One thing that always boggles my mind with yoga: How so many programs are so expensive and require residential stays that would entail the trainee to stop working while taking the course. I wonder how many yoga teachers come from wealthy families or have spouses that take care of them. Who is able to pay all these fees while being unemployed for a month?

Of course, getting your certification done in a month instead of over the span of a year certainly has its benefits.

I have to weigh a variety of options – affordability, time that I’d have to take off to do the training, and how appealing the training is. But, I also want to be practical.

For example, the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy program looks absolutely fascinating, but it’s not really designed to teach about physical issues. You won’t be learning a lot about physical anatomy or ailments. Their idea of yoga “therapy” is more along the lines of yogic psychotherapy vs. yoga physical therapy. My healing mind is interested in this training, while my practical mind thinks I need more training in physical kinesthesiology.

On the other hand, I’m not sure if I want to learn the finer points of anatomy. Loyola Marymount University offers a certificate program in yoga therapy that handles all that hard “medical” stuff, but this seems more like something you’d learn because it’s good to know it, not because you want to know it. Like, you’d be happy you’d gone through the anatomy class once it’s over, but you’d be bitching the entire time you were in it. I’m still getting information on this program, however, since it’s local, somewhat affordable, and I know it’d be good for me.

At any rate, if you know of any good yoga therapy programs please share them in the comments!

I will never be the best yogini…I can’t do many advanced poses…my hamstrings are still tight (but loosening)…but I am enjoying teaching yoga. I feel I am a good teacher precisely because it does not come easy to me, and I understand the struggle to get into certain poses. I’d like to help more people who aren’t naturally fit, who have weight issues and health issues, people who could truly be transformed by yoga. It’s certainly made that kind of difference in my life, by being the way I climbed out of chronic fatigue syndrome as a full-on disability.

I’m getting a lot of the foundational stuff that I feel I did not get from Shiva’s first module…learning how to take people into and out of basic poses, which is really the most useful thing you’ll need to know as a starting teacher. We’ve also been learning a lot of yoga philosophy and history (which is frankly making my brain hurt), but it has been good to get this depth of knowledge as a backdrop to everything we’re learning.

The class is very small, only eight people (one dropped out due to scheduling issues). Everyone is exceptionally nice and no-one here is a yoga superstar. We are not expected (as in Shiva’s training) to be able to do complicated gymnastics in order to be a teacher.

I’m especially enjoying the kundalini yoga training we are getting in addition to the hatha. I really love kundalini yoga more and more, but not so much that I’d feel ready or comfortable diving into a serious 200-hour kundalini yoga training that might require me to follow the stricter aspects of the practice. With this training, I feel I could incorporate kundalini yoga without having to get full-on Sikh with it.

If there’s one thing I’d wish were different, it’s that we’re not learning adjustments until the last week. I would have preferred to be learning them all along, if just for the selfish reason that I’d like to be getting free hands-on adjustments as part of the training. Well, there’s so much to learn, and I can see that our teacher’s strength is in using language as means of adjustment.

That’s all for now…I’ve got three weeks to go…and then I can officially teach yoga. Woo hoo!

It’s also affordable: $1,500 for the early bird pricing (compared to $3,000 or more for trainings with some of the more famous teachers).

I had taken some training with Shiva Rea with the intention of finishing her 200-hour program, but unfortunately the scheduling did not work for me. From what I had originally read on Shiva’s website, the training was offered in modules that could be taken over a two-year period. I just assumed that I might be able to take some of the modules in the two-week intensives she provided. Well, it turns out that you have to take the entire two-week intensive, and you don’t get any credit whatsoever for modules you’ve already taken if you do that. (Meaning, you have to pay twice – Exhale’s policy.) The modules I needed weren’t being offered here separately from what I saw of the new schedule.

I kept emailing Shiva’s training manager to try to get an idea of how I could do my training without doing the intensive, which was just not going to work for me for a variety of reasons. Not only did I not hear back after a few sporadic emails, but I still don’t have my certificate for my May 2007 Trance Dance training, and I have been emailing and asking for it for six months at least.

After that frustration, I decided I would rather take a training with a less famous teacher who was personally available to answer my questions. I have been able to communicate with Kelly at Karuna in email and on the phone and she is quite accessible.

Additionally, Shiva Rea is very athletic and acrobatic in her approach; I wanted to pursue a yoga path that was more healing in nature. Karuna Yoga’s teacher training combines hatha and kundalini yoga so you get the best of both worlds and learn the energetic kriyas that can remove old blocks and issues.

I have enjoyed the two weekend trainings I have done with Shiva, and I may take more at some point. So I’m not down on Shiva so much as I am just not getting what I need from her 200-hour program, and that’s mostly due to how it is managed. I am also interested in Saul David Raye’s training, and there are a lot more weekend intensives I can take later from famous teachers like them. For now, however, I can get a full 200-hours without paying through the nose all at once, and get the personalized attention and in-depth study that will really help my yoga practice. (Instead of 50+ students, it will be more like 10.) It will also be something I can share with my healing clients.

Karuna Yoga probably has more space in their training program starting in March if you are interested; check the website for details.

I really enjoyed Shiva Rea’s Embodying the Flow Foundational Teacher Training Intensive. It’s only four days. The great thing about it is that you can take one module and see if you like it before committing to the entire program.

I made friends with a yoga teacher at Shiva’s class, who had spent over $2,000 for a month-long intensive and quit before the first week was done. This was because her trainer was so bad at yoga, she couldn’t even hold tree pose without falling over. My friend never got a refund on her money. She was very excited to be in Shiva’s class and thought it was muuuuuch better.

So…here’s the scoop on Shiva’s training:

1. Go to Shiva’s training if you like vinyasa flow. Don’t expect a lot of serious background in poses and strict alignment – go to Iyengar or Anusara for that. But if you want to know vinyasa flow, then go to Shiva. Shiva is practically the inventor of vinyasa flow, so you are getting it right from the horse’s mouth.

2. Shiva’s training is broken up into modules, and it is not residential unless you take the two-week intensive at Kripalu. So while you will not get a month-long residential experience, the classes are better suited for people who can’t afford to get away from their lives for a month at a time.

3. Shiva’s classes generally have about 40-50 people in them, with very capable teaching assistants helping out. If you want a more intimate environment, her training may not be for you.

4. Shiva will often include traditional yogic philosophy and yogic spirituality in the classes. You will be chanting mantras, singing kirtan, and perhaps participating in a Hindu ritual. If you are not interested in this side of yoga, a more “yuppie” yoga school might be better for you.

5. Shiva has a philosophy of assuming great intelligence in everyone. This can be very positive, but it also means she digs deep into material quickly and there’s not a lot of handholding. You will be expected to do private study.

6. Sometimes Shiva does not follow a strict schedule, since she’s about “the flow,” so if that sort of thing bugs you, you might find training with her to be a little frustrating. You might prefer a more traditional school with a rigid schedule.

Final word: Pretty much everyone I spoke to at Shiva’s training thought it was terrific. If you enjoy her videos and her philosophy, you should definitely consider taking some of her trainings. I think she is fantastic and well worth it.

Sunday morning started off without a hitch – the people at Exhale finally got it together and had the place opened on time in the morning. Shiva led us through a lunar flow in the first session. Unfortunately – and sorry if this is TMI (Too Much Information) – my “moon flow” had kicked in the day before and it was at its peak on Sunday morning. The first full day of my period I usually rest and don’t exercise, and for good reason. I’m losing a lot of blood! So I went through the beginning of the lunar flow series and then I started feeling sick. It wasn’t even a regular cramp. The heat of the room was really getting to me and I felt like I was going to throw up. So I sat back and watched a little bit and then rested in some restorative poses.

Shiva and her crew were really terrific about this. Shiva came by and made sure I was OK and had such a genuine look of caring and concern in her eyes that I felt very comforted. Her assistant came by and gave me some nice little “adjustments” in shivasana – wonderful!

After that I felt better, and just decided that I would not workout strenuously the rest of the day.

Our next stop was Agape, a large spiritual center (new age church of sorts) nearby. Agape is a bit of an experience and not something I can easily explain – you just have to go – and Shiva wanted us to go to experience the energy there. (There is a teaching application in this, since you can learn a lot about how to create a community feel by just observing how they do things at Agape.) We were a bit rushed getting over there and concerned over seats – Agape has been overflowing since Rev. Michael appeared on Larry King Live – but luckily it was a slow day for some reason. (Maybe the Emmy’s happening…this is Los Angeles.)

During the service, something happened, and all the accumulated energy from the weekend just welled up within me and I ended up crying during the final song. Crying in a good way. Crying in love and joy. Agape does that to people, and that’s why they have ushers wandering around offering tissues. Something, somehow, in spite of myself, the training had opened something up inside me. I could tell that after only a few days I was different, more relaxed, more open, more…dare I say it? In the flow.

How the hell did that happen? I have no idea! But it has something to do with the energy Shiva holds in her classes. I experienced something similar in her Trance Dance training.

We went back to the training in the afternoon, and had a nice wrap up that included creating our own flow series using one of her blueprints. Mindful of my body, I did a restorative “floor flow,” which actually was wonderfully fantastic…it was not something I would have ever done on my own but it really felt good. Exciting possibilities there.

Time does seem to get away from you during these sessions and there were a few things we did not get to. We were supposed to see some additional hands-on adjustments but did not have time. Oh well.

Our final event was a sunset kirtan (chanting) on the beach. This mirrored the beautiful puja ritual we started the weekend with on Thursday evening. We were given flower petals to release to the ocean. As I threw mine into the water, I knew, somehow that my life had changed.

I had a chance to speak to Shiva briefly over my chronic fatigue syndrome and how I was interested in taking the full 200 hours but concerned because there were some poses I would never be able to do. She told me they had two training tracks – and one was for people who wanted to teach beginners and others with more limited mobility. The other track would be for people who want to teach advanced students. “Not everyone is going to be able to do handstand, and there’s no reason why beginners can’t do flow,” she said. That made me feel much better about doing her full training.

When I spoke to an assistant later to get more clarification, I was told that the program was going to be restructured in 2008 to fully reflect these two separate tracks. Well, how exciting! I think that’s a perfect solution to the issue I immediately saw on day one, where those of us who weren’t yoga superstars were left struggling as the class was geared more towards advanced practitioners.

That’s one thing I’ve noticed about Shiva – she is so sharp, and so on top of things, that whatever you think is a problem, she’s already aware of it and probably two steps ahead of you.

I ended the weekend deciding that I would complete her entire training program. Yes, I did start with many reservations about the basics and feeling like it was a bit over my head. But her new training for beginning teachers track starting, my main concern was eased. I’m not looking to be a full-time yoga teacher anyway – this is mainly for my personal growth and to have another tool to use for some workshops I want to create.

The final verdict – this training was fantastic. Even though I started off a bit resistant and struggling with it, I finally loosened up and “got into the flow.” I learned a lot about yoga, and a lot about the concept of “flow” in general. As a person who tends to struggle and force my way through life, I think the most valuable thing I got from this was that concept of flow. For that reason alone I am going to pursue the full teacher’s training.

Tomorrow I’ll post a summary review of the training. As for today, I am taking the day off to rest and recuperate. And maybe I’ll even do some yoga later.

Shiva handled this with grace and led everyone into some chanting to the morning sun. A regular yoga class showed up at 7 am as well, and they couldn’t get into the building either. (The teacher did not have the key.) So they were forced to go down to the beach for their class. At 7:30 am it was now an hour past our scheduled starting time, and still no employee. It wasn’t until 7:45 am that we were finally able to enter the building.

I honestly wasn’t upset because this meant we didn’t have to go through a few hours of grueling yoga practice in the morning, when we were already scheduled to take Shiva’s open class after our last session of the day. Still, this was exceptionally unprofessional of Exhale, which is a yoga studio chain. Would it kill them to give Shiva a key? What do they think she’s going to do, secretly steal her own clothing line from their boutique? Gimme a break.

Later, they gave us some gift certificates to ease the pain, not that most people will be able to use them since they aren’t local. They also gave us a 15% discount in the store – how’s that for turning a major screw up into an opportunity for them to make more money by encouraging product sales?

But enough of that. Onto the training.

I felt surprisingly good. Behold the power of pacing yourself: Because I had not pushed myself on Friday, and I took it easy during the yoga practice, my arms actually felt much better on day three. I also had a good amount of energy. Everyone around me, it seemed, was complaining of being “totally exhausted” as well as achy.

In our morning practice, Shiva gave us some straps and had us work on some deep shoulder openers with back bends. I got a great adjustment and – wow – my shoulders opened up more than they ever have in my life. I felt so much lighter I almost cried afterwards. This is what I’m interested in – yoga as a means of releasing all that tight stuff and old emotion in the body. Hurrah.

The teaching assistants are all terrific teachers in their own right, and they once again did a great job leading us through the teaching lab. If anyone ever poo-poos a large training like this because teaching assistants are used, they shouldn’t.

These assistants are in some ways more approachable than Shiva, not because she not nice or friendly, but because she has that aura of fame and almost guru status about her. I sense – though I could be wrong – that people are a bit more comfortable showing their warts to the assistants and I guess I feel a little bit that way too…and I’m not a person who gets intimidated. It’s just that you feel you are more on a…not a peer level, but…well, maybe you know what I mean.

The afternoon session involved working on how to create a mini-vinyasa within a pose. We broke up into smaller groups to work on some posture and then find ways to include movement with this. This was a bit of a mess in my group. I had studied the manual the night before and was prepared and understood the information. It was clear that a few people in the group had no clue what was going on, and worse, one was particularly overbearing and wasn’t interested in listening to those of us who did grasp things. We were lucky that a teaching assistant came by who had the authority to explain things. And there were a few in the group who were exceptionally insightful and helpful. Somehow we got it together and were able to do our demonstration for the entire class, which went off without a hitch.

After that, we had the open class with Shiva and the regular people who take classes at the yoga center. Our mats were so close together we were putting our heads literally into people’s behinds as we were doing some postures. The class was nice, though a little too speedy for me personally in places. (But then again, I prefer a slower flow.) We had the longest and most wonderful shivasana ever as Shiva actually went into the bathroom to shower for an evening engagement she had. How on earth does that woman have so much abundant energy? She’s amazing.

With that, I am getting ready for the final session today. We will also be taking a field trip to the Agape Spiritual Center. Fun!

I had a much better time in day two. Even though we had a lot of yoga to do, Shiva was mindful of the exhaustion many of us had from the day before and encouraged us to skip the chatturangas if we needed to. We didn’t have a tough series to do in the afternoon as in day one; we had an interactive lecture instead. Here, she showed us how we might craft a yoga flow, by using living students as “flash cards” lined up in a grid in the center of the room. This was a highly effective teaching method and fantastic.

Note to anyone who isn’t a yoga superstar: It’s a good idea in teacher training to sit towards the back if you want to pace yourself. The first day I was up in front with a lot of advanced people or athletic types who wanted to go balls out on everything. The second day I wised up and sat in back. This was so much better! The people around me were much more moderate in their practice. I could see that a large number of classmates were average and not superstars. In other words, they weren’t jumping into splits off the bat. They rested in child’s pose more. I felt much more at ease.

It was nice that Shiva seemed to back off from the extreme yoga that was done on day one. She even said as she was showing how to support someone in bakasana (crow): “The Dalai Lama does not do bakasana, so it’s OK if you don’t.” But then she’d contradict herself and tell us, if we were balking at harder poses: “Go to Cirque du Soleil and get over it.” She said that what we do in yoga is easy by comparison.

Well, yes…easy if you are in top physical condition and have no limitations. Not only do I have chronic fatigue syndrome (with accompanying blood flow issues that makes it harder for me to keep my muscles oxygenated), I am weak in certain areas. I have upper body strength but only in forward motion (like swimming). Pushing up with straight arms (as in chatturanga) has always been hard for me.

I talked to a yoga teacher from an Iyengar background – I happen to have these funky arms that curve inwards (she called this the carrying line?), where, according to her, my muscles are too short on one end and have to overcompensate on the other. I will also never, ever be able to get my arms fully straight. Thus my discomfort in downward facing dog, push ups, plank, chatturanga, and the like. No wonder. I know I’m not that much of a wuss otherwise.

The Iyengar teacher was so blown away by Shiva’s vinyasa flow style of yoga, since it is so different from what she’s done. Even though she had a 500 hour certification already, she was eager to take Shiva’s entire 200 hour training. She was loving the class.

My thinking, though, is that this training is an advanced “throw you into the deep end” kind of training. Shiva is brilliant, her yogic philosophy fantastic, her knowledge vast. She seems to come the vibe that people are adults, so she won’t coddle you by taking things slow.

I’m still wondering whether this training is not better for more advanced yogis who ideally have other teacher training. I have mixed feelings for myself. On day two I found myself really “getting” her techniques and finally settling in to a basic understanding. The theoretical portion I can handle. However, I find myself, with my particular personality, wanting to dive even deeper into the basics after two days with Shiva. I want to go to a teacher training that bores me with particulars of one pose, physical anatomy, and minor adjustments. Then it would be great to go to Shiva’s training and have that dry theory as a foundation for her flow. To me that’s like learning the multiplication tables before learning Calculus.

Still, I am getting a lot of out this, and I’m considering whether I want to take her other modules.

The end of day two culminated in a trance dance, which was fantastic, but we were all sooo exhausted.

Gotta run, so I can get to the morning session.