Mid-September marked the final weekend of our Yoga Therapy Training with Yoga North International SomaYoga Institute. Ali and I traveled to Duluth, MN for one last 4-day training module with our tight-knit training cohort. The weekend was filled with deep learning and much wonder about what comes next for each of us, as we progress on our journeys towards yoga. Feeling the support of nature, while camping with Ali that rainy weekend in Duluth, added a sweet intimacy that was truly magical.

Our amazing teachers, Ann and Molly, guided us as we continued our studies of practitioner-assisted pandiculations and worked with clients in individual public clinic sessions. They took us out on the town for the Duluth Peace Walk, a memorial of the steps Duluth has taken to become a peace-making city, as well as a remembrance of times when violence occured in the lakeside community. The Peace Walk, co-created by Yoga North and local peacemakers, had a powerful effect on our whole cohort. Inviting peace into the bodies and hearts of the people I work with is a mission that is very dear to me, and it’s one I intend to continue here at Satsang Yoga Collective. 

We laughed, cried, danced, and cooked together to seal in the 18 months of intense study we shared. I would like to thank Yoga North, my guru sister Ali, our classmates, and all of you who have practiced with us along this path. I greatly appreciate your support as we’ve grown together. 

- Anna

It feels like a complete circle, with a twist, to finish the 1000 hour yoga therapy training program at Yoga North International SomaYoga Institute. Anna and I began the 500 hour level I training Oct 2019, and we completed that training online separated by physical distance, yet still gratefully and easefully connected online. A cohort of 16 started the level II training online. Our full cohort came together in person Sept 2022 in Duluth, MN to tie a bow on our 5th module together.

This path to becoming a certified Yoga Therapist has been a 3 year journey, and thanks to the nature of our teachers and multi-talented cohort, a very supportive one. The dynamic group was an inspiring reflection to do our personal and collective work together. I learned greater patience in my body embracing the ideas of Somatics methodology well blended with Yogic philosophy and classic asana. The sense of my posture has improved, and I am able to hold myself well during periods of swift change and distress. I am breathing more steadily, and with more depth, having deeply explored the subtle pathways of Prana in and through the body. As a Jnana Yogi, passionate about learning and a forever student, my discernment and thinking is more sharp and clear. Through practice and new knowledge, I learned to take better cues from my body, and to ‘ride the edge’ of my comfort zone for growth. With generous support, I traversed shadow sides of myself while being held in a community of non-judgemental human beings. 

I am so grateful to have the reflections of fellow truth seekers at Yoga North. Of course we had our interpersonal and collective challenges to navigate. Our fearless teachers, Ann Maxwell and Molly McManus, offered accommodations for all to feel safe, brave, and seen during our 18 months together. I am forever changed from engaging with these teachings, and here to embrace my life path with more ease and understanding. There is really only uncertainty in this life. And it's best to surround yourself with good company! With increasing wonder and courage, I look to carry on this path of teaching and learning. May we all stay in close connection with those that want to journey on the path of a well-lived life together.  This is what Satsang Yoga Collective is all about.

- Ali