Solar Hill gardens, Kelly Salasin, 2011, all rights reserved
When I first moved to Vermont, 18 years ago, I heard about Scott Willis, and a place called Solar Hill, I just never knew where it was. When I finally did meet Scott, just a few years back, he wasn’t what I expected.
The name “Scott” had brought to mind a youthful, blonde-haired, tennis player, and maybe he was at one time, but now he was a middle-aged guy with a softer figure and a touch of grey. Just my kind of guru.
When he opened my first yoga class with Stevie Ray Vaughan, I was intrigued; and when he tossed out a few bad jokes, I knew I’d found what I was looking for.
It wasn’t too long before I felt the yearning to become a yoga teacher myself, only I knew that my tight muscled, low-keyed body couldn’t handle the intensity of training. “I wish Scott would offer a yoga teacher training,” I said to my husband.
And then he did.
In 2011, Scott began what he calls, Hits the Spot Yoga Teacher Training, a year-long program that takes place one weekend a month. That first class filled up before I could get on the list, but I signed on well in advance for the January 2012 program.
I am both excited and anxious. Anxious for all the reasons I’ve already covered–tight muscles, lack of ability or interest in physical exertion; those kind of things. Fortunately, what I look forward to outweighs my fears.
I look forward to the challenge of deepening into the body and out of the mind. I look forward to the challenge of learning basic anatomy–if nothing else than to develop a greater appreciation for the gift of this miraculous instrument we call the body. I look forward to the way the training would seep into my every day life and out into my overall outlook and presence. I look forward to expanding my platform as a teacher and group leader.
Despite all this looking forward, I’m still afraid, but I’m counting on some bad jokes and Stevie Ray Vaughan to ease the way.
Kelly Salasin, October 2011
To read more about balancing life with yoga, click here.
