To Teach or Not to Teach...

Many people have asked me why I decided to do a yoga teacher training program. Well, if you look at my first post you will notice that it was not necessarily to become a yoga teacher - that didn't even make it on my goals list. But read on, and you will see that there was a moment of elation after I got up and found my voice for the first time. I am happy to report that this feeling has not gone away.  I am loving teaching.

During training last week we were asked to think about some of our favorite teachers or even just some of the best classes we have had. Why are they memorable? What made them so great? Etc. Then we were asked more specifically about what we go to yoga to find and what helps us achieve these goals in class. I found these questions really helpful in thinking about the sort of teacher I would like to be - a huge revelation considering I was not sure I was going to come out of this a teacher. I am grateful and humbled to have that same desire to teach, that has possessed so many of the wonderful teachers who have gotten me here.

The lovely Juliana Mitchell teaching Restorative Yoga.

If you have had a teacher that really lit the spark in you - made you love yoga, had you leave class really feeling your absolute best, left you feeling supported, helped you find a new pose, helped you find a new piece of you, etc .... then maybe you were meant to be a teacher too. Or maybe doing a 200 hour teacher training program will help you find something else you were meant to be. Either way, the experience can be life altering. Choosing a program is much like the questions above - think of your best teachers or classes and find a program that can reinforce these experiences for you.

The last question of this exploration was: What is the yoga of your heart? The yoga of my heart... the reason to teach... what I can offer to the world via this incredible tradition. Wow. The first word into my head was support. The next was joy. I want to be a teacher that creates a supportive space for students to find joy on their mat. I want to encourage my students to let go, find a place to play, check the ego at the door and not take themselves too seriously. I want to help them to breathe and to laugh. I know this is not always all I will want to be as a teacher, but it seems like a pretty good place to start.