21/11/2025
It’s been 2 weeks of teacher training at the Sivananda Ashram in Neyyar Dam… and what an experience it’s been.
Something I’m really learning from my first trip to India is the gift of challenge. In the moment it doesn’t feel like a gift at all, but afterwards there’s this sense of relief, gratitude, and a kind of strength I didn’t realise was building. It’s like holding an asana for way longer than you want to, all you feel is the challenge, but the release, and the resilience that comes from it, is so worth it 😅
Rather than shying away from challenge, it’s teaching me where my edges are and how I can actually move beyond them. It’s also holding the mirror up to my values and what feels important to me. There’s something about being stripped back that creates space to expand. It’s not always comfortable… maybe that’s exactly why we get stuck sometimes.
The richness that comes from discomfort has been one of my biggest learnings these past 2 weeks along with the richness that comes when things are stripped back to basics. Even something as simple as eating every meal with my hands. I’m learning to love being so involved in the process, realising how much of life has been padded with convenience that actually might create disconnection. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all a balance.
What I’m more so feeling into is the idea that maybe we put more in the way than we realise like layers of convenience, comfort, habit, and protection that actually keep us at a distance from deeper connection with something else or atleast exploring new edges within ourselves. And it’s only when some of those layers are stripped back, when we let ourselves be a little more vulnerable and exposed, that we tap into something more real, more innate and fulfilling.
