Having a baby for the first time really changes things in all areas of your life.
If you didn't read in the "about me" section on my blog... starting a family was a challenge for my husband and I. Our first pregnancy was in 2015, about a 1 1/2 years after getting married and trying to get pregnant. We lost that pregnancy at 11 weeks gestation. My world fell apart on that day, October 27, 2015. I was teaching Special Education in an elementary school in New Hampshire. I went to the OBGYN's office in the early morning before school started (after some abnormalities the day before).
I was in the office. By myself. I thought I was just going to run in, they would tell me everything was fine, and I'd be on my way to start the school day. Instead I was by myself. They told me there was no heartbeat and I lost our first pregnancy that we've been trying 1 1/2 years for. I called the school and all I could get out through my hysterical crying was, "At the OBGYN office." The secretary understood what I meant and said she'd take care of everything. I still think of how amazing she was during that phone call. I called my husband and parents on the way home. My parents came straight to my house and sat and cried with me. This was the beginning of my new life.
I ended up resigning from my teaching position. I wasn't fully available to my students, and having them in the special education program- they really needed someone to be 100% there for them.
I also wasn't in the most supportive environment, so I felt more stress than comfort and relief from being in my work place. I slowly began to focus on myself and put myself back together. I started counseling for my loss. I started practicing yoga again. My husband was an amazing support and allowed me to take this time that I needed, even if we did have to cut down on a lot of financial expenses.
It was this time when I started questioning if teaching in the public classroom was right for me. My heart has always been with teaching social behaviors, social emotional learning (SEL), individualized coping skills, confidence, cooperation, communication- not math, science, and social studies (I did love to teach reading though- if only elementary teachers could teach only reading and SEL). A friend of mine is a
Director of a Child Care Center/Private School and posted on Facebook that she attended a Child Yoga Teacher Training program. A WHAT?! This is a thing? I can teach Children Yoga?! I already received newsletters from
Yoga Ed. on different breathing and chair yoga techniques to use in the classroom and would use it when I taught special education. Finally, I felt that spark that I was missing since my loss.
I immediately registered for the Basic Child Yoga Teacher course (children 2-12) through
ChildLight Yoga in Dover, NH. My first class was Friday night from 5-9 pm and my head was spinning with ideas by the end of it. After two more full days of training, I knew this is what I was supposed to do with my life. I was hooked!
I began offering free classes at my
local library to get a feel for teaching and also to earn my certification to teach Children ages 2-12 yoga.
From there I taught local friend's children and soon found myself employed at the
local YMCA teaching two Kids Yoga classes!
I got a job at my local library as a Library Aide while I continued my education as a Child Yoga Teacher. After researching the whole Yoga Teacher Credential World (
Yoga Alliance), I learned that you can become a Registered Child Yoga Teacher (RCYT-95 hours). I wanted this! I'm a sucker for credentials and if I was going to start a new life and career- I wanted it to be legit with the correct courses and credentials. So this was my goal! I soon found out that in order to get the RCYT-95, you first had to become a Registered Yoga Teacher- 200 hours, which is an adult yoga teacher program. Boo! That foils my plan. Okay fine... let me look into that and see if it's something I want to pursue.
Stay tuned for Part 2 to see what I decide and where I go from there.
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