I taught my first Yoga class to Maya as Rahul evaluated the class content, teaching style, etc. It went pretty well. I got paid, which now makes me a professional. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with my certificate, maybe teach yoga, maybe not. I also learned how to lead a Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation) session, so that should be fun at parties.
Fun Facts I Learned at Yoga Teacher Training
I have done yoga off and on for about 20 years and went to India in 2019 for three weeks. Here are some fun facts I didn’t know until now. I feel like maybe I should have known some of these already.
What we call Yoga is actual 1 of 8 limbs of Yoga, referred to as Asana. The rest are kind of complicated so I will let you Google it if you are interested. Basically, most are about lifestyle, how you conduct yourself, practices to control your breath, concentration, senses, attachment, and lead you to nirvana…which most people will not achieve in this lifetime.
All of the postures we do in Yoga were invented to make it possible to sit in 1 of 4 official seated positions for hours to meditate.
The reason I cannot put my heels down in Downward Facing Dog is because my shoulders are not open.
A person cannot convert to Hinduism if they were not born Hindu. They can live the lifestyle, but they will never be Hindu.
In the Asanas: Inhale when moving away from the Earth and Exhale when moving towards it.
The way you chant “OM” can provide different benefits to your body and mind.
There is some kind of Hindu ritual for swearing off alcohol that includes wearing a white string around your torso from the shoulder to the waist. You change this string every full moon, half moon, when a baby is born to someone close to you, and some other times.
Indian food is spicy because of the Muslim Mogol influence when they invaded, people on the Yogi path should not eat spicy food.
There is a scandalous sexual underbelly of the Yoga school/ashram/retreat industry. Our teacher wasn’t into it, but I heard some wild stories.
Last Excursions
Dominion
I still do not know what the Vietnamese name for these waterfalls, they kept referring to them as “Dominion”. We went with a guide who brought a machete for the last 1/4 of the “trail” to get to the falls. Please take a look at his footwear: too-small plastic slides.
This waterfall was about an hour drive from Hoi An, and it was near the My Son temples we went to a couple of weeks ago. We had a lovely time swimming and sunning ourselves on the warm rocks. Of course, Bahn Mi sandwiches were eaten while gazing at the falls. It is possible to cliff jump into the water instead of having to walk down through the brush, but I gave that option a pass this time. As I told our guide, if something goes wrong, town is a long ways away. He said he would carry me down the mountain. But, I just thought it would be smarter to crash through the bushes instead.
Buddhist Pagoda
Our cook, Thao, also cooks for the monks at the largest Buddhist Pagoda in Hoi An. She brought us along one day when delivering curry so we could take a look. So many colors!
The ride to the pagoda reminded me a little bit of going to a potluck with Josh when we are running late. Thao handed Maya a large pot of curry right off the stove and said she would be holding it while riding on the back of the motorbike. Maya was wearing white pants and a light pink top. Before she could get situated with the hot pan, Thao started to take off. I stopped her and said, Hey, can you give me two minutes?
I ran inside the house and came out with a crappy towel I bought at the market and looped it through the handles and tied it on top to keep the lid secure and give Maya something not hot to hold onto.
The Vietnamese ladies were very impressed with my Mother-in-Law’s methods of transporting a hot pot of beans to any family event.
Here is a video of us leaving the Pagoda:
Beach
The beaches in Hoi An are just to die for. This one was at a resort we could visit for free. The sand was groomed with a rake!
Back to Life
Now I have my certificate and am back in Hanoi already substitute teaching again at Josh’s school. I am trying to do yoga everyday and keep up the advancements I made at Aum Yoga. I am so glad I finally got to do a month-long Yoga class and will probably do one again sometime…maybe in India.
Casey Space 
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