My name’s Kelsea and I’m enrolled in Bella Prana’s Yoga Teacher Training in Tampa! On the very first day of what unfolded to be the greatest decision of my life, I was all sorts of things: excited, nervous, and praying to the Universe that I wasn’t going to feel out of place. As the future yoga teachers and I gathered for the first time, seated in a unity circle, we established some ground rules: this was to be a judgement-free zone and a place where no one was left behind. The Universe heard my prayers.
Since day one, the other future teachers in my training have become my friends and community. I’ve felt so accepted, become so strong, and began to appreciate my awesomely unique value as a human. It’s amazing the lessons that your yoga practice can teach you. And it’s even more amazing the lessons that beautiful people can teach you. Throughout the training, we were immersed in the many styles of yoga from the some of the greatest teachers you can find. To my delight, teacher training has been so much more than learning how to instruct a class. We’ve learned anatomy, Ayurveda, chakra balancing, Sanskrit, meditation, prāṇayama, sword swallowing (yep!), yoga’s ancient history, and most importantly… how to hold loving space for ourselves and others.
This training has brought me some pretty rad realizations… like that I can stand on my hands and actually follow my dreams (wait, what?). In January, I’m going to bid adieu to my corporate job and cubicle-life for an exhilarating leap of faith to teach yoga and meditation to kids in schools. I am whole-heartedly grateful for the self-realizations that Bella Prāṇa’s teacher training has brought me. It’s absolutely changed my life, my yoga practice, and my sense of self – all for the better. If you’re contemplating doing teacher training, lean in and just say yes! It’s the best decision I’ve ever made and the deepest self-journey I’ve taken yet.
By Kelsea, graduate of Bella Prāṇa Collective’s Yoga Teacher Training and now Instructor at the Collective