Europe: 300 Hours. A Wild Ride & What’s To Come

A couple weeks ago I finished my 300 hour training. My month-long immersion in lecture and practice was not what I expected. It wasn’t worse, nor was it better. Just, different. The past couple weeks were spent wandering the Swiss Alps and van-living in Sweden processing everything I had experienced.

Going in, I thought an opportunity to learn from one of the most advanced teachers in the world would change my offerings and possibly my life; big expectations. Still, happy to share it did; just not how I imagined.

One could say in order to grow, we have to let go. Let go of all the sh*t we learned through each moment of shame, guilt, anger, argument and self loathing. It’s the holding onto these things that get in the way of growth, expansion and reaching beyond what we imagined for ourselves; we really can do more than we think.

This training was more than expanding my knowledge or becoming a beast at handstands; my experience was one of letting go. Letting go of expectations, self-pressure, idolizing another human and comparison. It was an experience of giving less f*cks, while living more courageously and compassionately.

But before I give the course all the credit let me share that for a while now I’ve been looking to go deeper with both movement and “off the mat” yoga. Daily meditation and movement. Frequent play is a priority and I find a way to do so most days of the week. Staying true to my rule of 80% any time I enter a competitive environment. It’s been a consistent effort in exploring and healing past traumas through breath, reading, reflection and counselling.

I say this as a reminder, there is no one-time-solve or quick fix. No single session, weekend course, or month long immersion.

All that to say, I signed up for a particular curriculum, but I was ready for everything this course would throw at me. Or at least I thought so…

Okay, back to the teachings…

Outside The Box

The greatest gifts of this course were found outside the curriculum.

I discovered a deeper ability to love. I found the strength to ask for help that I struggled with before. I healed deep wounds that I never knew I was holding onto. I found forgiveness for a loved one. I lost respect for someone I deeply admired. I gained respect for myself and my potential.

I didn’t learn anything that will change the style of my classes.

In fact, what I realized in practicing my teacher’s style, along with many other students, was that I love my practice and I don’t plan on changing. It’s lovely little affirmations like this that were unexpected. Recognizing that I do have something special, something different. Learnings borrowed from many different worlds, rather than a single-dimensional approach to movement, performance and mindfulness.

Inside The Box

Even though the greatest takeaways of this course were indirect, I am incredibly grateful for the curriculum and my teacher’s knowledge. It equipped me with more knowledge than I currently know what to do with. That said, there are a handful of things I am excited to share with all of you:

• Breath General health and athletic performance. Easter philosophy meets Western Science. All of it, in workshops coming up!
  

  • Worth mentioning that towards the end of our training I had increased my lung capacity to 3 minute breath holds with little strain.

  • I ran only once a week in an attempt to “maintain cardio”. I was impressed to see that my cardiovascular system was dialled and I was holding a similar pace to back home. No significant drops here. Whoop!!

  • I was excited to see how the breath practices would show up in the Swiss Alps immediately following my course. The result, effective above 2500m of elevation. My respiratory dexterity had clearly increased.
    

• Fascia All the rolling, release work and massage guns are just one (small) tool to help with better movement and glide. I’m excited to help my movers “flow” better with some subtle (and not so subtle) additions to class, especially 4Flow.
  

• Workshops More workshops are coming. Breath, Hand Balancing, Bodyweight Training, Yoga Specific and Lifestyle. Keep checking these emails for updates on what’s coming up & when!
  

• Yoga Off The Mat & Community Connection I believe we are missing a beautiful opportunity to connect, feel more joy, sense of purpose and self worth. I have witnessed my life change and I credit it to many practices I’ve learned and communities I’ve built in and around the yoga community. I understand for many it’s uncomfortable and often the space to chat, hang or just play is hard to come by. Let’s explore these things as a community. Discussions, outdoor hangs, community connection. Less anxiety, more laughter. Less impressions, more connection.
  

I’m grateful for the experience and will be processing it for a while. It took everything I had; emotionally, physically and energetically.

It was an experience that supported me in becoming a more compassionate human, a more dialled coach, a greater community member and truly believe that I have everything I need right in front of me; we all do. I hope I can help you realize and appreciate the same. For starters in the form of movement, exploring your potential and preventing injury.

It’s all in an effort to empower all of us to explore endlessly, play wildly and connect deeply.

Thanks for reading!

Much love and see you soon,

Julian.