
10 years ago I was in between teaching jobs. Having sold my yoga studio franchise the previous year, I found myself looking for somewhere to land my yoga mat. But with a 6-month old at home and thyroid cancer treatment in full swing, I feared I’d lose myself in the chaos and uncertainty of it all.
But here I am, 10 years later, talking, teaching, and living my yoga every single day. Although quite different from what I had dreamed about, my yoga teaching practice, which is rooted in my studentship, has been instrumental in my healing journey. And I am tremendously grateful for it.
If you’ve ever taken one of my classes, then I hope this rings clear - teaching yoga is truly a passion of mine. One that makes me feel alive and steeped in purpose.
When I teach, it’s not about me. It’s about the content and the meaning behind that content, and the people in the room, and the energy I feel from them. I share as best as I can from that place within me that resonates with who and what I am experiencing (feeling, hearing, seeing, etc.)
And the more I teach, the more I realize how the people, their energy, and the wisdom of yoga are in fact teaching me. It’s a reciprocal gift, even if it looks like I’m the one doing the giving.
Every time I step on my mat, be it as a teacher or student, I remind myself to be open to the lesson(s) and ask expectation(s) to sit on the weigh side.
I don’t know how many classes, workshops and retreats I’ve facilitated in the last decade, but in every single one I have been gifted - gifted with something from someone that helps me know myself just a little bit more. And that’s all yoga truly is - a means to know the truth behind the chaos and illusion.
For yoga is a journey of the self. One that invites you to navigate the lower ego-driven self of wants and desires, through to the higher Self which is unbounded by name and form yet an expression of the Universal and Divine Whole.
And this is why I continue to teach - yes to add my voice to the millions of others who share in this incredible gift of Yoga, but also to continue to get to know my expression of Self that much clearer.
As my teaching journey continues to evolve, my lower self (ego) looks at the content I have planned and criticizes my interpretation. It looks at the video recordings and picks at the softness of my mid-section, the wrinkles that edge my expression, and the white grey strands that highlight my light auburn ponytail.
My higher Self sees a woman who has experienced a decade of challenge and yet still shows up, unapologetically real and raw and willing. Willing to keep learning, and healing, and sharing so that someone else might find comfort in a story of challenge and perseverance, and learning, and integrating, the meaning of self-love.
10 years later, I realize that no matter where I place my yoga mat, my practice is honest, functional and more healing than I ever thought possible - to me and the countless others who’ve invited me to share in practice with them.
I have no idea where my teaching practice will take me over the next decade, but I do know I’ll always find a place for my mat to land and you are always welcome.
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