Yoga Teaching Reflections from a Beginner
It's been about two months since my YTT graduation, and during this time, I have begun teaching two of my own classes as well as subbing as many classes as I can. It's been invigorating to jump into teaching.
Here are my top reflections from the past two months:
Don't take it personally
If you're familiar with the book the Four Agreements, you know that this is one of the agreements, and it is easier said than done. That being said, it's so important. Last month, I subbed a class that was very loyal to their regular teacher and used to her way of doing things. Many of the regulars liked the way I taught and were very encouraging and sweet. Two, however, were not, and let me know. I adjusted that days plan, and they left the class well pleased, but I dwelled all day about their original complaint and started feeling that old familiar friend Imposter Syndrome enter in. Then, I remembered the Four Agreements. Don't take it personally. It's not about you. Try to do a good job and put your best effort out with an attitude of kindness and friendliness, but also know that people's reactions have more to do with themselves than with you.
2. Plan but adapt
I liked having a detailed lesson when I taught high school English, and I like having a detailed plan now, but it's also important to be able to adapt. If we have fifteen minutes left of class and still haven't arrived at the peak pose, I'll mentally cross the peak pose off the list and just start moving the class towards integrating and savasana. It's ok to not get to everything.
3. Be authentic
During one of the later weekends of YTT, we did an exercise where we paired off and sat cross-legged across from each other while holding each other's gaze without speaking for five minutes. We were also supposed to keep from laughing or smiling. This was incredibly hard. We all have ways of deflecting with jokes or small talk. But, in this instance, I couldn't do that. I had to let my partner see the real me without any defenses or deflection. We all have a great need to be seen as worthy human beings, but it's also really hard to be seen just as we are. It's definitely one of my biggest lessons from training to try to show up as authentically as I can to classes. My students deserve to see me–warts and all–so we can form meaningful connections.
4. Confidence builds
When I first started saying yes to subbing, I hadn't graduated from the program yet. My fellow students and co-workers at YAM kept praising my confidence. The truth is, I am not a naturally confident person, and if we wait until we feel confident about something, we'll wait forever. A perfect feeling of confidence is never going to arise out of thin air. Confidence builds by doing something over and over again. When I first started subbing classes, my hands shook and my voice trembled. Now, I really don't feel nervous before classes because I have allowed my confidence to grow.
5. Keep a beginners mind
The old saying about the more you know, the more you realize that you don't know is so true. Leaving the 200 hour training, I felt inspired to keep learning, and it's honestly a bit overwhelming when I think about how vast yoga is. I'm currently taking an online course in mantras, which I find so illuminating and fascinating. I also keep finding different books related to yoga and try to read one new yoga or spiritual book a month. There are so many new sources for inspiration, growth, and knowledge, and in order for me to offer grounding and challenging classes to my students, I need to continually ground and challenge myself.
As M. Ward wrote in the song For Beginners, “When you're an absolute beginner, it's a panoramic view,” and those words ring so true to me. I'm sure there will be more reflections and learnings that I'll share soon.
Hope to see you on the mat soon.