Last day - Yoga teacher training

To kick-start my return to regular-life programming, I stayed up late and saw Camera Obscura live at La Tulipe tonight.

We had decent seats behind the sound guy. Right before the encore, I glanced over to see him stretching behind the board. Neck rotations. Arms straight up in the air. And then, he squirmed his hands between his shoulder blades into reverse prayer position.

My first reaction was, "Can I go ten seconds without thinking about parsvottanasana? Or is it parsvakonasana? AH!!"

But ten seconds after that, I smiled and thought, "How lucky I am to see yoga in everything, in everyone."

The word being bandied about during our last class today was bittersweet. How we all wished that we could stay in the studio cocoon just a little longer. And yet, how much we all needed to return to our lives in the outside world. The other words frequently heard in those last precious hours were thank you.

The decision to enroll for yoga teacher training came after considerable reflection. I was prepared for the physical rigours of the intensive program. I read my texts early to prepare my mind. I even stocked up on tiny comforts to get me through the inevitable rough spots.

What I did not expect was how my life would be impacted by my fellow students.

If you're ready for it, yoga can help make your heart so open that no heartbreak - no matter how big - can ever close it again. Thanks to the support and encouragement of my 25 fellow students, I was able to follow - and stick to - the path, even when the temptation to just go back was strong. If my heart is stronger, more open today, it's because I was loved and well-taken-care-of for 30 yoga-filled days. I only hope that I was able to return the gift.

So I'm ready to be in the world again. Or in the words of Tracyanne Campbell et al: I'm ready to be heartbroken.