I talked to a new teacher the other day who recently graduated from her 200 hour training. She was super excited to be done but she nervously admitted to me that she was terrified of applying to studios for a teaching job. It had been a few months and she just couldn’t seem to get herself to move forward. I get this! It’s a natural feeling and one that can be overcome. Let’s go over a few quick tips for what you can do:
First of all, let’s uncover WHY you’re delaying. There can be any number of reasons:
- You don’t feel like you know enough
- You don’t have a yoga sequence in place
- You don’t feel ready to step in front of a class and teach
- You’re pretty certain all the teaching jobs in your area are already taken.
Let’s break these down one by one:Â
You don’t feel like you know enough: Guess what? You don’t! And guess what else? So what! If you let “knowing enough” get in the way and continue to take trainings and workshops, you’ll never step out in front of people. I’ve been teaching for 15 years and I still get stuck in sequences, find myself looking things up online for unique questions I get and look up to some teachers and wish I some of what they know. One of the fundamental responsibilities of a teacher is to always be learning so stop thinking of the process as a finite one. Think of it as an ongoing piece of your evolution as a teacher.
Now, having said that, you went through your 200 Hour training so you have a baseline of knowledge. That’s what it is: a baseline. It’s a great place from which to start. Try to avoid getting ahead of yourself in this first year. What I mean by that is approach your first year of teaching from the perspective of the fundamentals: create a standard sequence to teach, stick to it and focus your classes on the foundations of yoga: breath, focus, anatomy, alignment. Avoid creating complex sequences, using lots of music, assisting, teaching complex poses and trying to be all things to all students. Find your initial “lane” and stay in it.
You don’t have a yoga sequence in place: Well, I can help you there! My yoga sequence template, which I’ll include at the end of this blog post, will help you create one. I can’t stress this enough: have a GO TO sequence you teach and stick to that for the first year or more! It’ll remove a whole number of obstacles, relieve stress and help you focus on really being PRESENT and being THERE for your students. Does that mean you teach EVERY SINGLE POSE each time? No! Maybe you add one or subtract one or two. But stick to the basic sequence. What you can change is where you focus the class; maybe one day, it’s breath, maybe one day it’s foundation. If you’re looking for themes for your classes, pick up my book, “Stretched: Build Your Yoga Business, Grow Your Teaching Techniques.” There’s a whole chapter on it.
You don’t feel ready to step in front of a class and teach: I get it. It’s scary for a lot of people. They say public speaking is one of the most terrifying things for people so think about yoga teaching in that way and for sure, you’re going to delay. But think of this way: When you go to a yoga class, are you really all wrapped up in what the teacher is saying and how he or she is teaching it? No! You’re in your own movement patterns, listening but maybe not all too intently and you give lots of leeway for things. No one is going to go to a class and nitpick what the teacher is saying so don’t think students will do that with you. People are grateful to be there and they’ll love whatever you share. The best advice I can give you is to DO IT ANYWAY. It sounds trite but honestly, if you let this fear of showing up get in the way, you’ll never teach. If you want a stepping stone, I can give you a few ideas:
- Teach to friends
- Record yourself so you get the verbal cues down
- Teach to people in your office
- Visualize yourself teaching.
You’re pretty certain all the teaching jobs in your area are taken. This is another one of those “excuses we give ourselves to avoid the real issue.” Do I think that opportunities will be falling in your lap? Maybe, maybe not. But if you use this as an excuse, you’ll never find a job. Here are a few things you can do:
Ask the teacher that trained you if you can teach in their studio and/or if they have referrals to other studio owners they can make for you
Tell your employer’s HR department that you’re now a RYT and you’d like to discuss offering yoga classes at your office
Contact five studios within your area and find out the process for at least getting on their sub list
Check listings on indeed.com for job openings
Contact five teachers that are teaching in studios where you’d like to teach and find out more about the hiring process.
I’m going to back this blog post up with a Facebook Live that I’ll post on my Facebook page so check that out also.
Here’s the template for building a yoga sequence:
Please add your comments and questions! I’d love to hear from you!
Also, check out my NEW podcast, “The Bare Bones Yoga Podcast: Conversations for Yoga Teachers.” I just launched it last week and this is the introductory episode.
Also, if you’re reading this and you live in Boston, come to my SUMMER YOGA POP UP on 8/22! I’ve rented a cool space right on Newbury Street for the class, I’ve got fun give aways and yummy healthy treats! You can sign up here.Â
Thanks for reading!