Teaching Recap: May 2023

I am in my seventh year of teaching, my nineteenth of practicing. This spring, several local training programs launched batches of newly certified teachers into the community. There will be more in the fall, and more the season after that, and so on and so on for as long as people want to study yoga. For as long as people continue to seek liberation from suffering. (S/O to Mereba and the song “Get Free” which has been plucking my yogi heartstrings lately with the words, “not trying to get by; I’m trying to get free”.)

I speak to as many trainees as I can and to program leaders. I ask about the content, the reading materials, who’s leading the conversation, who’s enrolled, what’s surprising, what lights people up and what causes hesitation. In some ways, the answers help me consider topics and leaders for the next training program I’ll enroll in. But to a larger degree, bearing witness to the fresh learning helps me see my own evolution. The teacher I am today is not the same teacher who was certified in 2016, who finished teaching at the end of her 200 Hour YTT program with shaky hands and an adrenhaline headache. I don’t lead the same sequences, or use the same words, or have the same hopes about what I can convey to students. I still get nervous and shaky sometimes, don’t get me wrong, but I no longer except to explode into flames, perishing in a conflagration of fear and anxiety and shame.

I’ve asked some new graduates if they know how they might apply their learning going forward. Some will lead classes, some will not. Many have confessed a sense of overwhelm. There are so many styles of yoga, so many ways to teach.

My mentors have provided me versions of the statements below, which I share with you. There are loads more, but three is a magic number.

You can’t teach it all. Practically, you cannot teach every single pose in a 75-minute vinyasa class, nor can you say everything you know about each asana you choose to sequence. Modern postural yoga includes so many flavors, you might make yourself silly trying to juggle options. Give yourself enough space to consider which styles stoke your fire and focus your time and efforts there for a while.

You can’t teach to everyone. Practically, you cannot lead a class that is customized to every student in the room. You will never teach a class that is a perfect fit for every body in the room. But you can provide some options for consideration and trust folks to make good choices for themselves. You will not appeal to every yogi in your community, and not everyone who comes to your class will want to return. (Apologies to my fellow perfectionists―you can’t win ’em all.)

Your vulnerability and personal passions will connect you to others. You will make mistakes as teacher. Most of the time, no one will notice. But the visible wobbles, the verbal flubs, the days of struggle will endear you to your students, who will recognize the very real human-ness in themselves. And sharing whatever makes your heart feel sparkly (folds! mountain pose! drishti! koshas! meditation!) will provide another channel of connection.

LIke my teaching style, the answer to “why do I teach?” has evolved over time, but the above ideas have been constant touchstones. They have soothed me when I feel my boat being rocked, when I can’t get the ground beneath my feet. I’m rooting for you, new teachers, as you begin this new journey.

Fellow teachers, any other adages you live by? What’s a good piece of advice you’ve been given?

The Deets

May by the numbers:

• 69 classes
• 75.5 hours of teaching time
• 665 students in attendance
• 9 locations
• 2 babies welcomed!

Despite leading nearly the same number of classes in May as in April, my attendance this month fell off about 10 percent. The “summer slump” is a very real phase of yoga teaching, and it looks like it arrived early this year. As such, I hope you will allow me my periodic reminder about how one might register for studio classes. Lots of you know that ClassPass is a convenient and affordable tool for many practitioners, but you may not know that ClassPass does not return much revenue to the studios who choose to accept CP registrations. Sometimes, a studio may receive just a few dollars per CP attendee (in contrast to their direct drop-in rate of, say, $20-25). As a result, teachers who are paid by head often won’t earn anything for these attendees. If you have the means and ability to choose how you attend, if you have studios and teachers you’d love to support with your dollars, please consider booking directly. #hottake

Schedule Updates

Heated Flow on Saturdays at Soma Yoga Center (10:00a) begin on June 10th. This cozy class will be held in the Back Studio, which maxes out at 90 degrees and holds up to 22 students.

MOTA has revised many of its class names for June. What was formally called “All Levels Flow” is now called “Vinyasa”. View my complete weekly schedule for more details on classes.

Your Words

And here are a selection of sweet comments and funny feedback from students and peers, received or overheard.

• I’m always on the verge of falling asleep when you call us out of savasana.
• Your classes are so beautifully crafted.
• There’s always something that feels like a challenge and something else that feels like a perfect, amazing fit for my body.
• Jill is a gifted teacher.
• Oh, man, that was so fun!
• Thanks for all the hands-on help. It’s really hard to know where I am sometimes.
• Practicing with you weekly has made such an incredible shift in my groundedness, clarity, calm, and strength.
• I’ve been away from this class for two weeks, and I really missed it. It’s been such a source of comfort and stability for me.