spontaneous planning: Tiffany Cruikshank 200 hour Vinyasa Teacher Training

Yoga teacher training 2012 graduation class

Tiffany demonstrating tittibhasana

A few years ago I innocently stumbled into Tiffany’s Tuesday 4:30 class at Yoga Pearl, I did not knowing the impact is would soon have on my life. I was in my usual hurry from work, race to change then rush into the studio. This Tuesday I rushed in and found the room completely full. I stood by the door nervously looking for a spot in a corner, Tiffany, not missing a beat rolled her mat up and gave me center stage. For some people this is a great opportunity to shine, for me it was a bit intimidating and stressful to be center stage – I quickly got over it. The class was dynamic and challenging both physically and mentally, nobody was watching me, we were all absorbed in our own practice. After the 1 ½ + hour class I walked out a changed person, wanting to be a better yogi.

Early last summer I started thinking about the 200-hour teacher training, I have dabbled in yoga my whole life but have not had the desire to teach. This was a four-month teacher training with two one-week retreats. I decided to challenge myself – instead of a Hawaii yoga retreat in January I went for the four-month yoga training that included a Hawaii retreat. At the time I wasn't sure I wanted to teach yoga, I was more interested in deepening my own practice.

Back October I drove to Whidbey Island for the Yoga retreat and beginning of the training.

http://spontaneousplanner.blogspot.com/2011/10/yoga-pearl-vinyasa-teacher-training.html

After the Whidbey Island retreat a group of us met in Portland every Sunday learning about
(the out of town people watched videos of the class):

Meditation
Physiology
Sequencing
Therapeutics
Pre & Postnatal yoga
Ayurveda
Sanskrit
Yoga Sutras
Chakras
Yoga History
Business

In addition to the weekly classes, there was anatomy homework, a cadaver lab, book report and 10 hours of observations. I was back in school with yoga homework!

Second week of January – fresh off a plane from Alaska I jumped on a plane to Kona for the final week of yoga training. -10 to 80 degrees was a welcome change. The week was intense, lots to cover and lots of personalities.

Every morning we started at 7 am with a vigorous two plus hour yoga practice, breakfast, 2 hour review and teacher training, afternoon break, 4-5 pm review, 1 hour restorative practice that often started with a handstand, dinner. This was not a vacation.

30 minute student teaching

Mid-week we started our 30-minute practice teaching to the class; half the class observed and the other half took the class. After the class each person got feedback from their peers and the teacher. That was really the final exam – it was so interesting and informative to watch people’s different teaching styles; what they focused on and how they lead a class.

30 minute student teaching

Being one of the more physically inflexible people in the training I focused my class on grace and how grace shows up in your life. How to be graceful in an inflexible body. I was surprised that I really liked teaching the class and putting the class together, normally I don't really like a lot of attention focused on me in large groups. Yoga has been an important stabilizer and calming tool for me in my life, I was able to get out of being scared and able to share something that has brought so much to my life - it is fun to share.