If you read yesterday’s post I guess you want me to start with today’s major event: The yoga teaching of the Teacher Training class. OK. I grant you one wish.

I got up with Katja again today to be the dummy in the teaching she’ll do later today. Cutting through the tears of yesterday she remembered some of the comments from Les interruptions and we worked on that. “We” being a very wide term as it’s Katja that does it all, I’m just standing there looking like the novice yogi I am. She sounds and looks confident and I have good vibes for today.

I came down to yoga barn to secure a space in the class. Early, of course, I sat waiting outside on a bench waiting for the clock to catch up to me. Just before 11:30, when the doors would open, a bunch from the class came down and out. Toilet break, it seemed. I got hold of Katja and asked if the day was better than last night. Didn’t really seem so at the time. There had been crying in class today as well. OK, but she was focusing on the task at hand, not what just had been.

We were three guys given special treatment upon entering. We’re all the partner of someone in the class, or the instructors. We’re placed in back of the room in the middle of the row. This gives us a very good view of things. The class lines up after a while and we’re getting ready to go. I’ve been to some classes now, but this was different in so many ways. We kept going for 3 hours, but with a chance to breathe and catch up between each instructor as they always demonstrated the poses first. They kept changing the instructor in front, and all but the next three instructors, walked around and gave assists to us. This was just amazing. With 40-70 people in a class there’s really just so much a lone teacher can give you of personal assist. Having almost as many people giving assists as we were students made for a “hand on my back” almost all the time. That’s cool, but as my wingman said after class:”Phew, there was never a moment I could take a break and just hang in the pose. There was always someone there to pull, twist or push me into it.” I think that sums it up pretty good.

Katja got onto the teaching mat as number 6 or 7. She aced it! She was frickin’ awesome. She had the smile, the energy, the connection, the language – it all fell into place. The moment it should, and had to, it did. There is really no “it” here. Katja did this. She stepped up the game, pulled back her shoulders and put her chest forward. Looked the beast in the eyes, stood her ground and came out victorious. Yes, I’m biased. I know, but I rate her among the top 5 of today’s instructors. They were all good, but some are always “gooder”. She didn’t cry about this, but I was pushing my boundaries a lot when we were finished and we all clapped and cheered for the teacher students. Probably just left over sweat from my forehead that got into my eyes, don’t you think?

I have been bragging a lot about Katja in this blog during the year I have been writing, but I think there’s no time more deserved than right now. By the way, she got a message from a dear friend back home in Norway that had read about the upcoming event today. It landed here in Bali in the middle of the night, but in all honesty, I don’t think Katja slept all that much tonight anyway. That messages was a great comfort and highly appreciated. Thank You, Elisabeth!

Now it’s closing to four in the evening and I’m in the room finishing up my coffee to go I had at the bakery and awaits the return of Katja. They stayed behind to get feedback from Les, and I do believe if there’s tears upon return today – they’re tears of joy.

There were no tears at all. Just a happy girl returning from a day in class. We talked a while, before taking an afternoon nap. Truth to be told, neither of us slept all that well last night. It was a nice and relaxing nap where we fell asleep holding hands.

I wake up so sore in my hip flexor I could cry. I’ve over stretched it again. Damn! Hopefully it’s enough with a day’s rest to get back on the mat.

We walk down to Taco Casa, and have a Mexiacan meal and share a few beers. Damn that felt good. Right now it’s eigth o’clock and were looking to go to bed. A long day with lots of tension has come to an end. A good nights sleep will do wonders. Tomorrow Katja is going for massage, and then go to the homeopath, Rachel, I visited the other day.