What My Students Have Taught Me About Being An Effective Yoga Teacher
Confessions of an Unbalanced Yogi
As a yoga professional, it’s sometimes easy to fall into this feeling of not living up to an online ideal of what you should look like, or be able to do with your body. It’s easy to fall into the pattern of self-judgment and struggle with the idea that in order to be a really good teacher you must first master all the asanas. When I was first starting out this was a very real fear for me.
I found at social gatherings I’d shy away from sharing my skills. I’d brush off what I did, hoping to avoid the judgmental eyes that might compare me to the 22-year-old bendy bodies they’ve seen on Instagram.
Getting Out Of Your Head
One of my favorite ways to prepare for class is to take the class right before I teach. It helps me let go of any stress and bonus!…I get in a practice; something that far too many teachers forget to do. I would show up to class and position myself in the back row. I forgot that everyone there was working on themselves and had this idea that all eyes were watching me.
I have never been great at balance. The stories in my head would exasperate this feeling, and I would become more wobbly. In my mind, everyone around me was saying, she’s a yoga teacher? She can’t even balance a full minute in standing bow. But that’s not what they were thinking, in fact, it was the opposite.
Here’s what my students have taught me about being an effective yoga teacher.
- You Are Human
The fact that you are a work in progress is what makes you human. You are more approachable than the teacher who looks like an ideal. Although we might think this is what our students are after, the truth is they will connect with someone who looks more like them. Your students are probably just like you. They have busy lives and are more interested in finding mobility in their shoulder from that work injury twelve years ago than they are in having a social account full of handstand pics.
Your student is human, too. They carve out time for your Wednesday night class because it gives them the time they need to work on self-care. The fact that they see you as also a work-in-progress is a strong plus and has the power to help both of your practices grow.
2. Your Life Experience Matters
Representation is important. It’s important to remember that we resonate with different people for different reasons. Think of a musician you love. Are they the best musician out there? Probably not, but something in their message speaks deeply to your experience. You feel a connection. This is how it is with the connection you will find with your students.
People come to their yoga mats for all kinds of reasons, and as teachers, we shouldn’t assume that everyone has the same reason as us.
This idea that everyone is committed to a lifelong practice, or flexibility, or strength is misleading. Someone might come for social interaction, philosophy, or to have 60 minutes without someone asking them a question. They may find strength, flexibility, and balance along the way, but this is their journey, and not all journeys look the same.
3. Your Mess is Your Message
There’s a woman in every studio I’ve taught at who is in the front row of class every day. She might even take 2 or more classes a day. Everyone knows her, and yet she is not the ideal either. How can that be?
She may be battling cancer, or she may be going through a divorce or experiencing empty nest syndrome. Maybe she comes to yoga so she isn’t tempted to go to the bar, and maybe you found yoga because you were going through the same transition yourself. She is filling a need inside herself and she comes to the mat to clear her head and find a connection. We can all relate to that.
When you make your mess your message, people will flock to your classes. A yoga teacher working on themselves is far more attractive than a perfect image. We may like the idea of looking or being perfect, but deep inside we know we are not. We are all messy. Life is messy. The more you are comfortable with your messy life the more others will feel safe around you.
Use your message as your guide, and those who resonate will follow. They don’t care if you can touch your toes, as long as you can help them touch theirs.
Focus On Your Value
The problem with the yoga industry is that we advertise it as something it’s not. Commercially we tell people this is for flexible young people. The truth is this is a multi-million dollar-a-year business and almost no one I teach is under 30. Why? Because I’m not under 30, I’m an old lady and the young yogis go to someone more appropriate for them.
Over the years I have gotten crystal clear about my unique teacher perspective. I add value to my students’ lives by inviting them to take a deeper breath through slow mindful movements that bring a wider range of mobility to their life.
The reality is people aren’t looking for perfection. They are looking to connect. You will find students returning to your classes because they feel better about themselves, their bodies, and their whole day. They connect to you because you help them to feel better about being them. You help them connect to their own struggle in a compassionate way.
We humans have a great sense of smelling out deceit. We are born with a need to connect and be a part of something. Your job as a yoga teacher is to help others feel connected to themselves and to the world around them.
Although I still struggle with balance in my standing series, I no longer let it hold me back. Today I use my journey as a guidebook to help others connect more deeply to themselves.
