This is Part 3 of Aparna’s journey through the Atma Yoga Shala Teacher Training Course. Read Part 1 and Part 2 first.
I could write another hundred pages on each module of the Teacher Training Course. But this final part is about what matters most — how it actually helped me heal.
Six Months, Not Six Weeks
The first thing I want to say is this: I am genuinely grateful the program is six months long. Two months is not enough to absorb these concepts, let alone embody them. The length of the program was not a burden — it was the point.
Breaking Limiting Beliefs Through the Body
In most of her classes, Joshna explained how the mind functions. When holding a difficult asana, she would ask us to stay — even as the mind screamed that it was enough, that it was painful, that we couldn’t go on. She asked us to simply watch those thoughts, and notice that they weren’t true.
Because even when the mind said “you can’t hold it anymore,” we held it. And when we got through the other side, the limiting belief shattered.
The same thing happens in real life. As humans, we carry a lot of limiting beliefs — shaped by conditioning, environment, the stories we’ve absorbed. But most of them aren’t true. The asana mat becomes the easiest place to see this. When your mind says you can’t, and you do anyway, something shifts. Slowly, that begins to translate into how you move through the world.
PMDD, Somatic Intelligence, and the Yoga Connection
Books like Somatic Intelligence and Awakening the Somatic Intelligence explore how working with the body leads to deeper self-understanding. Reading them after TTC, I noticed something striking — most of what they describe is yoga. Paścimottānāsana, for instance, is specifically cited for relieving PMS symptoms.
From personal experience: PMDD — a condition considerably more severe than PMS — reduced when I began practising yoga consistently. Not just asanas, but the full system.
Seeing More Clearly
Something else shifted too, though it is harder to put into words. I started seeing things more clearly — situations, people, myself. This is one of those things where, if you know, you know.
Interoception, Proprioception, and Knowing Your Body
Thanks to the anatomy and physiology training, I can now identify exactly what part of my body is engaged, and what part is in discomfort — not just during practice, but at my desk during a long workday.
If I sit for too long and my shoulders tighten, I know which part of the shoulder needs release. I know whether it needs scapular protraction, retraction, elevation, or depression — or whether it is the muscle itself that needs movement. That kind of body literacy does not come from gym sessions. It came from this program.
Yoga Nidra and the Subconscious Mind
Finally — manifestation. I know it is a buzzword. People are selling manifestation courses for millions of rupees. But ancient texts have covered this ground thoroughly, long before it became a trend.
Yoga Nidra was taught to us in a grounded, holistic way — its purpose, its correct practice, and its benefits. It was then I understood why it works: it operates directly at the level of the subconscious mind. When something is planted in the subconscious — in the right conditions, at the right depth — it tends to take root.
What the Program Gave Me
Overall, the Teacher Training Course helped me understand myself better — as a person and as a body. It brought me to a realisation I now carry with me:
“We perceive reality as we are, not as it is.”
If you are someone looking to improve your mindset, understand your body, or train as a yoga teacher and help others do the same — reach out to Atma Yoga Shala. The kind of passion and commitment you will find there is genuinely rare.
— Aparna Viswanathan, TTC Graduate, Atma Yoga Shala
