream, a pitcher of Sangria, and a glass of bubbly the last night. I had never stayed with a roommate at these kind of events in the past, partly out of a sense that I wouldn't want to talk about yoga on my down time, but it turned out I really enjoyed having someone there to eat with and compare notes with about our experiences, and just sort of hash out our perspectives.
It's difficult for me to describe exactly what it is like to put yourself through an experience like that but I am going to try. Actually, I'm not going to right now because I just want to get this damn post out and finish moving into my new place--and take some photos to show you!
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