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In just a little over a month, I’ll start the upcoming Namaslay® Santorini Yoga Teacher Training. I’m so excited about this location, about the incoming group of YTTs, and mostly about getting back into the main role of teaching again. As you saw in a previous post, we have a great group of instructors joining and today we’ll get to know a little bit more about them and what they’re bringing to this training.
If you have any questions you’d like to ask as well, please leave them below - and there are still a few spots left if you would like to join this training, or join us in Connecticut in June or back in Tennessee in August!
Candace
What is one lesson you will be teaching at this YTT? I’m teaching all the business and marketing classes which are my favorite to teach because I think they’re so vital to being able to help make ends meet when you graduate from training.
What aspect are you most excited about in this training? Just being with a new group of students and reconnecting with our Namaslay® YTT staff. Each new group brings a new opportunity for growth for me as a YTT leader and yoga teacher, and my staff is smart, capable, and funny and we all help each other out. I’m so excited.
What's one piece of advice for the incoming YTTs? Be ready to WERK. This thang ain’t no joke! I would prepare by taking as many different types of yoga classes as you can, develop a strong personal practice, and come with an open mind ready to learn and grow.
What's one item you will definitely be packing for this trip? My kindle and iPad because after literally hours of non-stop chat/lecture/physical practice about all things yoga and yoga-related, I like to retreat to my room at the end of the day and watch something funny (Schitt’s Creek is my current fav) and read something completely unrelated to yoga (I just read The Hate U Give - it was our book club pick for this month on our App and despite it being nearly 500 pages, I read it in a day and a half - could. not. put. it. down.)
Dan
What is one lesson you will be teaching at this YTT? I will be teaching strength building. One of my favorite lessons is when we break down the myths that a lot of people have when it comes to weight lifting and building strength. Everyone gets worked up before the strength classes; will they be hard? Can I do it? But by the end of the training, they start to realize that they CAN do it and should start to incorporate more of it in their programs.
What aspect are you most excited about in this training? I am most excited that a fellow YTTer will be on the teaching side. It will be great to have Danielle teaching alongside us. She has been through the training so I think she will be a great resource for the students. It will also inspire a few of them; one day they too might be teaching future students.
What's one piece of advice for the incoming YTTs? Don't stress. I know that is easy to say, but we're all in this together. You literally can't do it wrong; just be yourself, be open minded, be ready to detach from the real world for bit, and just enjoy the experience. It is truly once in a lifetime. It is OK to have questions and not know everything.
What's one item you will definitely be packing for this trip? This is my third time to Santorini and as much as I love it there; there are very limited gym facilities. I will definitely be packing a resistance band or two. They are perfect for getting a workout in when the options are few. The bands are versatile and can be used in a ton of ways to target all parts of the body. Plus, they are easy to pack and take up almost no space.
You can find Dan at @dtslifeinpictures
Kat
What is one lesson you will be teaching at this YTT? Aside from all the technical yoga stuff (which we will definitely be nerding out on, big time), I’m really excited about our self-enquiry workshops. This is a time for students to turn inward and reflect on what it really is they are looking at, seeing and what they want to see. For some it can be the start of huge personal and professional growth.
What aspect are you most excited about in this training? COMMUNITY! There is nothing better than watching the bond that builds between students who support each other on this kind of life changing journey. I’m so excited to watch people just loving and supporting one another!
What's one piece of advice for the incoming YTTs? 1. Become a master of your time and energy immediately. 2. Don’t skip a single moment; there are lessons that you will carry with you for the rest of your life being taught every second! 3. Teach as much as possible and as many different people as possible. Teach me. Teach each other. Teach inanimate objects. Teach teach teach! 4. Just breath and know that YOU’VE GOT THIS.
What's one item you will definitely be packing for this trip? My massage ball - you should pack yours too because lord knows you’ll need it :D
You can find Kat at @that_wild_kat
Jen
What is one lesson you will be teaching at this YTT? One class I always love teaching is Yoga for Bigger Bodies. We will discuss and practice how to make yoga accessible to every body. The class is called Yoga for Bigger Bodies as it also includes learning to cue and modify for athletes, taller students, muscular students, students who are overweight, etc. My goals for our soon to be teachers are for them to understand that a bigger body does not always equal overweight and to learn to offer cues for all body types. It’s one thing I think is lacking from a lot of YTTs and is so important because as you know, each students’ body is different and it’s nice to know you can support their adjustment and assistance needs. Candace is also going to feature this topic in an upcoming episode of the Namaslay® Season 3 podcast so stay tuned!
What aspect are you most excited about in this training? I am always excited to meet new people. We have students traveling from all over the world. Each students arrives with their own unique style and varying levels of experience. And of course I am excited about the location! Beautiful!
What's one piece of advice for the incoming YTTs? Mentally prepare for the long days and lots of information. Practice creating your own sequences versus just following videos. Practice teaching family and friends (especially those not familiar with yoga 😊) to get comfortable queuing into poses without always having to use the name of the Asana.
What's one item you will definitely be packing for this trip? Healthy snacks. Prepare for long days. Your body will be craving some food in between meals. Oh and can’t travel without my Nuun tabs.
You can find Jen at @jenm36
Danielle
What is one lesson you will be teaching at this YTT? I will be teaching a large chunk of the anatomy curriculum which I’m pretty excited about. I know anatomy may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it really fascinating during my own training so I feel pretty lucky to be able to teach it this time around. It’s also given me a wonderful excuse to continue my own learning in this area.
What aspect are you most excited about in this training? I’m most excited about seeing what it’s like on the “other side”. The last time I was a part of a Namaslay® 200hr intensive I was a student so I’m looking forward to the teacher experience and also being in the unique position of having gone through this exact curriculum myself, which should lend itself well to connecting with the trainees; empathizing with their fears and sharing in the elation of their successes. I’m sure it will bring back some wonderful memories from my own training, not to mention I’ll be in Santorini (#winning)!
What's one piece of advice for the incoming YTTs? Be open, be receptive and be yourself. You are going to be breaking down walls, operating outside your comfort zone, experiencing the full spectrum of emotions and discovering parts of yourself that may have been hidden for a very long time. This is the most “you” you will ever be which can be incredibly liberating and incredibly exhausting at the same time. As long as you can be humble enough to be a beginner, strong enough to be yourself and brave enough to say yes to the things which scare you, you will flourish, regardless of whether or not you can do a handstand yet.
What's one item you will definitely be packing for this trip? I will definitely be packing my massage balls. I have one big one for the larger muscle groups and two smaller ones which I particularly like using on my feet. I used to be a long-distance runner, so I have really tight plantar fascia and rolling my feet over the ball is like a horrifically satisfying pleasure-pain which feels so good and makes me want to cry at the same time. It’s like some morbid fascination which is super gross but I can’t stop. Does that make me weird?
You can find Danielle at @rubianodanielle