Celebrating and Reflecting on One Year of Teaching Yoga!

It’s officially my one year yoga teacher-versary! It’s been a year of oming, sweaty smiles, killer playlists, blissed out savasanas, some awkward assists and much more. Last year at this time I was totally panicking over teaching my first few classes. I’d love to be able to tell you that I was totally ~zenned~ out and floated through the yoga studio like a highly meditated butterfly but that was definitely not the case. I was seriously stressing myself out before my first class. Will they think my voice is annoying? Will they think the flow isn’t challenging enough? Will they be cursing me under their breath for making them hold plank? The mind chatter was endless. But somehow that first class (shaky legs, sweaty palms and all) went really well.

You have may have read my yoga journey here, but I’ve ben practicing for about 4 years and became certified last August. I had done practice teaching with other yogis, my mom and Tyler a million times but teaching a class to people who are paying at a studio was a completely different ball game. I wanted my students to like my class so badly. I was so lucky that my mom drove to Baltimore to come to my first class and knowing I had her there to support me (or pick me up if I passed out from the nerves) eased my anxiety. The class, like every class I’ve taught, flew by. A full 60 minutes of talking and leading students through a yoga flow may sound like a long time but every time I teach I’m always amazed by how fast class goes. I’ve learned a lot over the past year and know that I still have so much to learn and gain from teaching. I’m excited to share some of my big take-aways from the last year with you.

Stepping into the role

I’d be fibbing if I said I don’t still get nervous to teach one year later. Granted it’s not shaking legs nervousness, but just your healthy dose of nerves because I know I’m about to share something I love with my students and lead them through the 60 minutes they dedicated to themselves that day. Even though I get a little nervous, once I step into the studio and see my students excited to get their yoga on, the nerves melt away and I completely come into the space. All I get to think about for those 60 minutes is sharing one of my great passions and it’s freaking awesome. When you share something from a place of love it allows you to be genuine and fully present with your students. It’s awesome.

Self-confidence

Any one of my friends or family will tell you that I am never the loudest person in the room or the one who loves to be the center of attention. I’m a total introvert. I’m naturally pretty shy and it takes time for me to open up to people. So of course leading a group of people for an hour, telling them what to do and how to do it felt a little #awk to me before I started. Not to toot my own horn, but I was so surprised at how natural it felt to teach the class. I love yoga, spent more than 200 hours studying it and was ready and excited to teach. I’m so proud of myself for how that shy girl stepped up and shared her passion…with people who actually liked it and continue to come back to class — thank you Jesus!! 🙂 Last week I gave a presentation at work and couldn’t believe how much more comfortable I felt speaking in front of the room. This past year has made me much more comfortable in my own skin and standing in front of a crowd.

You’re going to mess up

Obviously not every class goes exactly as I have it written down it my neat little notebook. Sometimes I’m so into the flow that I’ve forgotten a pose I had originally intended to incorporate. But believe it or not…the show goes on! I’ve forgotten a pose I wanted to do and just went with it and adjusted my sequence. Also my lovely students have laughed and reminded me that we forgot something on one side so we add it back in. They’re awesome and understanding, not scary little gremlins my anxiety told me they’d be if I mess up. And to be honest, the mess ups happen much less than I worried they would. Sometimes I decided to change it up on the spot because I like to get #cray. Lol kidding. But really, I’ve learned to be flexible in how I teach — if it’s because I forgot something or can tell my students are getting too tired to do another advanced posture, my type-A self goes off the script and is surprisingly totally okay with it.

You don’t have to be everyone’s cup of tea

When I first started teaching, (I still can be guilty of this now) I wanted every single student to loveee my class. To come back each week. To write home about it. To sing my great assist in savasana from the rooftops. But the harsh truth is, I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. But that’s okay! You’re never going to be able to appeal to everyone. I love playing Trevor Hall and the Lumineers and students who like to flow to Kygo and the Chainsmokers probably aren’t going to prefer my class. I also love to set a deep intention for my class and infuse my class with messages of self-love. Some students don’t like to listen to the rambles of their hippy-ish yoga teacher and prefer a more straight-forward, lead me through the poses kind of class and that’s totally cool too. I’ve found that if I try to straddle the line between any extremes, I’m not going to strike a chord with anyone. It was hard to understand that in the beginning but now I’m okay with just being me. I have a great little group of regulars who like my tunes, sequences and intention. The students who return to my class each week seriously make my whole day and I LOVE seeing their smiling faces each week. Authenticity attracts the tribe you’re meant to be with.

This past year, I’ve laughed, felt deeply, grown, made jokes that didn’t stick and probably rambled a little too much. What I never expected was how freaking rewarding teaching yoga would be. I never could have anticipated how fulfilling it would be to share what I love each week. I get to lead my students through the 60 minutes of “me time” they carved out of their precious day and it’s so awesome. Seeing them totally blissed out in savasana or with a big ass smile on their face when they nail a pose for the first time — chills.

I can’t wait to spend many, many years to come sharing what I love. Yoga has given me so much more than I ever could have imagined and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me.