Student guest blog: Has it only been a week?

by Lisa Cosmillo, 300 hour Bali Yoga Teacher Training student

It doesn't seem like it could only be nine days ago that I made my way to the Yoga Barn in Ubud, Bali. This girl from Kansas (now living in Olympia, WA) would never be the same.

That night I met, albeit briefly, the souls I would be sharing my time with for the next 25 days. They all seemed so well-traveled and even the youngest very sophisticated. We came in all shapes and sizes and ages and had all traveled so far and all for one purpose, to deepen our relationships with ourselves, our bodies, our souls. With our wide range of abilities, we brought with us our mats, our yoga pants and our stories.

Little did we know that in one week we would go through so much together. Tears, laughter, nausea, hugs, back bends, pranayama, head stands ... the list goes on and on, but despite the hurdles, the fears, and the unbelievable assortment of insects and animals, we made it through this first week alive and mostly well.

When I set out to come here, I knew that this would inevitably affect my teaching and my practice, but after this first week, I feel these practices we are learning changing me, helping me. I am curious to continue down the path, to see where it leads and grateful for this opportunity.

Tonight, as I lie here in my hotel room writing this, it is the end of our first day off, and I just glanced up to see a gecko on the wall of my room. The man who works here tells me the Balinese believe the gecko carries good energy, so I just peacefully watch as he spies an insect and darts into the crack in the wall. As week two begins, I welcome all the good energy I can get.