My trip to India is fast approaching. For four weeks, I’ll be training for a 500-hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Certification through Sacred Lasya.

I’m staying at Somatheeram in Kerala. And, from what I gather, will be getting a pretty tame experience as far as India is concerned. All our water is shipped in to ensure it’s safe, and our food is prepared with care to avoid any food-borne illnesses.

To prepare for the trip, I tackled a pretty big to-do list. Thankfully, the organizers of the training provided plenty of resources to make things easier.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

• Applied for (and secured) a visa.
• Registered with the US Embassy in India.
• Purchased airfare.
• Purchased travel insurance.
• Visited a travel clinic to get vaccinations and prescriptions for anti-malarial medication and anti-biotics (just in case).
• Bought a variety of supplements to support immunity, travel-related discomfort and potential illnesses.
• Read and completed a variety of thought-provoking pre-assignments for the training.
• Stepped up my physical yoga practice by completing the 28-Day Yoga Challenge.
• Got all my classes subbed!

Things I still need to do:

• Pack! I lugged up my biggest suitcase from the basement and sorted out some summer clothes, but it’s going to take some strategic planning to get everything to fit!
• Clean up the house and make Zach some freezer meals so he’s not completely lost without me!
• Finish a couple pre-assignments I’ve been avoiding…like watching a class I taught and recorded.
• Buy a few more small items like a power converter and maybe some movies to watch on my iPad during the loooooong flight there!

I’m looking forward to getting this trip started, especially because I’m starting it off with a trip home to see my near and dear friend and her new baby. I’ll also get to spend some time with friends in Chicago for the St. Patrick’s Day parade and eat some corned beef and cabbage with family!

In a week and a half my journey to the other side of the world begins, but it’s just a continuation of the journey I’ve always been on!

PS: If you’re interested, here are the teachers I’m studying with: Danny Arguetty, Coby Kozlowski, and Katie Brauer.