I don’t have any deep thoughts on my teaching experience during October. I subbed a lot of extra classes, worked with about 20% more students than the month prior. And because I was running around more, which is physically tiring, I tried do less talking and more listening and observing. I’ve said before that I’m grateful for how candid yogis are with me about their experiences, and I can “hear” even more from them by noticing how they move around the mat. We telegraph so much about how we feel in how we move. Watch the body, watch the breath. It’s all there.
October by the numbers:
- 43 classes
- 445 students
- 48+ hours
- 8 locations
A most honest exchange, that made me guffaw:
Me: You had a moment in dandasana, what was going on there?
Yogi: Oh, I was thinking “ugh, fuck, this is so hard.”
Overheard before class:
Passerby: How was yoga?
Yogi: It’s about to be awesome!
Some select sweet comments and funny feedback:
- “Fix me!”
- “During savasana, I was very aware of my heart beating, and I felt so relaxed. I don’t have the words to express it, but it made me happy.”
- “There must be some sort of special joy in being that good at your job.”
- “Why haven’t I been coming to these classes? It’s so good.”
- “Was that a Zoolander reference?” [ed: Yes, it was.]
- “Your cuing is so equilibrious. It’s crystal clear, but well nuanced.”
- “I was in a car accident a year ago, and I haven’t really returned to practice. But I felt good in class just now and your personal feedback was so helpful. I’m so glad I came.”
- “I come to yoga with you once a week, and I also go to the chiropractor once a week for low back pain. I’m lucky to be able to do both, but if I had to choose, hands down, I’d choose the yoga. The feel-good lasts for days.”
- “I like practicing with you because you sequence so well. You always prepare us for postures, so when we get to the complicated stuff, I feel safe and ready to go.”
- “That was a win.”
And a couple displays of blog-awareness:
Yogi: That bird-of-paradise transition yesterday was… uh, paradise?
Me: Are you trying to pad your blog appearances??
Yogi: I would never!
Yogi A: That sequencing tonight was hot fire!
Yogi B: Well, that’s definitely going up on the blog.
SomerJill 