Finals Yay!
“I am so over these geckos!” I exclaim to myself as I clean massive gecko poop droppings. These beautiful creatures were so fascinating in the beginning but they have become the biggest nuisance of my life. They poop everywhere, and my bathroom is covered in it. I am in full Pitta mode now. I am trying to find someone at the Ashram to blame for this. “Really?” I ask myself. As if anyone has control of the gastric contents of these reptiles.
I decide that I need to take the Yoga class before our final exams, not caring about any physical limitations today. I need to burn this off and to find some good meditation. Being that it is Independence Day, Satyam has come up with a theme class based on freedom. We start off with a gratitude flower meditation, just what I need.
We each had to randomly select a peak pose for our 15-minute final. This was to be taught to our fellow classmates. Of course, I picked shoulder stand. My back will definitely not allow me to do this so I have JP and Miko on stand bye to step up and demo the pose as I cue it to the class.
I got bonus kudos from my ratings for this. My key needs for improvement were that I moved too fast and my voice was too low. My key strengths were using breath, my explanations of arms in Salabasana and the foot massage I added to Butterfly pose.
Yet, I still felt defeated. I felt like I got my ass kicked throughout most of my teaching. Though some would say I was too into my head, others would say that I was making so much improvement in getting out of my head. Most said they wanted my story when I taught, rather than the quotes I added throughout my teaching. It’s all good. I didn’t expect to be this awesome teacher at the end. Just a good beginner teacher and I was not sure I had achieved that.
Satyam explained to me that what I had learned during teacher training was like the first draft of one of my blogs. He wants me to use that and sprinkle my personal finishing touches in a way that everyone would be able to comprehend the published writing. I felt better, knowing I was up to the challenge.
Spirit had made a special lunch for all of us and it was delicious. At the table, Satyam and Abhaya said they could drive us down to the parade if we would like but we would need a ride back if we wanted to watch the fireworks. Most of us just wanted to stay back at the Ashram and have some downtime. So we all gathered in the living room and watched Kung Fu Panda III, per Satyam’s suggestion. It was an enjoyable night of just hanging together. I am glad we chose to do so.
Later that night, I was awoken by the loud fireworks. I headed to the bathroom and it was really dark. Some strange looking animal was coming at me. I thought it might be a young boar, but it turned out to be a bulldog that had wandered onto the Ashram. I was a bit scared at first but he just walked up to me and smiled like a bulldog would smile. Then he followed me everywhere. When I got to the bathroom, he tried to go inside with me but I had to say no. Then he wandered off toward Satyam who was walking around handing out ear plugs.
Satyam said to pay no mind to the dog. I thought the dog must have been scared by the fireworks and felt the good energy of the Ashram. He was gone by morning.
Graduation Day
We started out with meditation, then breakfast. Afterward, we were given an hour to clean and pack. Then we did our final craft assignment. The first being a braided necklace made from some of the plants that grow on the Ashram land. I am not good with my hands so I stopped at the first string and turned it into an earring.
I had better luck with the headband and I just loved it. Satyam wanted us all to get together for a picture and of course, Angela went right into a full headstand. “Angela, unless you can hold one of these branches with your toes, get down and take a picture with us!” I scolded. She laughed and joined us.
After another break to clean up and change for graduation, we each met outside the shrine. “I can’t believe it is over.” Alexa smiled sadly. We hugged. We were then taken into the shrine and organized in a circle. We all sang a song together, then Satyam and Abhaya presented us with our certificates and lovely kukui nut necklaces.
Satyam and Abhaya took turns sharing something about each of us and it was truly a beautiful experience. I am now a certified Yoga Teacher!
Afterward, I was more than ready to spread my wings and fly…or at least take a bus to the next part of my journey: the Hilo side of the island.
My Konalani Ashram experience was over and it was a worthwhile and meaningful part of my story. I will always look back on it with bliss!
Living Elysian 