Introducing Lauren, 200 hour Cambodia yoga teacher training scholarship winner

Introducing Lauren Hurst, winner of a full-tuition scholarship to the December 2015 200 hour Zuna Yoga teacher training in Cambodia. 

Lauren holds a Bachelor of Social Work, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and a Masters of Social Work, all obtained in Ontario, Canada. She currently lives in Sydney. Her passion for teaching yoga draws on her academic background and interest in eating disorders and body image issues. Eating and body issues often work to create disconnection from our body, while yoga helps to encourage body awareness and connection in a nurturing way. Through the practice of yoga, Lauren has learned we are able to become more of aware of our bodies from a place of respect, acceptance, and love. This level of awareness has been life-changing for her.

Lauren stumbled upon her first yoga class almost ten years ago, and since then on has found herself at home on her mat. Yoga for her has become a way of life. It has been a gift to the body, mind, and most of all the heart. It has taught her how to love and be loved. She has learnt self-acceptance and that imperfection is perfect. Lauren has come to understand that yoga allows us to believe in something much greater than our own self, connecting us with the universe all around us.

Lauren has launched a brand new initiative with Body Matters Australasia Eating Disorder treatment center, called Love Body Yoga. Love Body Yoga introduces yoga as a step on the journey to eating disorder recovery and a pathway to loving our bodies.

Follow Lauren's yoga teacher training journey as she guest blogs for Zuna Yoga in the coming months.

My Last Day of Yoga Teacher Training

by Katie-Alan Calhoun, September 2015 200 hour Bali yoga teacher training student

It's 5:30 in the morning and I've begun my short walk to the yoga studio. Hanoman Street in Ubud is still peaceful. The sky is dark and there's a slight chill in the air. Shopkeepers are emerging from their quarters, sweeping the sidewalks as they prepare for their day. As I walk to my last class of Zuna Yoga teacher training, a multitude of emotions begins to rush in. I have now spent a month in Bali during what is my first trip outside the United States, and soon I'll be returning home. 

Before coming to Bali, I experienced an astronomical shift in my life. Everything I once knew or had created in my life had been turned upside down. As the wave swept through my reality as I knew it, an immense amount of space was created. Coming to Bali and embarking on this journey with Zuna Yoga was the first step in filling this space with something wonderful and magical.

After years of searching for the right school for my yoga teacher training, I eventually found Zuna Yoga. Reading the mission statement, it was as if I had written it myself. It was love at first sight. Just as the beginning of any relationship, I was cautious, questioning my judgment and ability to make an educated decision. But as the first week came to a close, I knew I was exactly where I needed to be.

Now, it's the last day of training. Everyone in the group is tired from three weeks of transformation of the body and filling the intellect with so much important information. We are tired, but not broken. We are quite possibly the strongest we have ever been, internally and externally. The practice of yoga, after all, is a transformation of the mind and body. It's a process of cleaning away the debris that we have accumulated over time and polishing the raw gems of our souls to discover our true selves. 

As the sky begins to fill with light and warmth, I can't help but smile. So much of this journey to Bali has been about the simple transition between night and day. Light coming into the dark, transforming the perception of our surroundings. Every morning our world transforms. Every day I myself am transforming, learning to let go of what has been and embracing the light of the new day. Learning to let go and have faith in the light, embracing it. Slowly transforming, becoming who I am meant to be. Accepting that sometimes things in your life fall apart in order to fall into place. Letting the spaces be filled. 

The training was extremely knowledgable and powerful. I not only attained the skills necessary to teach a yoga class. I also began to discover who I was as a person and how to live a life of purpose. I discovered how to incorporate tools such as pranayama, meditation and energetics into my life to cultivate happiness and well-being. Getting to know myself and what I am capable of in this lifetime is something I take away from this yoga teacher training and will cherish forever. I am beyond grateful for this experience. Thank you Bali, thank you fellow students, thank you, thank you Zuna Yoga. 

A day of cleansing

by Anna Rhein, Zuna Yoga 500 hour YTT graduate

Bali is an island full of beauty, mystery and spirituality. Recently I made a day trip with friends to the holy water temple, Tampak Siring. It was a short 40 minute motorbike ride from Ubud, and even though it started raining heavily we continued on our journey, and I'm thrilled we did. Riding through the rice paddies, entering into little villages along the way, we stopped to wait for our group and stumbled upon a shop that had beautiful pieces of carved wooden art and jewelry. We all found at least one handmade treasure to take home and agreed the trip was already a success, but we had no idea of the beauty that still lay ahead. 

After the brief stop, we were only 10 minutes away from our destination. As we walked through the entrance, we were all given sarongs to wear, and were shown where to enter into the springs. We were greeted by a spiritual guide who began to tell us how the temple was designed to be enjoyed. 

Tampak Siring temple in Bali

First, we were given an offering and told to sit overlooking the springs while he talked us through a meditation. The sound of the water flowing enveloped us all and we were quickly made aware of how special a place this was. One by one we entered the water, which was waist height. Walking up to each spring, we were told to splash the water three times on our face, sip it in three times, and then sit under it, allowing it to run over our heads while chanting OM for as long as we could before moving on to the next spring. 

Walking from spring to spring, I was unaware of anything else around me. The feeling of the water running over my body, blessing and cleansing, was so powerful. After the first set of springs, there were another two by themselves, which I was told release any negative promises or regrets from your life. The final set of springs were said to clean and clear your chakras, allowing for better health. Even though the water was cold, it was so refreshing and made me feel lighter immediately. After the springs, we were given a tour of the temple and allowed to make additional offerings if we wished before we made our exit. It is the most beautiful temple I have ever visited. I tell anyone I can about it, and hope everyone can some day visit this very special place. I can't wait for my next adventure in this Bali wonderland.