Dimple Patel shares her Mang’Oh Teacher Training experience
We approached former teacher trainees who have completed our 200-hour Teacher Training program, to share a bit about their journey with yoga, and their experience with the Mang’Oh community and training. Here is Dimple Patel.
When and how did you first come to yoga?
Initially, I approached yoga with much apprehension and uncertainty. During my first class, I felt uncomfortable, as if I did not belong. I remember wondering how I could feel so disconnected from a practice that my ancestors created. Insecurity, doubt, and fear stood between yoga and I for years. The antidote for this was to keep showing up. As I continued down this path, my connection to something bigger than me deepened. My yoga mat became my sacred space.
When and why did you decide to do the Mang’Oh Teacher Training?
I received my 200 Hr RYT Certificate in May 2019 to increase representation and accessibility within the larger yoga community with a focus on low-income communities and communities of color. I discovered mang’Oh yoga studio soon after moving into the area. After several months of taking classes, I decided to pursue my training here based on mang’Oh’s sense of community, diverse teachers, and neighborhood feel.
Describe your teacher training experience at Mang'Oh. What is a favorite memory?
My favorite and most nerve-racking experience during the teacher training at Mang'Oh was the first time that I taught a class to the other participants. It was an opportunity to bring all of my learnings thus far together. I have always been good with words, but communicating a sequence, transition, and even a specific asana (pose) in a succinct and easy to understand manner was both challenging and exhilarating. You add your presence as an instructor as well as the confidence and authenticity you bring to your teaching, and you realize that only practice will make you better.
Tell us about your journey post-Mang’Oh TT.
My full time job continues to be with The New York Women's Foundation, where I serve as a Senior Program Officer. As for my yoga journey, I currently teach vinyasa yoga and chair yoga to the community, organizations (nonprofits and for-profits), and lead private classes. I am enrolled in a Social Incubator program which will help guide me in addressing inequity, access, and representation in the larger yoga community.
When you are not working or practicing yoga, what are you doing and what fills up your life?
Spending time with family and friends, going out to restaurants, exploring different parts of NYC with my husband.
What and/or who has provided an anchor to you during the last year of the pandemic?
The unshakable belief that a stronger, more just world can exist and my role to help achieve that is what drives me both personally and professionally. I have an amazing support system of family and girlfriends who serve as my rock. I have also held myself accountable to live out Ms. Audre Lorde's words on self care: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."
Describe a perfect day…
A perfect day for me is to wake up to a cup of coffee, check off some reading, and flow through a vinyasa class. Then, I would get ready for the day and hop on the East River Ferry to Brooklyn with my husband. We would have lunch at a vegan restaurant (Jungle Cafe) and enjoy fresh juice/smoothie with our meal and then walk around for a bit, exploring streets that we do not recognize and walk past vintage stores, garage sales, and live music. Eventually, we would find a wine bar (Coast and Valley) or a rooftop (Westlight) and enjoy some wine and cheese. After a few hours, we would invite our friends to join us or meet up with them. Our night would end with takeout from Tangra Masala (our go to Indo-Chinese food) while watching a movie at home.
What advice would you give to someone considering TT?
Do not get overwhelmed by the amount of information you receive at TT. There is A LOT to learn. Remember that it is a journey that you can extend for as long as you choose. Enjoy being in community with other participants and know that no matter how you decide to apply your TT, your personal practice will be so much stronger for it.
What are you most grateful for today?
My family, both the one that I was born into and the one that I have chosen.
You can follow Dimple on Instagram, check out her website or connect with her on LinkedIn.