Have you ever practiced yoga year after year and had the thought of teaching yoga come to mind? It did for me. As intriguing and exciting as the thoughts were, unfortunately, there were obstacles that remained in the way. The feasibility of taking several weeks away from my full-time employment, my sole head of household responsibilities, caretaking for my child and pets, inevitably, every year, kept yoga teacher training remaining on my bucket list. I would often search online and manifest what the opportunity, time, place, and teacher would be for my training. The visions of being in some faraway place with other yogis all day, living and breathing the life of a yogi, while studying and immersing myself into yoga without other distractions was romanticizing. Social media posts were very helpful in supporting this romantic vision I was chasing with pictures of blue waters and tropical nature-inspired settings.

Annoyingly yoga teacher training remained on my bucket list as other items were being crossed off. In some cases, the other items were even financially more costly! It seemed to become more evident that as a single parent, full-time employed, and a sole householder, I wasn’t going to fit the profile that made attaining a yoga teacher training possible. At least so it seemed!

When I discovered RYK Yoga and Meditation one Sunday afternoon while Googling, I was looking to find an available class in my nearby area to relax and restore. I located a drop-in class for Yin Yoga at RYK, the only available class later in the evening on that Sunday. The RYK studio and community were friendly, welcoming, and most of all a restoring experience for my Body, Mind, and Spirit. RYK Yoga and Meditation became my sacred place to practice and where I experienced my very first Kundalini Yoga class. When RYK Yoga offered the Kundalini Teacher Training in 2019 I noticed distinctly why this was the opportunity that was absolutely possible! Mainly the teachings were spread over 5 months with class dates pre-published for easy planning and scheduling. Teachings were Saturday and Sunday, 8am-4pm most days. Payment plans were available as well as other discount opportunities such as Early Bird pricing or signing up with a friend or family member! All of these culminating made it possible!

During the days of training, I was immersed in the life and the ancient practice of Kundalini Yoga. The integration of attending daily classes at the studio and participating in studio challenges, a local field trip to a Guradawara, and experiencing Indian food, philosophies, and dress was an asset! I looked forward to all the new thoughts, conversations, and ideas that Kundalini Teacher Training exposed me to and most of all it surprised me that I could fit my single parent, full-time employment, and sole householder lifestyle into this training! Today my RYK Kundalini Teacher Training Yoga Alliance certification hangs framed as a reminder of this amazing achievement! KYTT is now crossed off my bucket list. As for teaching, I teach myself, my family, my friends, and coworkers how to navigate this ever-changing and challenging life by applying the ancient teachings that were passed down to me in my Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training. Step into your dream and be surprised!

Written by Tara Dawn Navdeep Kaur