I studied the Spanish language from the 5th grade on. (That's the 95-96' school year!) I spent 90 minutes per school day in Spanish during middle school, studied AP (college level) Spanish in high school and majored in Spanish language during my undergrad. Senior year, I studied abroad at Universidad Nacional in Heredia Costa Rica and immersed in the culture for a semester. I worked along side native Spanish speakers throughout college, volunteered as an ESL tutor, and went on to graduated with a 4.0 in the major. Although I had plenty of classroom experience and academic training, I struggled to verbally communicate with clarity. Despite being able to read and write proficiently, I was still having to process what was said to me and then translate it in my mind. I had the verb structure down, the vocab, you name it, but there was a piece missing that prevented me from fluent and seamless communication.
I then spent 3 years as a teacher in a Spanish immersion setting. It was during that time I no longer needed to stop to process anything. The language input made sense and I was able to respond with clarity. No delays for thinking or explaining what it is a meant, rather simply put, I was finally fluent in Spanish. I felt that all the layers of knowledge created a webbing or safety net I could not slip through. For 12 years I repeatedly practiced and put myself into uncomfortable settings to challenge myself and hone this skill-set required to become truly bilingual. I had teachers, studied on my own, and became a teacher. I believe all of those components contributed to my eventual fluency.
Fast forward two years later, I am no longer working full time in my second language. I have Mexican roommates and we speak a hybrid of Spanish and English, but I am certainly not spending significant time speaking and listening to Spanish. I am only teaching 1-2 hours/ week. Currently, there are moments when I have to search for words or process what they are saying in Spanish rather than enjoying immediate comprehension. It seems that the daily practice is a huge part of skill maintenance... I am still like-fluent, but rusty and in need of practice! Now for the way this connects to yoga!
I began to study yoga in 2004. I started taking classes twice a week for free at my college.I did not have perfect attendance and I am sure I skipped quite a few classes. I managed to take two semesters of college level yoga for the Pys Ed credits. By the time I graduated, I had learned about the history and philosophy of yoga. I had learned and tried many breathing techniques and been introduced to basic poses. I struggled with the physical aspect but was not in great physical condition. I could explain some things about yoga but I could not "speak yoga" gracefully with my words, body or breath.
When I graduated in 2008, I moved back to Boston. All the yoga studios I tried were hot vinyasa yoga which was a stark contrast to what I had grown accustomed to in Virginia. (The class back in VA was called Yoga For Everyone and it was a breeze in comparison!) My first experience was at Prana Power Yoga. I got my ass handed to me. I could barely hold myself up. I remember being asked by a teacher if I was okay... "Yes, I am okay!" Okay, so that was embarrassing and humbling. And again, I saw that 4 years into studying and trying yoga, I had lots to learn and work on.
I sporadically attended classes from 2008-2010. In 2010 my best friend said she had signed up to take a Viniyoga teacher training and I decided why not. I started practicing weekly with the class over 12 weeks and had assignments to practice outside class. I also started to read up on the yoga sutras which I had lightly touched during my undergrad experiences, and could now understand them a bit better. I still coul dnot explain any of it aloud!
When I started teaching at the preschool in 2008, I had been doing a half hour yoga class with my students every week. By the time I finished my certification program, I was teaching all the other classes in the preschool too. I resigned from classroom teaching before the summer of 2011 and then I found a part-time job as a kid's yoga instructor. I went from teaching a few hours a week, to up to 15+ in a very short time. I was also looking for a more sophisticated studio for my own practice and started to train at Inner Strength Studios. I enrolled in their 200 hour teacher training and completed it in 2012. I had read and practiced so much. By that time I was going to the studio 5 times a week to practice yoga asana. Yet, when I completed the 200 hour certification, I stood up to teach and could barely get words out. It took immersing in literature, community, practice and practice teaching to get me "speaking yoga fluently."
Fast forward to now, I teach about 10 adult classes and countless kids classes each week, practice all the time and re-read and introduce new readings, attend workshops and trainings regularly. In other words, I am completely immersed in the practice. Now I have the poses understood through experience and practice talking to the poses and breath. I can speak to poses and breathes with out having to think. It feels like I am fluent in yoga. I imagine if I took time off from my teaching and practicing that it would be less fluid and easy for me.
What I see is that learning takes a long time, lots of regular practice and what really brings it home is the TEACHING aspect. Even if it's not your job to, get out and explain what you're studying out loud. Talking through ideas solidifies them in the mind and reinforces the knowledge. And, the benefit is that others around you are learning, too! And, notice that the more you do, the better you get. And the more you cut back, perhaps, the less fluent you become.
The silver lining, for those of you who enjoy life long learning, is that there is always more to learn! I learn new yoga and Spanish all the time. :)
I then spent 3 years as a teacher in a Spanish immersion setting. It was during that time I no longer needed to stop to process anything. The language input made sense and I was able to respond with clarity. No delays for thinking or explaining what it is a meant, rather simply put, I was finally fluent in Spanish. I felt that all the layers of knowledge created a webbing or safety net I could not slip through. For 12 years I repeatedly practiced and put myself into uncomfortable settings to challenge myself and hone this skill-set required to become truly bilingual. I had teachers, studied on my own, and became a teacher. I believe all of those components contributed to my eventual fluency.
Fast forward two years later, I am no longer working full time in my second language. I have Mexican roommates and we speak a hybrid of Spanish and English, but I am certainly not spending significant time speaking and listening to Spanish. I am only teaching 1-2 hours/ week. Currently, there are moments when I have to search for words or process what they are saying in Spanish rather than enjoying immediate comprehension. It seems that the daily practice is a huge part of skill maintenance... I am still like-fluent, but rusty and in need of practice! Now for the way this connects to yoga!
I began to study yoga in 2004. I started taking classes twice a week for free at my college.I did not have perfect attendance and I am sure I skipped quite a few classes. I managed to take two semesters of college level yoga for the Pys Ed credits. By the time I graduated, I had learned about the history and philosophy of yoga. I had learned and tried many breathing techniques and been introduced to basic poses. I struggled with the physical aspect but was not in great physical condition. I could explain some things about yoga but I could not "speak yoga" gracefully with my words, body or breath.
When I graduated in 2008, I moved back to Boston. All the yoga studios I tried were hot vinyasa yoga which was a stark contrast to what I had grown accustomed to in Virginia. (The class back in VA was called Yoga For Everyone and it was a breeze in comparison!) My first experience was at Prana Power Yoga. I got my ass handed to me. I could barely hold myself up. I remember being asked by a teacher if I was okay... "Yes, I am okay!" Okay, so that was embarrassing and humbling. And again, I saw that 4 years into studying and trying yoga, I had lots to learn and work on.
I sporadically attended classes from 2008-2010. In 2010 my best friend said she had signed up to take a Viniyoga teacher training and I decided why not. I started practicing weekly with the class over 12 weeks and had assignments to practice outside class. I also started to read up on the yoga sutras which I had lightly touched during my undergrad experiences, and could now understand them a bit better. I still coul dnot explain any of it aloud!
When I started teaching at the preschool in 2008, I had been doing a half hour yoga class with my students every week. By the time I finished my certification program, I was teaching all the other classes in the preschool too. I resigned from classroom teaching before the summer of 2011 and then I found a part-time job as a kid's yoga instructor. I went from teaching a few hours a week, to up to 15+ in a very short time. I was also looking for a more sophisticated studio for my own practice and started to train at Inner Strength Studios. I enrolled in their 200 hour teacher training and completed it in 2012. I had read and practiced so much. By that time I was going to the studio 5 times a week to practice yoga asana. Yet, when I completed the 200 hour certification, I stood up to teach and could barely get words out. It took immersing in literature, community, practice and practice teaching to get me "speaking yoga fluently."
Fast forward to now, I teach about 10 adult classes and countless kids classes each week, practice all the time and re-read and introduce new readings, attend workshops and trainings regularly. In other words, I am completely immersed in the practice. Now I have the poses understood through experience and practice talking to the poses and breath. I can speak to poses and breathes with out having to think. It feels like I am fluent in yoga. I imagine if I took time off from my teaching and practicing that it would be less fluid and easy for me.
What I see is that learning takes a long time, lots of regular practice and what really brings it home is the TEACHING aspect. Even if it's not your job to, get out and explain what you're studying out loud. Talking through ideas solidifies them in the mind and reinforces the knowledge. And, the benefit is that others around you are learning, too! And, notice that the more you do, the better you get. And the more you cut back, perhaps, the less fluent you become.
The silver lining, for those of you who enjoy life long learning, is that there is always more to learn! I learn new yoga and Spanish all the time. :)
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