angelak | Bikram Teacher Training; Fall 2011

I know it has been a while since I wrote again. So I thought I'd open it back up with a big shocker.
I am going to attend Bikram Teacher Training, from September 18th-November 19th, 2011.

I've had this notion for a couple of years now. It really began in 2009, and my goal was to get there in 2010. Here it is, 2011 - and I had given up on this by the end of 2010, and definitely early 2011.

I let it go and decided that it obviously wasn't supposed to happen.
On Tuesday this week I walked into my bosses office, with much effort (lead feet indeed) and asked about taking 8 weeks paid leave and 1 week unpaid leave, to do this.

You read that right. 2 months and 1 week. This was one of the harder things I have had to do, was walk into my boss's office and ask to take this kind of leave. My project is to teach Bikram yoga part time and still maintain my job with the City of Issaquah.

If anyone wants to know about Bikram Teacher Training, suffice to say it is essentially an intensive, 9 week program that takes you off site out of your everyday life and occupies every ounce of time from week one to week nine - including 2 daily classes and several hours of posture clinics and memorizing 50 pages of dialogue. This is where I am headed. The days (M-Saturday) start at 8AM and finish out past midnight usually. Sunday is a day of rest, but from what I can tell people ver seldom relax, as it is really hard to keep up with memorizing all the postures.

You are surrounded by a few hundred other student teachers all doing the same thing.
Needless to say, I will be spending every drop of savings I have - as well as having the opportunity to use every ounce of vacation that I have collected over the years that I have worked with the city.

The fact that my boss has been COMPLETELY supportive of this, is pretty mind blowing.
This is not a resting, do if you feel like it - program. But it is 100% something that I think will change my life, and I'm dying to go through the experience.

One of the biggest parts I like is the networking aspects. It makes me think of a 2 month long conscious growth workshop regarding networking. About 30-40% of the participants AREN'T Americans either.

This training will be held in LA, and I will be living out of a hotel room with a room-mate.
There is one other student teacher from my studio that is going, I found out. And crazily, I practiced next to her on Monday before this all went down. We exchanged very pleasant and happy energy in that class this week, and then just a few days later, I am told that "Jessica Winters," of who I had no idea what face belonged to that name, was going also.

Then I looked her up on facebook, and recognized her as the girl that I practiced next to (super nice girl) on Monday. Very strange. My intuitive side says that this is probably going to be the inception of a possibly special friendship. Wow. Already I am seeing that things have fallen into place and I will at the very least - not be going alone to LA.

I just had to make an official announcement on my LJ - because this is where it all is recorded.
So Mote It Be.

-Angela