I received this personal letter with the public recommendation from my student who finished 200-hour training at Spira last year. Some of you are contemplating taking on this journey and wondering what to expect; read Helen’s letter below… Her personal letter was so honest and wonderful, that I asked permission to share it along with her formal recommendation.
Thank you Helen for participating, for giving me an opportunity to teach, and for writing this amazing letter.
Below is Helen’s letter to Dora
Helen – Class of 2017-2018
Dora,
While I initially picked your training because of the schedule, I feel like I hit the jackpot in terms of quality and depth. While I don’t have anything to compare it to since this is my first training, I’ve learned so much from you that it’d be a hard act to follow. You have so much knowledge and background on a wide range of topics that you bring a well-rounded perspective. You’re not all peace and love and rainbows and unicorns and some of the other common misconceptions about yoga. You are real. You swear. You have shared your vulnerabilities and your hard ships with us. You have shared your insecurities and struggles. But rather than a therapy session, those are woven into a lesson for us.
I remember sitting in the first module and absorbing everything you said. I felt energized by all the totally new information that was being thrown at us but at the same time feeling that there is no way in hell I can teach. I realized very quickly that there was so much I don’t know. I remember you saying not to worry about it. That it will all come together and will make sense later on. It was hard to believe at the time but sitting here on the other side and having come so far, you were right. What you have given us is a opportunity to explore a life-long journey of learning about yoga and ourselves.
I was drawn to this training for “YOGA” in the physical sense. It’s always been a go to place for me and I always feel better coming out of a class. Coming from a bikram background, vinyasa flow was harder for me. I never liked it that much because I didn’t feel like i had the upper body strength to do it properly. I now have a greater appreciation for it. I’m stronger and my yoga practice has improved so much. However, while I expected to improve my yoga practice, what i didn’t expect was to become a better person. I am now AWARE… aware of my thoughts, aware of other people’s perspectives, aware of my own habits and paradigm, aware that empathy and compassion go further than non-communication and judgement, aware that we are all connected.
As has been said a lot recently, we are more ready than we think. You have pushed us out of our comfort zones, challenged our preexisting views, taught us how to be safe, and while we all have our own unique styles and personalities, we move forward in our yoga and our lives with the influence of our Hungarian-born, bad-ass yoga teacher. Dora, I know at times you struggle to maintain a studio and question your choice, but I’ve heard many times in various yoga classes ‘thank you for giving me the gift of teaching’, but you truly have a gift and this is what you were meant to do. Thank YOU for sharing your gift with us.
RECOMMENDATION
If you are curious about the teacher training, I would highly recommend it. It’s so informative and interesting that it’s worthwhile even if you don’t want to teach, yet so essential if you DO want to teach.
Here’s what it did for me:
It improved my own yoga practice (I did not have a lot of experience in vinyasa flow and quite frankly didn’t like all the upper body work as I didn’t have the strength…well, not only did I get much stronger, I understand how to do the postures properly and safely).
I learned so much on history, philosophy, anatomy, mindfulness, nutrition, meditation, etc.
I also learned there is so much about yoga that I still don’t know but have been inspired to keep learning more.
I met new and interesting people from all stages in life and while this is a personal experience, it was great to have different perspectives and personalities share the journey.
I was pushed out of my comfort zone, but in a supportive, encouraging environment (we were all super nervous to teach in front of the class, but we all did it!!!)
What I didn’t expect, was to become a better person:
how to be more patient with myself as well as others
I found tools to deal with hardships or adversity in life
I am more aware and mindful of my thoughts and the world around me
developed a strong sense of self and community and how we are all connected
Dora is am amazing philosopher and I could listen to her lectures all day. She is of eastern European descent so she has a unique perspective on US culture compared with other societies. She will challenge your beliefs in a respectful way that facilitates honest, heartfelt dialogue on a range of topics. She is real about the struggles people face both within the yoga practice and just with life in general. I love this about her. She doesn’t sugar coat things and offers guidance about how the principles of yoga can assist us in our everyday lives.
In addition to Dora, there are other lectures about anatomy, nutrition, chakras, energy, aryuveda, etc. all taught by other teachers at Spira so you get a variety of information. We also read some fantastic books and saw numerous videos (TED talks, etc.). The time generally flies by faster than you think. The schedule was totally manageable even with kids!
Overall, this was such an incredible experience and highly recommend to anyone even remotely interested!
Spira Power Yoga 200 hour graduates, Class of 2018