Reflections on Completing Yoga Teacher Training at Tusket House

Completing a yoga teacher training program is a major milestone for aspiring instructors and dedicated practitioners. Recently, a transformative journey unfolded for me at Tusket House, an Ashram tucked away near Yarmouth along the banks of the Tusket River. Individuals from varied backgrounds, myself included, joined to deepen our yoga practice and acquire the skills to teach effectively. In this post, I will share reflections on the experience, lessons learned, and the personal growth I went through during the training.

The Environment of Tusket House

Tusket House is not just a training venue, it is more a home and offers a tranquil and nurturing environment to practice and learn. I lived right there and between classes I enjoyed biking around the area. I put over 100kms on my e-bike in the three weeks I was there training. It was an escape from the busyness of daily life, allowing us to put in long days focusing on yoga starting at 7am and sometimes going into the evenings.

While my first 10 days my energy was great, the last 10 I felt more tired. Turns out I had Lyme disease from a tick bite, which I found out the day after the course ended. It was perfect timing in a way, being able to finish the course. So though it ended on a sleepy, feverish note, the peaceful setting throughout allowed me to disconnect from distractions and fully engage with my yoga practice in a way I never had before.

Our unique and special graduation ceremony filled with singing and ceremony

The yoga studio where we trained was the upstairs of a spacious barn, filled with natural light that seem to twinkle in the mornings. We started our day with a morning chant followed by 5-10 rounds of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) when we acknowledge and greet the presence of the cosmic energies that are part of our existence. The learning atmosphere that followed encouraged student input and each voice was respected and heard in a way that was refreshing and was part of the trauma-aware approach I was learning. This approach embraces not just the physical aspects of yoga, but the mental and spiritual aspects as well and recognizes our own individual life experiences. Classes were held daily, covering a variety of topics ranging from anatomy to the philosophy of yoga, leading to a deeper understanding of both the practice and the art of teaching.

Curriculum Highlights

The curriculum was well-designed to blend theoretical knowledge, often by the means of handouts, with practical teaching experience. Significant time was spent on exploring breathwork and centering practices, as well as learning new Asanas (the poses) from the ground up.

It was fascinating to explore the philosophy behind yoga through some of the ancient texts going back thousands of years, like The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, one of the most foundational and profound texts in the entire yogic tradition. Written around 200 BCE–200 CE, it's a collection of powerful sutras (aphorisms) that offer a path to self-realization and inner peace. It says "Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind"(Sutra 1.2). Learning yoga as a way to live your life wasn't something I had considered before.

The yoga anatomy classes focused on the body's mechanics, alignment, and how different poses affect various physical structures. Understanding anatomy is crucial for creating safe and effective practices for our future students. Practice teaching sessions were also an essential part of our training and just within days we were teaching each other, which allowed us to begin to gain confidence as teachers early on. I loved how our individual approaches came out in our first hour-long practice class too. One participant led us in a laughing yoga class, which was hilarious and fun, while another taught a chair-yoga class. This hands-on approach was invaluable for gaining confidence and refining our teaching techniques– like my overuse of "we're gonna."

Building Connections

Among the most rewarding aspects of the training was the camaraderie formed among all of us. Group discussions after classes often turned into heartfelt conversations about life experiences and personal aspirations. The shared experience created deep friendships and fostered a strong sense of community too, which runs deep. This was evident one weekend when Tusket House hosted an Ecstatic dance and a well-attended Kirtan. Ecstatic Dance is a freeform, intentional movement dance without any choreography, or talking, just pure expression. The Kirtan too, hosted my Maryz and Pierre, a duo from Montreal, we all learned mantras and chants that were led by them using call and response. Both events were less about performance and more about participation. It wasn't that you needed to dance or sing well, it was enough just to be present. In a way the kirtan songs espcially, felt more like we were praying through through the music. Everything had a touch of sacredness to it.

These connections continue even now to last beyond the training, creating a network of new instructors. Through staying in touch on Facebook Messager we can now motivate and inspire one another and get feedback and advice from the Tukset House Yoga community.

Our puja table at Tusket House

The Path Forward

Completing my yoga teacher training at Tusket House marks the beginning of a new chapter for me. I left not only with a certificate but also with the confidence and skills to teach others and to facilitate the practice of yoga in a way that is also respectful of the traditions. The knowledge gained from the trauma aware training especially will help me to create a welcoming and special space too.

Yoga is a continuous journey of learning. As Kerry Lawson, our teacher trainer said one day in the barn, "you could study this stuff for two hundred years and still not know everything there is to know." I feel grateful to have made it this far the skills I have learned to share the gift of yoga with my community. Whether leading classes or further integrating yoga into my daily life, the impact of this training will resonate through my life for years to come. As my journey continues, my reflections on Tusket House are filled with thoughts of flowers, cool ocean breezes, laughter and new friends. What an incredible experience.