Yoga, Mindfulness and Attention: A New Teacher’s Journey

Taucha Gretzinger YTT Taucha Gretzinger came to the Vancouver School of Healing Arts looking for a career shift. A student in the 240-hour Yoga Teacher Training, Taucha plans to train to become a coach specializing in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Her motivation comes from a personal place.

Yoga has been a practice for Taucha for some time. After taking yoga classes as an undergraduate, she found it difficult to make the time to go to yoga while studying and became increasingly less motivated, less focused, and felt down. “I needed to move. I went to yoga, and at the end of the class, I felt better. That was when I thought it was something I needed to keep in my life.”

After being diagnosed with ADHD, Taucha had an insight into what worked for her as an outlet for her internal energy. “Meditation and exercise are some of the best non-medicinal ways to manage ADHD. Yoga training will give me tools to help people with their energy, to focus it and find an outlet, and the mindfulness component will help me give people calming strategies to manage their anxiety and ground their thoughts. Exercise and mindfulness in general are good for ADHD. Yoga provides both.”

Already a clinician, having been a speech therapist for six years, Taucha enjoys communicating with others and feels coaching with an emphasis on meditation and yoga is the next logical step. After graduating from VSOHA she looks forward to utilizing her Yoga Teacher Training, meeting new clients and getting a sense of how ADHD impacts their lives. “We’ll work on organizational skills to manage their life and dedicate energy to specific tasks throughout the day. When your brain is going a million miles per minute, it causes anxiety. To capture a single thought or focus can be difficult, so it helps to have mind training practice, to be present and aware of your surroundings.”

Taucha Gretzinger Yoga Teacher At VSOHA Taucha enjoys the philosophy of Yoga Teacher Training. “I like the focus on tantric philosophy, how you can be your best self and part of one big collective but that you’re important in that collective. You need to have a healthy individual to have a healthy community. I think that’s a really good message.”

The 240-hour program’s weekend schedule works well for Taucha, who works full-time during the week. “It’s a nice shift from my work. Even though I am really busy, it’s such a different type of energy.”

Taucha looks forward to bringing an emphasis on yoga, movement, and mindfulness to her coaching practice when she completes her training. “The Yoga Teacher Training comes from a philosophy of knowing yourself. Your health is an important component of the greater fabric.”