After 6 months of hard work I did it! I successfully completed my 200H Hatha Yoga Teacher Training

If you've been reading any of my blog posts so far you probably know that in the last months I've been going through a Hatha Yoga Teacher Training, the 200 hours one.

I'm the third on the left in the sitting row. So happy to have met such amazing people!

I heard before I enrolled that this course and especially this teacher is "very tough" but also very much worth it.

Looking back at the last 6 months I would have probably not joined had I known how challenging and demanding this experience can be. But I'm happy I jumped in and I made it all the way through the final examination.

Of course I know that this 200 hours is just the beginning of my formation as a yoga practitioner and teacher. But it's a good start that also allows me to legally teach anywhere in the world.

At the end of this experience I am filled with gratitude. I am so grateful for:

• The amazing teacher I had the chance to study with, Julio Dieguez Papi.
  I appreciate his dedication, discipline and perfect balancing of toughness and love spiced with a great sense of humour and a healthy dose of humbleness. He knows how to push you through your limits and become aware of the progress so far while motivating you to go even deeper in your practice.

• The wonderful group I had the chance to share this experience with.
  In 6 months of sharing our pains and gains together we grew closer and closer and developed such supportive, encouraging and harmonious relationships that makes me tear up a bit while writing about this. During the last two modules especially, when the stress was so high because we had examination after examination showed how much we deeply care for each other, how much we kept encouraging each other and lifted each other's spirit when one was down.

• My own physical and psychological transformation during these months.
  Before joining this course, even though I've been practicing yoga for a couple of years and diverse other sports before that, I kept having recurring back pain. There were times in my life when I woke up in pain every single day. There were moments when my lower back was so painful I needed help to get to the bathroom...yeap, that bad.

  So one of the first improvements I noticed in my body after just 1-2 months of starting this course was that I didn't wake up in pain anymore. My back was still tender and contracted in some areas but it got better and better. Sure, I had muscular pains in every inch of my body after every module but these are "good pains".

  I also noticed my posture got better in my every day life. I notice when I get sloppy much more often and I correct myself.
  Based on these unexpected results after just 6 months I can predict that my body will get even better and stronger if I continue my practice. And of course I want to continue!

There are many other things I'm grateful for at the end of my first 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training, but I'll stop here.

Thank you for the good vibes and kind thoughts you sent my way while I've been going through this challenging and transformative experience.

Namaste