This spring, I went in like a lamb and out like a unicorn. No I don’t have rainbow coloured hair now. But rather, I embarked on an intensive yoga teacher training program here in London.* For over 200 hours, I stretched, flowed, breathed, meditated, read, wrote, taught, loved, laughed, cried, hugged, and of course… “Ommmm”‘d. And now, I am a fully qualified RYT-200 Yoga Teacher. Whoopee! (That’s what unicorns say!)
During my first 16 consecutive days of class, I vowed to stay focused on my yogic journey. This meant staying sober, setting daily intentions, practicing yoga, meditating, studying, as well as wearing a different yoga pant everyday. (Hey, when you’ve worked in athleisure wear, these are the kinds of games you play.)
So what did I do/learn during this stint? Well, of course there was the teaching and teaching and teaching. But yoga is a physical and mental practice so enveloped in philosophy that one can’t help but reflect on all its wisdom. I realized that this training program taught me much more than how to cue postures and alignment. And while good yogi checklists are nice and all, the path to self-actualization (aka. maxing out on your potential) is actually more due to being open-minded… to the new, the messy, the unconventional, and the ambiguous. Embracing the “weird” – this is where personal growth comes from. Also, no one noticed my spectrum of yoga leggings.
With that said, here are 16 raw, imperfect, uncomposed selfies, taken on those first days of school. Each featuring a different yoga pant, along with a little self-reflection, because at the end of the day, it’s all about being flexible – like good ol’ stretchy leggings.
Day 1 – Playing it safe in grey tones and a grounding crystal necklace.
Day 2 – Seeking comfort, in a slubby sweatshirt.
Day 3 – Feeling slightly bolder in body hugging blue and black.
Day 4 – Still in shades of grey, but with color-contrast waist detailing.
Day 5 – Keeping cozy, in a floral rush of black and white.
Day 6 – Yogini goes grunge. Not really sure why?!
Day 7 – Ultra wide legs for when you need ultra comfort.
Day 8 – Feeling my fashionista self in faux-leather leggings and neon.
Day 9 – Good vibes, from front to back.
Day 10 – Navy is nice and simple.
Day 11 – Baby blue is killer cool.
Day 12 – How amusing are my shorts over pants?
Day 13 – Layered and loose, keeps a yogi free flowing.
Day 14 – The G in me likes tone on tone.
Day 15 – Grey is smoking hot.
Day 16 – Namaste in navy and open mesh strips.
WHAT YOGA LEGGINGS I WORE
Day 1-3, 5, 7-8, 10-12, 14, 16 // Sweaty Betty
Day 4, 6 // Lululemon
Day 9, 13 // Spiritual Gangster
Day 15 // Alo Yoga
*My training was at The Power Yoga Company, London’s first power yoga studio, located in Fulham.
Leave a Reply