New Teachers Guide to Teaching
The New Teacher’s Guide to Teaching Yoga
The path of a new teacher is equally exciting and exhausting. Oftentimes people get so swept up by the teaching they lose sight of the yoga.
So how does one live the dream while also continuing to live their yoga?
Here are a few pieces of advice that may help. Many were handed down to me, most I fumbled my way through, and some I still work on myself.
Keep practicing. Our practice is the source of our teaching. Set aside a particular time every day. Opportunities will arise and it is tempting to push practice off. Don’t. When people do the inner work, their light naturally shines and abundance automatically flows.
Say yes to everything. Fifteen minutes prior to a class? Sure. Six a.m.? Absolutely. Forty-five minute drive? In a heartbeat and thank you! Say yes to all the opportunities that come and then as time goes on discern more. Who people become as teachers and where they end up teaching unfolds organically over time.
It is only up from here. We improve every time we teach. Although some days may feel “off” or not quite our best, the baseline is a little higher and our “worst” class is always better than the last.
It’s not you—it’s them. Try not to take things personally. There will be classes where everyone is seemingly scowling or your best jokes fall on deaf ears. Energy is fascinating and usually collective. It could be planetary, it could be the weather, but the causes are typically factors out of our control. And even when it is about us, like when we sub a class and students seem less than pleased, it is still not about us! That is people’s “stuff” being projected.
Go to therapy. Yoga teachers are not just teachers of asana or meditation. They can be part therapist and even part mom/dad/sister/brother/friend. A mentor or a therapist provide a container for us teachers to process our own feelings. They are also good examples of how to set clear boundaries.
Eat good food. Live somewhere nice. Read good books. A psychic in India once told me this and while the advice at first seemed banal, I now understand the profound importance of these three elements. Eating nourishing food fuels prana, our life source. A comfortable and quiet home is a sanctuary to recharge from days of giving. Reading good books helps to not only to learn and grow, but also unplug.
Never stop learning. Ever. Read. Study. Take workshops. Do some kind of training once a year. Go on retreats with inspirational teachers. Meditate.
Put our own oxygen mask on first. If we are depleted and overworked from teaching five classes a day, we are not doing anyone a service, least of all the students. Take care of yourself first. It is not selfish, it is essential.
We are there to be of service. If only one person shows up to class, that is still one person who’s day has just been made better. Building classes takes time and when we obsess about the numbers, we lose focus of why we are there in the first place, which is to help people.
This path will not always be an easy one. And in fact, I hope it isn’t. When things are challenging we are forced to do the work and really look at ourselves. This not only makes us better teachers, but also that much more grateful when we achieve success.
So good luck, have fun, and never forget that at the end of the day, we are getting paid to do what we love!
I liked this article. Found it via a yoga teachers forum on Facebook that has proven to have lively and interesting ideas, discussion, and articles. I agree with every single item on here except for the bolded. I don't think that as a new teacher you should say yes to everything. Sue was very pointed about drilling this into my head. She made me value my time (and my worth, even as a new teacher)…..she was the one who gave me the courage to ask for what I wanted (which was double what one place initially offered me to work there, I countered with my hourly, and they gave it to me……every time I drive there on a Sunday I think about how I would NOT be happy saying no to things or missing out on breakfast with my family for half of what I am making). I also won't drive more than 10 miles to teach, at this time. Could that change someday? Yes. But now? No. I'm lucky that the Y is a mile from my home, and the two crossift gyms that I'm teaching at are within 4 miles. This is HUGE. Getting into the room, getting it prepared for students, sticking around afterwards to answer questions etc…..an hour class is really at least 90 minutes of "work". Add an hour (30 min each way, or 45 min like the article mentions???!!!!) and you are talking about 2.5/3 hours for one hour of pay. Now, I certainly didnt go into yoga teaching to get rich, or even to make a substantial income….BUT, it does mean something to feel that your time is valued. I simply would dread all of that driving (I don't like living in the car) for one class. Other than that? GREAT article.The second bolded part in particular has become so so evident to me in the past months. I've always valued taking good care of myself and creating a solid environment for health and happiness, but now it's not just a want, its a need.
I'm getting yoga spoiled today, I had a wonderful 75 minute power flow class this morning (as a student) and then taught my gentle yoga class at the Y, took the kids out for some ice cream with friends, and then teach another flow class at 5:15 at crossfit. Hoping to be loose and opened up and relaxed heading into tomorrow mornings first round of the member member!!!!
I totally agree about not saying yes to everything! I am on board with saying yes to things that scare you a little, take you out of your comfort zone, etc., of course. But something to consider too is being dependable - when I agree to take on a new class, I think about how long I'm willing to commit to it. It's been my experience that people find their teachers and come to depend on them, it's a partnership between teacher and student. Someplace like a gym or studio, it's not quite as weighty an issue, as there's usually someone willing to step into a time slot or class. But I agreed to teach a class at a dance studio and developed a very small, wonderful, incredibly loyal student base...and it was a time and location that made getting a sub tough, and it meant every saturday morning I was booked for 2 hours (for a 75 minute class and $5/student, did I mention small group?). I learned so much from that group, I love all of them and am so grateful to them! But it was tough, too, missing out on family time. After 2.5 years I finally pulled the plug. 2 students have since joined the Y and come to my classes there; another comes to the donation classes I teach sometimes and some other classes at the ashram. Anyway, long winded way of saying I feel a responsibility to my students, especially ones who feel they are drawn to my classes and become regulars. If I said yes to everything, I would never be able to keep up with all of it long term and would burn out!
ReplyDeleteTOTALLY agree. For instance, I make NOTHING working at the Y, but I hope to never quit there. I literally look at that job as community service. I love love working there (as bizarre as it can be at times!!!) because of the diversity, the sweet older people who I would NEVER get to connect with at a more expensive studio, the disabled people who would be too intimidated to come to a studio etc. I admit that after taking on too many subbing jobs in July and seeing the stress that it put on me and my kids Ive decided to scale back on picking up subbing jobs, but it has been invaluable to me in terms of experience and diversity. It has also allowed me to learn and experience a WAY wider range of clients than I would have ever seen having just taught at studios or my crossfit gyms. It has been amazing for me ~ BUT I need to keep it in perspective due to the actual time/pay ratio. Come September I'm hoping to find one or maybe two studio teaching jobs to add to my schedule ~ I won't need the childcare benefit that the Y offers and as my experience has grown (but is still a drop in the bucket) I'm gaining the confidence that I didnt have before to seek out those positions. I totally agree with what you say about the responsibility to your students ~ I love nothing more than feeling like they look forward to seeing me in the same way that I so look forward to looking out and seeing the same faces week in and week out. Its such a neat feeling getting to know them, their bodies, their needs etc. I had NO IDEA how transformative teaching would be to me ~ not just as a yoga student, but as a person. .Its such a privilege to simply be there to witness people fall in love with yoga, or my older students find new ranges of motion or confidence within their own bodies. I'm gushing. Thank YOU also friend for how much you have helped me ~ given me confidence, nudged me along, and encouraged me. And a big happy birthday to you, friend. May the coming year be the best one yet. xoxo
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, SO true about the range of capacity/conditions at the Y - I had already learned a lot about the "active adult"/"fit senior" population from the dance studio classes, which was so crucial (now I see in hindsight!) to building confidence to calmly and cheerfully greet the experience of having blind students in my Y classes! And yes, it is like we get to fall in love with yoga again when we see students fall in love with it, or that's how it feels like for me! thank you for the birthday wishes and love - maybe this year we can practice together in person ;-)
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