SOMATIC YOGA TEACHER TRAINING Student Testimonials
Read our student’s reflections. Each voice reflects a lived experience of embodied learning, inquiry, and trauma-informed practice.
Student Testimonial: Melanie | Costa Rica Training
Her Experience in Our Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training in Costa Rica
School Yoga Institute, I am eternally grateful I said ‘Yes’ to taking the Trauma Informed YTT 200-HR in Montezuma, Costa Rica. For over a year I had been wanting to take a YTT course but hadn’t found one that caught my attention with so many options and pretty much nothing that really made any stand out. I continued on my healing journey through somatic practices and at the end of March when I had all my finances in order I decided to take one more look on the Yoga Alliance website.
I began to narrow down my options with some filters based on hybrid options and location; I was then down to two options. Between the two options, the trauma-informed YTT instantly caught my attention even though I wasn’t quite sure what it would fully mean. As I read through the description of the course, it felt very much in alignment with the path I was currently on to use somatic therapy to come back to the body. I had experienced a lot of trauma and never knew how to heal it or manage it until I began immersing myself into different somatic experiences. I saw the vision of being able to use this for my own practice and helping others reconnect with their body, mind and spirit.
My heart led me to this course and I could feel a full body yes but my mind was running wild with so many questions. Was I flexible enough? I don’t have much knowledge of yoga, could I even become a yoga teacher? Will I fit in? All were valid questions and I focused on taking just the next step in front of me. I immediately applied for the scholarship SYI was offering and after I was approved for the scholarship I felt it to be another confirmation from the Universe that this was exactly where I needed to go. Because it was only 3 weeks or less before the start of the course I didn’t have much time to let doubt creep in. I was still nervous and at the same time excited because I couldn’t believe this was happening.
When the course began and we got to meet each other over zoom it began to not feel so scary. I shared with the group that I did not have much experience in yoga and I wanted to take this course as a means to further my knowledge and practice with yoga. I was never made to feel inferior, not good enough, or even that I didn’t belong. Quite the contrary, I was welcomed as I was! Jeanine and Brooke held such a safe and empowering container for the group and it really showed up with the evolution of the course. That was the common theme of the whole course ‘You are welcomed as you are’ and that truly helped to shed any doubts in my mind and lingering fears.
I had experienced traumatic events since a very young age and never knew how to process any of it. Being a first generation child of immigrant parents was challenging to understand until my father was deported and I then fully understood the extent of the situation. For years it continued to bottle up and it led to a lot of anger, grief, dissociation, impulsivity and addictions. I thought it was normal or just part of life, until I began to ask questions and seek answers. My journey looked very lonely, it consisted of me doing the work on my own without the support of anyone. I didn’t know anyone that was on a similar path or believed in the same things I do. Going to Costa Rica and being in community with all the women in the group I began to feel like I no longer had to do things on my own; I now have a community of strong, loving women I can lean on for support no matter the distance between us.
My YTT with SYI inspired me to continue to pursue helping others who don’t feel safe or secure in their bodies due to trauma. Just as this course was a safe container for me to learn and set the foundation for myself, I would like to help others establish a safe and secure foundation for themselves in their bodies. I have so many visions of how and who I would like to help, but first I know that together we are stronger. I would like to work with others who have similar visions to create a community space for healing. A community where we inspire each other to grow and evolve if we choose to, a community where we each feel we can come as we are. Brooke and Jeanine were and continue to be great examples of what it is like to be safe holders of a container, this naturally allowed for healing to happen amongst all of us.
I plan to begin my journey by offering my acquired skills and teachings at the FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center) where I have been working for almost a decade. The majority of the population we serve is undocumented immigrants and low income residents; working here for many years directly with the patients I have seen how hard it is for them to get standard care. There are many support groups and I would love to offer yoga classes to some of the kids groups, prenatal women, and cancer groups.
Thank you again SYI for the amazing journey back to myself, helping me unlock a new passion and spreading this beautiful gift. I will forever take this experience with me in my heart. It was more than a certification, it was an adventure back to my heart and a quest of finding my soul tribe.