Claire made the trip at the beginning of April this year, her second visit to the country to obtain her 300 hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification. 

“I had obtained my 200 hour Yoga teacher training certification in a different area of India in August 2017, making me 500 hour Hour or "Level 2" Certified,” she said. 

“My 300 hour hour course was an intermediate/advanced training building upon the skills I had obtained from my 200 hour course just seven months prior.

“I was trained further in the Ashtanga Primary Series and Vinyasa Flow as well as learning completely new skills such as Myo-facial Release.

“This course also helped me to really deepen my understanding of human anatomy, injuries and adjusting and aligning students.”

She said a lot of people ask why she prefers to obtain my certification in India rather than in Australia. 

“My answer is simple, I wanted to begin my Yoga teaching journey in the country where Yoga was born,” she said.

“I want to deepen my understanding of this beautiful and ancient way of life that is Yoga and I believe that the eastern approach is vastly different to our western approach.

“I also have been infatuated with India's culture and approach to spirituality for a very long time so it just makes sense to me to travel the distance to be in the right space for me to develop as not only a teacher but as a yoga practitioner.”

Claire’s school was Kranti Yoga in Goa, India. 

“After a long day of practice, meditation, breath work, adjustment and alignment, teaching methodology, philosophy and anatomy, we'd head down to the beach just 100 meters away and take a swim in the Arabian Sea as the sun set. Every day was precious,” she said. 

“The accommodation was fantastic, the food was unreal, the caliber of our teachers was priceless, and I met some incredible, like-minded people from all corners of the globe. By the end of the course we were all one big, happy, yogi family.”

Her course ran for 28 days, including two theoretical exams and one practical exam before she achieved her certification. 

But she wasn’t ready to leave yet. 

“I packed my bag and planned to travel around India and see as much as I could in just 20 days,” she said. 

“I managed to fit in Hampi, Mysore, Fort Kochi, Munnar, Varanasi, Agra, Pushkar and Udaipur."

She said despite warnings about her safety in the country, it was an unforgettable experience. 

“To allow fear to drive my decisions just isn't an option for me,” she said. 

“I took overnight sleeper trains and buses, travelled and navigated new cities totally alone, and I experienced nothing but kindness, beauty, generosity and care. 

“People would share their food with me, make sure that I had a way to get to my next hostel safely, ask me about my country and why I was amazed by theirs. People explained their religion and their beliefs to me without being preachy or overwhelming.”

Claire said she thinks that occasionally Westeners have a warped perception of different cultures and countries and approach it with fear, hatred and in some cases, racism.

“To approach anything that is different with cynicism, fear, ignorance and hatred is what sets us back as a human race. India is a beautiful and safe place if you approach it as such and with correct and intelligent information.”

She has returned to Boorowa armed with new skills and experiences to share in her Yoga classes at the Boorowa Recreation Club on Mondays at 6pm, Wednesdays at 9.30am and 6pm and Thursdays at 5.30pm.