Once upon a time, I went to a cadaver lab. I never imagined I would go to a cadaver lab when I became a yoga teacher!
This blog was inspired by a yoga podcast with guest Ann Votaw. Ann discussed her tour of a cadaver lab at NYU. Her interest was piqued when she became ill, and the possibility of death hit close to home. She decided to attend a cadaver memorial, where families meet the doctors who are learning with these forms. It’s a powerful and beautiful reminder that bodies can be honored in the present moment and beyond.
In my first training, which was VERY solid in the land of mass-marketed teacher training programs, we learned anatomy. We had our 12 required hours, and I memorized the bones that I needed to memorize for the anatomy portion of the final exam. Anatomy is such a minimal portion of trainings which makes me really sad because we deal with bodies. And then there’s biomechanics – which is not even discussed in most trainings. I’m lucky enough to have studied with teachers who are bringing this information to teachers. I’m grateful for any and all that I can learn about the body as it helps me show up for whoever shows up in my classroom.
But once upon a time, I got to attend a one-day cadaver lab at a local college here in Los Angeles. I was so nervous to go. I am not a super woo-woo teacher, but at that time, I was definitely more chakras and Chodron than Latin and lats. I was nervous about seeing the bodies, let alone touching the bodies.
I was told to wear layers, lots of layers, because it’s very cold in the lab. I was told to wear clothes, including shoes that would most likely be thrown in the garbage, once we got home, of course 😉 I was told to get gloves. I was warned about the formaldehyde smell. I was told to bring a lunch…an interesting roam around Trader Joe’s, wondering what kind of lunch I might be able to eat or if I’d be tossing my lunch.10
This tale is continued on Friday! Check back then.