Posts In: confidence

by Olivia Cecchettini

Recently my mom gave me a stack of O Magazines she had finished reading. They sat in a pile on my floor until one day I picked them up and started flipping through them for inspiration. Oprah interviewed some of the world’s most powerful and influential women, yet I noticed that they all admitted to a common struggle: not owning their own strength and accomplishments.

Women who were doing great, important work in the world were shying away from praise and recognition by choosing to remain small. Worried about how they would be received. Feeling embarrassed. Or afraid of shouting their voice into the world.

I used to be like that. In college, I changed majors from Communications to Psychology because I was scared to give a speech in front of my class. The feeling of getting up in front of people made me tremble inside. I was literally sweating, nervous with stomach ache – I just couldn’t do it.

I thought maybe I wouldn’t have to face that particular fear of mine, but life keeps bringing you the same lesson until you face it head on. If I wanted to become a yoga teacher (and I very much wanted to share my love of yoga!), I needed to be able to speak in front of a group of people.

Everything that makes life worth living happens outside the comfortable little space you’ve carved out for yourself, so I chose to step outside.

I was terrified during the first “practice” yoga class I taught. As I practiced more and taught more classes, I came to see that yoga is about co-creation. Knowing I wasn’t alone, that everyone present contributes their own energy, brought me peace. It was incredibly hard to allow myself to be seen, but I believe it’s the only way to show my authentic self and create connection.

There are many messages the world sends out every day. Messages designed to put us in our place, to make us feel less than capable, or to silence our voices. Those challenges are real, but I also know that we all have a little whisper of guidance inside. As we open our bodies, minds and hearts through yoga, the connection to that whisper is strengthened. We begin to strengthen the muscle of confidence and trust within as well.

What challenges are facing you this new year? My hope is that whatever they are, you look for the lesson, a way forward, the path which leads to growth. Get to know yourself and accept what you find. Be gentle. Be bold. Who knows what we can co-create when we own our power? I’m excited to find out.

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia’s yoga journey began in 2003. She is certified in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Aerial Yoga and holds a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology. She believes the mind, body, soul connection is sacred and encourages her students explore and expand within their own bodies and consciousnesses.

Join teacher Cayetana Rodenas at Yoga One in downtown San Diego, CA for this special 3-day training held by Rainbow Kids Yoga. October 31st – November 2nd.

Save $100 when you register before October 10th. Go here to register.

“Almost immediately we set up in an intimate and warm circle. Excited eyes darted from smiling face to open and curious face. We were instructed to put our arms around each other.

“Soon individuals had become a united group, swaying in unison, laughing and ultimately giving each other back and head massages. There were partner poses, human pyramids, costume changes, obstacle courses, games, feathers, straws, great music, dancing and dinner breaks at local restaurants!

“It felt like a party. It felt like a family. And best of all, we were accessing that open, curious, fun-filled aspect of ourselves that consumed us as kids. We were behaving like children in the best possible sense.

“We made life long friends and memories. Of course we learned and developed new skills, techniques and confidence to teach yoga to children… nay, to share the joys and benefits of yoga with children, because in many ways, children are natural yogis and the Rainbow Kids Yoga Teacher Training taught us to remember that and to embody it ourselves.”

– Michael Caldwell

Our Yoga One Teacher Training Graduates of 2013 are already leading students and sharing the joys and benefits of yoga with others! Congratulations again yogis and thank you for your great energy! Here is Part 2 of their post-training reflections. Click here to read Part 1. 

What excites you the most about teaching yoga to others?
Do you have any fears? If yes, how do you move beyond them?
If you don’t plan on teaching, how did YTT deepen your personal practice?

Monique: 

I love seeing the light turn on behind my students’ eyes when they tune in to themselves or realize their true inner strength. I do have fears; the fear of not knowing enough mainly. I face the fear by trusting in myself and pushing the edges of my comfort zone consciously, just like in yoga. I’d like to teach communities that can’t afford yoga and aren’t as exposed to yoga but could benefit greatly from it. YTT has deepened my own practice externally and internally in powerful ways. My practice will never be the same again, and that’s a good thing.

Kim: 

I don’t plan to teach but I will continue to attend several classes a week at Yoga One. The teacher training has been so comprehensive in its scope from philosophy to anatomy and the business of yoga, too. I especially appreciate the detail that Diana and Amy gave to every pose, the alignment and their benefits. I’ll have a much more thorough approach in my own practice when I’m led by any of the great Yoga One instructors. I’m also more confident with partner practice after all of our experience throughout the training!

Sabine: 

It’s amazing how much of what I’ve learned so far about alignment, yoga philosophy – the balance of opposites, mindfulness and being present in the moment – has infused my daily life and has already changed how I feel and how I handle challenging situations. It is as if yoga is everywhere! I feel so blessed to have such inspiring and amazing teachers: Diana, Amy, Michael and Rachel and Wren. You can feel that they are teaching from a place of truth, inspiration, integrity, love and grace. All of us teacher trainees form this kind and supportive community that fosters the emergence of wonderful future yoga teachers; each with special gifts to share. I am so grateful to be part of this experience.

Corinne: 

I’m most excited about the people I’ll get to meet through teaching yoga! I’ve already met so many fantastic people just being at Yoga One for two months and I know there’s a whole wide world of amazing people out there already practicing yoga or wanting to begin! If I can bring even half of the love, kindness and support to my teaching as Amy and Michael and the teachers at Yoga One have shown me through their teaching, then I’ll be doing something right!

When I started teacher training my biggest fear was that I wasn’t flexible enough to be a yoga instructor and that I couldn’t twist myself into a pretzel. As it turns out, flexibility is only a part of the yoga practice and can be increased with time and dedication. The most valuable lesson I learned throughout the training was that nobody’s practice looks the same and that everyone’s bodies are constructed in different ways. Over the course of the these 8 weeks, my fears have been replaced with the knowledge of proper alignment, linking my breath to movement and listening to what my body needs.

Most of us have it tucked away in our minds, a master list we can turn to whenever the going gets tough and we feel like giving in. The list contains all the reasons our dreams aren’t practical or won’t succeed, fears we’d rather not face and insecurities aplenty to counter every ambition.

Sometimes it’s there first thing in the morning when you look in the bathroom mirror and it floats around with you all day at work, at lunch with a friend, maybe you even take it to bed with you at night. The worst part about the list is how it hides. It’s much easier to view each experience in life as separate, with extenuating circumstances all their own. In reality, we habitually combat each item on our list with a pre-fabricated set of excuses that mask the source of our discomfort.

Perhaps you turn down an opportunity at work not because you’re already too busy but because deep down you’re afraid of failure and maybe success as well. You don’t call up your friend not because you’ve drifted but because you’d rather not let them see your insecurities. And you won’t take care of yourself by eating right, exercising and taking some down time not because you’re too busy taking care of others but perhaps because you don’t believe you’re worthy of that care and attention.

The list is a terrible, dirty thing, but it doesn’t need to dictate our every move. The practice of yoga is powerful and transformative enough to destroy this list one item at a time. While yoga means many things to many people, filling roles as diverse as cross-training exercise and a path to spiritual enlightenment, yoga always contains the seed for inner growth and transformation.

Learning the postures strengthens and creates more mobility in the body, improving self-control and confidence. By controlling the breath, you gain control over the chatter of the mind and notice how the list sabotages your health and happiness. If you commit to a regular practice of yoga and self-reflection, over time you will alter the pathways of the brain so you no longer turn to your list until one day it no longer holds any power over you.

What’s on your list that you don’t want to carry around any more? This week, set aside one item on your list and bring it to class. Set your intention to replace fear with confidence, insecurity with love and worry with peace. Meditate on your intention throughout class, breathe in confidence or love or peace whenever you find yourself struggling. Then just before you get up from savasana, take that heavy burden you no longer wish to carry and lay it down on the floor of the studio. Arise and leave it behind you, rededicating yourself to your intention and practice.

In the words of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, “do your practice and all is coming.”

Recently we asked our students to share with us the joys and benefits they’ve received from yoga, using just three words. Taken separately, each person replied with a unique answer but when the words they submitted were tallied up, there were multiple repeat answers. With the most popular responses in the largest font size, we couldn’t be happier that your top two picks to describe practicing at Yoga One are peace and strength!

We love our students! Special thanks to everyone who submitted: Heidi C., BJ M., Angel S., Debbie R., Frank R., Jennifer M., Ann E., Lisa A., Marc J., Ted H., Anne S., Katy B., Karen J., Andrea B., Kate W., Michele C., Rachel P., Amanda T., Hillary H., Jill J., Brenda W., Julie H., Silvia S., Jaycie O., Jill Z., Cynthia, Dylan B., Katie C., Kim O., Susi R., and Mack R.

It was almost noon on a rainy Monday. I looked at the clock, surprised by how quickly time had gotten away from me. I grabbed my yoga mat, pulled on my shoes and headed out the door, thankful I only live a short walk away from the studio. When I got downstairs, I saw that it was actually raining steadily, not just misting like I had expected from San Diego. For a split second, I stood there with my hand on the door, debating whether I should go to Amy’s vinyasa class or go back up to my apartment and make some hot tea. Then I pushed open the door and walked resolutely through the rain.

When I first started doing yoga, I would come home so sore, I couldn’t imagine going to class the next day or even the day after that. But sometime that evening, I would ask myself whether going to yoga had been the right decision and almost always, despite my aching muscles, I decided that it was. There have been a few times when going to yoga was the wrong decision. I remember being dehydrated in an early morning hot class. Or the time I had the beginnings of a cold and every second I spent in down dog only exacerbated the pressure in my head. But when I look back on the seven years yoga and I have known each other, our fights have been few and far between.

Once in the studio, belongings placed in cubbies, blankets and blocks gathered, Amy Caldwell started the class in child’s pose. She asked us to focus on the transitions, to be mindful during each posture and during the movement from one posture to another. Once we had warmed up and flowed through a series of standing postures, Amy guided us into hanumanasa, or the splits. While most of the class wasn’t capable of accomplishing the full expression of the pose, myself included, I felt the energy along the length of my legs, the weight of my upper body bearing down into the blocks under my hands and an incredible intensity in my hamstring.

Just then, the sound of the rain hitting the roof became louder and there was a collective breath that spread throughout the room. We had been separate, each caught up in our private struggles when the rain drew everyone’s attention out of themselves to coalesce into one moment of levity, I think someone even laughed. It was as if we had all arrived, truly arrived in the room, practicing whatever version of hanumasana our bodies were capable of performing that day. Right at that moment, I knew that I was exactly where I was supposed to be, exactly when I was supposed to be there and the confidence of that knowledge spread warmly through my being.

Those moments in life are rare, at least for me. As Amy gently woke us from savasana, she asked again that we be mindful of this transition, not from one pose to another but from yoga to everyday life. It’s one thing to have a moment of clarity, to experience complete confidence and purpose. It’s another to carry those feelings with you through the ebb and flow of life. When I focus on the transitions in my practice and in my life, I understand why my answer has always been that yoga was the right decision. Each time I emerge from savasana, I sense that something is different in my body and in my mind, something has been laid to rest and something new has been allowed to blossom.

If you’ve never been to Amy’s class, you should definitely check it out. I can’t promise rain and epiphanies, but you’ll feel the strong sense of community, Amy’s passion for teaching and for her students and I’m confident you’ll leave knowing it was the right decision to go.

namaste,
Laura

Yoga One’s next teacher training starts January 27th. To find out more about the eight week, two hundred hour course, I sat down with Hillary Trevett, a 2010 alumna of the training. For more information on dates, times and pricing go here or email info@yogaonesandiego.com.

It’s impossible to put Hillary down in words, so from the start, this is a failed mission. She’s the kind of person you notice the instant they walk into a room, even if your back is turned, the energy of her presence is so bright. A young woman who radiates confidence, vitality and happiness. Her sense of self is so strong, it’s hard to believe there was a time when Hillary wasn’t a yoga teacher or a time when she wasn’t sure of her direction in life.

We met at City Pizzeria right next door to the studio. Unsurprisingly, Hillary knows the owner and does a little dance while asking about the last time he got out on the water to surf. She orders a slice of ranch chicken pizza. “Yes, I like ranch and I’m not a vegetarian,” she confides to me.

Hillary grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, the fifth of six children. Her family didn’t have much and she decided that if she made a lot of money, everything would work out for the best. At SDSU, she studied Business Finance, made the dean’s list, signed up for clubs and accepted invitations to honor societies. In May of 2009, she graduated summa cum laude, poised to launch into the business world and make her mark. But this isn’t where her story starts.

It really begins in 2005, when Hillary took her first yoga class. At the end of class, the instructor led them through a guided savasana, bringing attention to each part of the body and relaxing it in turn. “My first savasana changed my entire life,” she said. It was the first time Hillary felt totally present in the room. When she woke up, she thought, “what was that?” knowing something had changed. In that moment, she felt the first small tug on her heart that would lead her down a different path.

How did you get to Yoga One?

“This is where the magic happens,” she responds with a big smile. The summer after graduation, Hillary traveled to Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. While there, she felt a growing resistance towards the trajectory of her life. It felt like a role she was ready to take on, but her heart pulled away. “I just want to be happy,” was her realization as she stood on a beach halfway around the world with the sun shining in her eyes.

When she got back to the States, she pulled out a file of magazine clippings and photos she had saved for years as inspiration for the things she would do ‘one day.’ The kind of ‘one day’ everyone has in their minds that never gets pinned down to a date on the calendar. She found a clipping from four years before, a music review for Yoga One’s CD. In a series of events that now feel predestined, Hillary listened to the CD, found the studio and signed up for an inversion workshop. It was there that she heard about yoga teacher training and sat down with Michael and Amy Caldwell to learn more.

What changed for you over the course of Yoga Teacher Training?

“Midway through the course, I realized I can let of go of where I was going. That it’s okay to shift your course in life. Just by doing what makes me happy, I can really help other people. I began to trust that I could pay my bills and build a life for myself by teaching yoga.”

“Which I still struggle with sometimes,” she admits with a laugh. “In college, the world made me think that [business finance] was what I was supposed to be doing. After I signed up for yoga teacher training, I really grabbed my life by the balls and brought it into alignment.”

Now that she teaches yoga, she sees people with office jobs and loves helping them feel better in their bodies. She appreciates the people who choose to work in the business world even more now that she’s found her passion. “If I were working a corporate job, I think I would ask myself everyday, ‘okay, when does my real life get to start?’”

Hillary bounces on her chair, so excited to talk about the city she loves and the yoga she loves even more. “Open your heart,” she exclaims, spreading her arms out wide. “Breathe, smile, OPEN!” The last word comes out somewhere between a cry of joy and a commandment.

What would you say to people on the fence, who aren’t sure if Yoga Teacher Training is right for them?

“If you have some interest in yoga, you should do YTT because it’s the most powerful personal transformation – it affects your body, mind and spirit. Even if you never want to teach yoga, it will deepen your practice and your whole experience of life.”

“Follow the tugs on your heart,” she advises. If you’re even remotely interested in yoga teacher training, follow that spark, find out more, be open to kindling a new passion in life.