In this post, we talk to Sondra Hamilton, a graduate of Hale Pule’s 200-hour Yoga teacher training. She shares with us the difference Yoga has made in her life and the profound changes she has gone through as a result of attending a teacher training.
HP: What initially attracted you to Yoga?
SH: I was initially attracted to Yoga when I was a server and had a clear awareness that I was not breathing the whole shift. I had tried several vinyasa flow classes and it just was not clicking. I was about to give up on attending classes when one Christmas morning I attended a Forrest Yoga class. The teacher started the class by going through all the chakras and meditation. That was the moment it clicked for me.
HP: What have you learned about yourself as a result of your Yoga practice? What have you unlearned?
SH: As a result of my Yoga practice I have learned to breathe and stay completely in my body, to connect to my true essence and stay grounded in my truth. I have unlearned everything I thought I knew about Yoga and reconstructed a new way of feeling every muscle and bone in my being.
I have also gained a deeper strength of clarity and discernment within my heart. Yoga training has given me the tools to have a daily practice, no matter where I am in the world and a discipline to put my self-care and practices first before I can be of service to others. I continue to take the practices on my travels and have noticed profound shifts in my doshas and what it feels like to be balanced physically, spiritually and mentally. As a result I am fully empowered to live my life to its fullest potential.
HP: How do you describe Yoga?
SH: I explain Yoga to my friends, family and students as a spiritual practice that brings clarity to remain grounded in the heart as we approach our daily lives. Yoga is a lifestyle that, if fully embodied, can create profound changes.
HP: Why did you choose Hale Pule’s Yoga teacher training?
SH: I chose Hale Pule’s Yoga training over other trainings because I wanted to be fully immersed in the spiritual and Ayurvedic practices. I knew it was a good fit when I found out the lifestyle was fully embodied there as opposed to one that was just talked about.
The most memorable experience from the Yoga training was seeing all of the subtle layers of energies and emotions that I was storing in my body. I learned to observe, clear and transform stagnancy out of my joints and witness the transformational journey of my inner landscape.
HP: What would you say to someone who is considering Yoga teacher training at Hale Pule?
SH: If you found the training then it’s a clear call from spirit to approach a deep, spiritual transformational inner work of the ego, mind, body and subtle body energies. It is an awakening all of the senses and balancing of who you thought you were and what you used to be. It will help you erase all concepts of thinking you know anything. It’s a beautiful blessing to be awakened to such radiance.
HP: What else should we know about you and your experience with Yoga?
SH: My experience with Yoga has been life changing. I no longer look at it as a routine; it’s a spiritual practice that my soul has been yearning for. The beauty is that no matter where I am in the world I can find my truth and center through Yoga. To find a practice that I deeply resonate with on every level is what has softened my heart to the expansive beauty of this life. Feeling my body in my skin is the deepest experience Ayurveda and Yoga have taught me.
If you’re interested in a life-changing experience like Sondra’s, apply for our 200-hour Yoga teacher training.