It has been exactly 1 month since we completed our most recent 300 hour Yoga Teacher Training in Bocas del Toro, Panama; and I am still unsure of how to attempt to convey what we shared during our month in the jungle.

Yesterday I posted a photo album of the training on facebook and almost wrote a little paragraph to accompany it, but as I sat in front of the screen trying to choose the right words I realised that I didn’t even want to try to squeeze the month into a paragraph. So I decided to write a blog article instead, for anyone curious about what happens on our 300 hour trainings.

A lot of things happen in 1 month, especially a month of Teacher Training, so instead of sharing about it in a chronological order I will share what I consider to be the highlights.

Magical mornings ✨

Every morning at 6:00am, while it was still dark, we went around with a Tibetan bowl to wake up the yogis, announcing the start of another day.

We practiced mauna (noble silence) from 9pm to 9am so everyone got ready and arrived in the jungle yoga shala in silence. For the 1st two weeks Rachael and I alternated guiding the morning practice from 6:30am to 9am. Two and a half hours may sound like a long time but by the end of the training (also in the 200hour Trainings), everyone is in agreement that it’s a gift to dedicate this time to Sadhana (spiritual practice). We start every morning with 30mins of meditation, followed by pranayama and asana practice (breath work and yoga postures), finishing with a long relaxation. Most mornings we finished practice with a mantra before making our way to breakfast.

The last two weeks we were blessed to be guided by the 9 other yoga teachers and this was so wonderful. Each one of them offered a unique practice, infused with what we learnt together and from one another as well as with their beautiful unique energy. I love being a student as much as I love being a teacher so this was a true gift.

Sisterhood 🌸

What makes these trainings so exceptional is without a doubt the people who join us for these journeys. While I believe that everyone is equally special, it is not so common to spend 1 month living in such closeness with others, and this is a beautiful way to get to know people intimately.

Sharing space, meals, bathrooms etc… but most importantly sharing our hearts, the love we feel for one another grows naturally and by the end we feel like Family.

I knew 5 of the 9 women who joined us, 4 did their 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training with us so I already loved them, but I was reminded once again how natural it is to fall in love with anyone you spend enough time with, when we drop masks and open up. As days pass bodies relax, minds become more at ease and layers are shed, gently, slowly, tension dissolves making space for authenticity and naturally connection.

At our little Yoga School, Breath Body Earth, we honor men and truly love when they are part of our gatherings, but this time it happened naturally that it was just women, just as at our last 300hour YTT in Hawaii 2 years ago, and it felt so perfect.

Life in the Jungle 🍃

We spent the month at the magical Solarte EcoLodge, our dear friend Lourdes’ home. Lourdes and I met a few years go when she came to a Women’s Retreat I guided also in Bocas del Toro. Shortly after the retreat she invited me to her home to share her vision with me. She dreamt of creating a Sanctuary where others could come and heal and she has done this so beautifully.

Last year I hosted a 3 day silent retreat at Solarte EcoLodge and I was so excited to be visiting again this year but for a whole month + a 5 day silent retreat that I guided 1 week after the 300hour YTT finished.

Living in the jungle is a true luxury in my opinion, no cars, no shops, not much other than the trees and birds hehe!! but it comes with a price of course. We were blessed with sun for the 1st 2 weeks meaning we were running low on water so we had to start limiting our showers to 30 seconds until it started raining again. As a true Eco friendly establishment Lourdes does not use insecticides meaning we had visits from spiders, scorpions and other jungle creatures. We were also blessed to see the majestic morpho butterfly multiple times a day flying around the property.

It also seems worth mentioning that we were in the jungle and on the water and we also saw dolphins swimming by on most days and even a huge spotted eagle ray one day.

On days off everyone seemed excited to venture into Bocas Town, to shop and/or get a coffee and eat all the things we weren’t eating during the week, but on more than one occasion we all returned ‘home’ with a big sigh of relief.

Nourishment

Lourdes was the Head Chef for the Training, cooking incredible vegetarian dishes including curries, soups, salads and even home baked pita bread. We asked Lourdes not to fry food or serve any sugar and while this was a challenge at times, it was also a blessing in disguise, giving us all the opportunity to eat less sugar for the month. Much of the food we ate was from her garden, yuca, jackfruit, plantain, Chaya and katuc to name a few, which added to the magic of every meal.

Sound Healing

After breakfast we would come together in the sea shala for lectures on different topics including embodiment, somatics, the nervous system, trauma-informed yoga (all beautifully taught by Rachael), yoga philosophy, Sanskrit, mantra, mudra, bandhas and many more fascinating themes, but one of my top favourites was the Sound Healing module, which included 4 morning sessions. For these we met in the jungle shala, we started with a voice activation practice, I shared some theory and then we’d move into practice. For the 1st session the participants had the opportunity to practice for 10mins in pairs using only singing bowls, chimes and a few other metal instruments. By the 4th session I had the blessing of receiving a 90min sound journey as they guided the others for 30mins in groups of 3. I was moved and inspired by how they weaved seamlessly to offer a beautiful sound journey.

A Day of Silence

This is not something we offer in the 200hour Yoga Teacher Training but since in the 300hour we have more time we can afford the luxury of taking a whole day to be together in silence.

For those of you who already know me I am sure you know how much I appreciate silence as a spiritual practice. I will soon be writing a blog article about the 31 days of silence I did earlier this year. For anyone who may not be familiar with this practice, it’s a beautiful opportunity to rest and look within. If you are interested in participating in a silent retreat I will be offering a gentle introduction to silence in the form of a 3 day silent retreat in the UK at the end of September, get in touch if you are interested.

Kirtan

As Sound Healing was a module of the training and Kirtan is one of the most ancient forms of sound healing we decided to offer a Community Kirtan during the Training.

Since I used to live in Bocas a few years ago I was so happy to invite the many women I love in Bocas and it was such a special gathering. Women of all ages came from different islands to sing with us and it was so wonderful. We drank cacao and sang our hearts out. You can listen to some of the tracks we sang on my Soundcloud.

Evening Sessions 🕯️

Most days we started at 6.30 and finished at 6pm so we decided to limit the evening sessions to 2 a week, one with Rachael, learning about the 10 Mahavidyas – the 10 Tantric Goddesses, and one with me, learning about the Hindu Gods, a 1 hour meditation practice and a session on Yoga Nidra, the yoga of sleep.

The evening sessions felt how I remember sleepovers with friends when I was a kid. While we were still learning, the evening sounds of the pitch black jungle around us gave these sessions a mystical atmosphere that I know we all felt.

Quantum Leap

This is not a term I use often as I think it sounds a little new-age and is probably overused in the Spiritual community, but it seems applicable to what we experienced together. According to google the definition is “a huge, often sudden, increase or advance in something.”

While a month may not seem ‘sudden’ to those immersed in the experience, from an external perspective it could be said to be somewhat sudden. What is the advance some may ask? and while I would say it varies for everyone, it starts with increased presence.

After the Community Kirtan a few friends commented to me just how radiant those participating in the Training were and I believe it is a reflection of the time we spent together immersed in nature, meditating, chanting mantra, moving our bodies lovingly, sharing and connecting with each other.

This work is not always easy, old patterns arise, fears of what may happen if we let go of who we have been etc.. but it really is a privilege and a responsibility in my opinion. If we hope to live in a peaceful world we must start by making peace within ourselves and aspire to offer love and compassion through our words and actions.

Gratitude

I feel so deeply honoured and grateful for the opportunity to share the teachings and the practices that have served me on this journey. I am infinitely grateful for these incredible women who joined us for their authenticity and dedication and I am so excited for them to be sharing what we learnt together. I am truly grateful for Lourdes for creating such a magical place where souls can rest and heal And for cooking for us so lovingly alongside Rosalba and Estelina.

And of course I am forever grateful to Rachael, my soul sister in this life, without whom this wouldn’t be possible.

I pray that the Love and compassion we cultivated together contributes to a more peaceful and loving World.

Thank You for reading, if you are interested in our offerings you can see upcoming trainings and retreats as well as occasional online offerings here.