Kathy Chappell graduated the July Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course 2018 with her daughter Samantha. This is her first-hand experience.

The moment my daughter Samantha and I stepped on the dock of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island, Bahamas, we looked at each other and simply knew were supposed to be there. The sense of calm, respect, tranquility, and positive energy in the ashram gave us an awe-inspiring feeling of welcome.

For more than a year, Samantha and I were discussing and planning our trip to take the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course together. The long-anticipated experience was finally here! We always loved our adventures together, and we also developed a love for yoga. We had a full month to immerse ourselves in beautiful yogic practices.

While I expected to enjoy spending every day with my daughter, it hadn’t occurred to me that the course itself would have such a positive impact on my life. One of the challenges I got to overcome was going “back to school” and becoming a student again … it was an immense and amazing learning curve! But the youth and energy of my daughter inspired me to push on. It was so interesting to be learning new things together.

We became not just mother and daughter, but fellow students and yogis. We lived together, learned together, laughed together, and cried together. (We did give each other space too!) Even when there were challenges, the support of our classmates and teachers reminded us we were all going through this transformation as a group. We made new friends and became part of the ashram community.

The knowledge, patience, and guidance from our teachers exceeded our expectations. We felt supported in our time learning what it meant to be a yogi. It was a beautiful four weeks, and we felt that the Sivananda ashram had a profound effect on both of us.

Eventually our graduation came. And while the experience of the Yoga Teacher Training was full in itself, we knew this was just the beginning of our journey. We look forward to not only continue strengthening our own practice, but to share our new knowledge of yoga with our students.

Thank you Sivananda Ashram Bahamas for everything!