What is 'Ready' Anyway?

I have been teaching Yoga now for almost nine years. I knew the moment I taught my first practicum in my first teacher training that I was going to teach and that I was on my path. Teaching was what I was meant to be doing and I wanted to share all the benefits and gifts with others. But here's the thing, it doesn't happen that way for everyone, nor should it. This is an individual journey and can be shared by never teaching a single class in your life!

Something I haven't shared often is that I signed up for my teacher training after only one class! I had just broken up with someone and my mom convinced me to try Yoga, as she had been doing it for a couple of years and thought it would help me process and move on. I did my first class and was laying in Savasana at the end and had a revelation. I realized that it had been the first time in over two years that I focused completely on myself for an entire hour. I didn't notice, until that moment, that I had been putting all my energy out ~ taking care of others, serving others through my job, and holding space for others healing around me. I had completely lost myself in others. 
It was in that moment that I knew this practice had a lot more that I wanted to know, if I could have such a profound 'aha' moment in just my first class. 
I went home and signed up for my teacher training and have been practicing Yoga in some way every day since. 

Now leading teacher training's nine years later, I often get a lot of people who approach me to inquire about taking a program, and one of the questions I get asked often is 'am I ready?'
Personally, it has never mattered to me if you have been doing Yoga for one class or one year or one decade. The answer will be personal and as Rumi says "“What matters is how quickly you do what your soul directs.” 
If you can sit and ask yourself why you want to take a program and listen from your heart, the answer will arise whether or not you are 'ready'. 

* I put 'ready' in quotes because although I have studied thoroughly the history and philosophy of Yoga and know that the guru/disciple relationship is part of the lineage, at this time I feel like what is 'ready' anyway?

There will always be reasons why you 'can't' ~ money, time, years of practice, etc. ~ but then you have to ask how bad do you want it and why?
As per my favorite author, and a firm belief within myself, Paulo Coelho says "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
A lot of the time excuses and fears make the decision for us, rather than really listening to our heart and Soul. Sometimes these are valid reasons, and so be it, there is our answer. 
In a profound and important Yogic text, the Bhagavad Gita, this is the main character, Arjuna's dilemma. He questions whether or not to follow his 'path' with the basic question we all ask at some point.... 'what do I do?'

But here's the thing, there are a lot more questions that will come. Self-reflection and discovery is part of the process. If you think you are only going to learn how to teach asana, or if that's the only thing you are learning, there is a whole piece of the training that is missing in my opinion. To be authentically on this path we need to practice, to reflect, and be asking some tough questions sometimes. 
Ultimately though, this is what can make it so that even if you are never ready to step out in front of 20 or more people and teach, you can still be teaching Yoga!

Sometimes we can think because we aren't getting up in front of a class we aren't 'teachers'. 
But each and every day is an opportunity to 'teach'!
We can teach within our homes, to our children, the power of will and dedication by practicing each and every day. 
We can use that time to get centered and grounded within ourselves so that we can then be more present and open minded throughout our day, 'teaching' our co-workers and friends how presence looks and feels. 
By sitting and asking the questions 'why is this triggering me right now', 'why do I feel hurt by that', or 'I just got angry but why?' we can then 'teach' others not to project and instead learn to feel and inquire within for the answers. 
Overall we can use all the teachings we receive in our teacher training in our lives, not just on a Yoga mat. 

So when you ask yourself if you are ready, also ask what 'ready' means to you, because here's the thing...
We have more Yoga teachers than every before and ultimately it is altering and transforming the consciousness of our homes, community, and world. 
So whether or not you plan on teaching Yoga classes when you graduate, you will still be a teacher and part of the growing community committed to sharing the gifts and benefits of this art of living ~ Yoga. 

If you are considering taking a Yoga Teacher Training visit www.megancampbell.ca for Megan's highly acclaimed Sacred Movement Teacher Training & Leadership training starting in Oct. 2014
http://www.megancampbell.ca/#!sacred-movement/c1sw9

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