I am completely tapped out. Mentally, physically and emotionally. I just spent the past 3 days doing yoga for, like, 8 hours a day. No joke.

I’m trying to finish up my RYT yoga teacher training program and this was my 2nd to last weekend. Let me rephrase. This was the 2nd to last weekend of the term, but because I missed a few of the weekends (all of my friends who got hitched this summer are to blame) I still need to make up a bunch of hours to reach the necessary 200.

Fortunately, I am really confident about the actual teaching part. Of course, I say this now as I sit behind a computer screen at Starbucks. But I have been practicing a lot – even if it’s just in front of the mirror in my bedroom – and if I can just stop confusing my left foot with my right, I think I could actually lead a successful and safe beginner yoga class. I just hope the teachers who have to sign off on my teaching certificate agree…

But no matter how much longer it takes until I can start my other new career as a yoga teacher, the journey has been amazing and so worth the time and effort. I started practicing yoga at OM Yoga Center in NYC about 7 years ago. I was so not dedicated and thought of it merely as an additional workout in my routine. I would run through my Surya Namaskar A and B’s in a class, barely make it through Savasana and then run out so I could smoke a cigarette or meet a friend for a cocktail. I knew nothing about Sutras or meditation – I was definitely just on the yoga train because it was the cool and trendy thing to do.

Of course, I lost interest because I wasn’t very invested. Over the next 5 years or so, I floated in and out of being super hardcore, hitting 5 or 6 classes a week, or not practicing for months at a time. Um, there were parties to go to!

When I first moved to Delray, I had actually been in the middle of an “on” phase with yoga, and was devastated that I was leaving OM. I had even looked into their teacher training program but was discouraged when I read that a requirement to enroll was being able to come into Scorpion – away from the wall. I had done that exactly once, falling on the poor guy next time me as a tried to come back down gracefully.

So, I continued to search for a new place in Florida to practice, but nothing could compare. What I was looking for was a studio with amazing energy, in a gorgeous loft in downtown Manhattan with some of NYC’s best instructors. You don’t have that here? FAIL.

So I basically stopped doing yoga – again. I took up Pilates, spinning and Crossfit instead but still never gave up my search for a place to get back on the mat.

And then, I finally found it. The Buddha Lounge felt like home to me the first time I walked in. The place had a vibrant yet calming energy and I just liked being there. Everyone seemed to know each other and I wanted to be a part of that. After a few months of taking classes, I finally got the guts to ask the owner, Keith Fox, about the teaching program. After meeting for coffee, I handed his wife and studio co-owner, Kelly, my check for $2,700 and started yet another new journey. I had no idea what I was in for. I tend to take on a lot of activities just for the hell of it. But this felt different. I knew the was my path.

But just my luck, I had to miss the first two weekends. The first one was my opening weekend for my classes at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition so I would be in NYC, and then during the following teacher training session, I had the first of 5 weddings in 2 months. FML.

But I did what I could, showing up to class as much as possible (considering I was only in town about 2 weeks a month, it wasn’t as much as I wanted) and staying connected with my fellow yogis in the RYT 200 training. I even woke up a few times for the 6;30 am Bliss class, but quickly realized I am STILL not a morning person. Even though I was kind of out of the loop from missing a couple of teacher training weekends, I still felt myself totally changing. I started practicing Pranayama in the morning and things became clear. I was calmer and more understanding (my husband might not agree) and just happier in general. Yoga was not longer a workout – it was my life.

Amrit Desai said “If it doesn’t change your life, then it isn’t yoga.” That has been so unbelievably true for me. Since enrolling in the program, I quit 2 jobs, started a nutrition and wellness business (!!!!!) moved to a new house and made about 20 new friends, all while getting so much stronger, both mentally and physically.

When I first signed that check, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to teach yoga; I just wanted to deepen my own practice and hoped to meet some cool people while doing it. Now, I am so excited to get in front of a class and make everyone sweat. It may be a lofty goal, but I’m hoping I can change some lives in the process, too, just as mine has been changed.

Namaste.