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Ryan shares about his experience doing a yoga teacher training program in Boone with Val Spies, teacher trainer and head of Lotus Pond Yoga.
Right after high school I was a little lost and I did not know where to go. In my first few years of college I started doing yoga. Finding yoga helped me look into myself and figure out who I am. I had started that path of seeking something greater than just everyday life. First it was mostly physically, and it is slowly evolving into more of a mental practice. It is an evolving process. I started to feel better about my life because of my yoga practice. My biggest inspiration was the hunger to know more about myself, the nature of reality, and nature itself. I found this path and slowly got more and more involved in yoga.
To me, happiness is being content in the present moment and taking what it has to offer. I decided to do this teacher training to increase my knowledge base and provide for my students a more authentic experience. This program taught me to notice the good, the bad, the labels, what we define the moment as, and how to come back to center, my anchor. It is about feeling it all, and being okay with it.
My favorite pose is shavasana because it is meditative to melt into the floor and absorb it all. This training offered silent meditation, which isn’t always easy, but this is a very supportive place for that. The people here naturally understand your needs and it is a natural environment that is a very conducive to an enlightening experience. My favorite spot at the center is the labyrinth. Being able to overlook that area and see all the wildflowers, the occasional bunny, somebody walking around and meditating, or doing it myself is a pretty fantastic experience.
This weekend has been incredible. I’ve done silent and seated focus awareness meditation. It has helped me stay present in the moment. It has anchored me in, and provided this foundation to harvest presence in the moment. Being able to share space with beautiful people in a beautiful space was incredible. I am excited to come from that space and offer that to my students.
