I cannot believe that I have been teaching yoga for two years. I also cannot believe that I (unintentionally) started a business two years ago. The whole thing actually baffles me to be honest. As I look back on the last two years, for as much as I have personally learned and grown, I also know that it is just a blip. Just the tiniest bit of time in the span of my own life and even less significant in the context of the world in which we live. I can only hope that in that blip, that tiny hiccup of time, I have had some sort of positive impact on those around me, as that is the true intention behind each of these endeavors.
I started yoga teacher training when my youngest went to Kindergarten. I was calling that year my “transition year” where I would (finally) have a bit of time to myself for my own endeavors. Perhaps figure out what I wanted to do next. I worked as a NICU nurse in a hospital setting for 14 years, but had been slowly decreasing my hours after the birth of my daughter. Truly by the time I worked my last shift I really wasn’t working enough to keep my head in the game. My heart just wasn’t in it any more. It’s hard to stay connected and attached if you are only working one or two days a month.
Anyway, I digress. I started teacher training not with the intention of becoming a yoga teacher, but simply to learn more about something that had become a very large and important part of my life. From the moment they mentioned a “teach back” during our first class meeting, I began to dread it. Public speaking is NOT in my wheelhouse nor was it EVER a life goal. The thought of standing in front of a group of students and teaching them was petrifying. But we had a lot of practice in our small cohort of teacher trainees. We got to try out our teacher voices in a safe space — although it was still petrifying. Every. Damn. Time. Honestly, I still get nervous. You think the centering at the beginning of class is for the students — ha! It’s for the teacher too 🙂 I’m reminding you all to breathe just as much as I’m reminding MYSELF to breathe.
We spent 4 intense months learning ALL the aspects of yoga and how to teach it, and when it came time for my own teach-back, I still felt ill-prepared. I practiced — A LOT — and it went fairly well, but what I learned from actually doing the teaching was that I LIKED IT. Like, really liked it. So much that I taught my first class on the third Monday in January (MLK day actually, and the theme was Ahimsa) and by March 3rd I had my business up and running, studio built, and held the first Power In Breath Yoga class.
As I mentioned, it was not my plan to teach yoga, and it certainly was not my plan to start a business in the span of 6 weeks. However, I had a very clear intention and mission. I had found something that I loved and was passionate about and didn’t want to lose my momentum. I also knew that the world of teaching yoga can be a bit cut throat and really hard to get started. Studios and gyms don’t want to hire someone with zero teaching experience, although you can get yourself on the sub lists. That’s all well and good for some people, but at the time, my kids were still fairly young and the probability of someone needing a sub at a time that worked for me was probably pretty slim.
What I needed was to strike while the iron was hot and continue to practice teaching, to hone my skills. The only way I could see that happening was to create the business, make the space, and hope that a few people showed up. And they did. YOU did.
I started with two classes a week out of my home studio, while also subbing at my gym. It wasn’t too long before I added in a kids yoga program at my childrens’ school, started an outdoor class at the pool, and got my own regular classes at the gym. I began teaching private clients and I also taught (and still teach) a lot of free classes as a way to give back to the community. Free yoga for teachers, local community groups, charity organizations, and what I like to call the “speed dating” of yoga when I taught 10, fifteen minute classes in the span of about three hours to ALL the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classrooms at the local elementary school. I was averaging about 7-8 classes per week and it was just the right amount.
Then all things Covid struck and rocked our worlds. I couldn’t teach in person in the studio space any more and I had to find new ways to reach out and connect with students. I tried to teach a few classes via zoom in the beginning, but with the kids home (and unpredictable!) it was always a crapshoot as to whether they would interrupt or start screaming during savasana or any number of disruptive things that would alter the student experience. I began recording classes and posting them online — which I think worked in the beginning, but was definitely not a permanent solution for me either. I love the immediate feedback of watching a student move their body based on the words I use — I can see instantly if what I’m saying makes sense or if there is confusion. I can hear everyone breathing and get a sense of whether or not the pace is appropriate. I don’t have that feedback in a video. AND most people want / need the live experience too. The accountability to show up and do the work at a certain time AND knowing that someone is watching are both huge motivating factors.
My best solution was to teach outdoors — and it’s still my favorite — but it is entirely dependent on the weather, and the inclination of students to ALSO want to practice outdoors. I also finally conceded and began teaching regular classes via zoom once practicing outside was no longer practical AND once I realized that if the kids interrupt, that’s life. EVERYONE is home all the time now and those interruptions don’t stop on their end either.
Since the pandemic, I also started posting more on social media. Tips, tricks, ideas, pictures, videos, yoga philosophy, and motivational thoughts. Nothing is off the table there — again all with the intention of teaching and sharing. This one is huge for me, particularly the photos and videos of myself. I am NOT trying to become instagram famous or a YouTuber. In fact, I HATE seeing the images of myself or hearing my own voice on the recordings. However, it feels a bit disingenuous to use other people’s images and photos (and a lot like stealing), so I can’t in good conscience do so.
Oh and yes, I started a blog! That one isn’t as big of a leap for me. It’s been my goal for a while and I’ve just never forced myself to do it. But 2021 is the year that I set writing as an intention. So far so good. I’m averaging at LEAST one post per week which was the plan. It’s definitely a challenge sometimes. I don’t struggle to come up with the ideas for the content. It’s finding and/or making the time to sit down and write where it gets a little sticky, but I’m working my way through that just like everything else these days.
So, what have I learned over the last two years? I love teaching yoga, in all its forms, and sharing what I have learned about the tradition. While the medium to convey the information may have changed over time, my intention has not. I want to teach. And I want to teach in a way that students can readily and willingly absorb the complicated material. I want to meet them where they are, but at the same time challenge them in ways they didn’t know they needed, and perhaps guide them towards a deeper understanding of themselves. Perhaps even guide them on a journey towards a better and more evolved version of themselves — towards their true self.
