I like to write blog posts about anatomy and if you’ve been following my blog and other content, you know that. However a big part of teaching is our “way of being.” What does that mean? It means how we are as a person, what are our thoughts, how do we carry ourselves, are we happy or are we troubled by things in our life? Self-perception can also be a challenge for yoga teachers and if we struggle with self-limiting beliefs, it can get in the way of us being our most real, authentic self. Who wants to teach a yoga class with an entirely different conversation happening in our heads than the one we’re sharing with our students?
If you’ve felt like this sometimes, you’re not alone. I truly believe it’s one of those things that teachers feel but they don’t always talk about it. Teachers don’t always get a lot of time to “hang out” and chat with each other so it can be hard to find time or the right person to connect with to share these feelings. Sharing them is the first part of working through them and seeing them in writing can sometimes give us relief to know that they’re real and we’re not alone.
I’m going to share a list below of FIVE self-limiting thoughts you might have as a yoga teacher. I can share that I’ve had every single one of these and after over 15 years of teaching, some of them still pop into my head. I have better strategies of dealing with them now although as a newer teacher they were overwhelming. Let’s take a look at each one:
- I’m too new and don’t know enough to be teaching
- I’m not popular enough, otherwise know as: I don’t have a social media following, students don’t know me
- I’m not pretty enough, have the right body type, am not fit enough
- I can’t do complicated postures and am not skilled enough at yoga to be teaching
- I’m too old/too young.
Take a moment and be truthful with yourself. When you read this list, do some of these resonate with you? Do you feel something deep in your gut that says, “Yes! I’ve felt that way!” Or maybe you feel that way now and you know that if you could move past these thoughts, you’d find greater freedom in teaching and teaching would be more fun.
I want you to feel that freedom in your spirit, knowing and trusting that your teaching is just as it should be and you’re your most authentic, honest self. So, I created a podcast episode about each one of these self-limiting beliefs and I break down each one, share stories about how I’ve had self-limiting thoughts myself and in what scenarios these thoughts have come up as well as inspiring stories about teachers that have given me faith that being authentic is the BEST way to connect with your students.
I also give you strategies to address self-limiting thoughts. It wouldn’t do much good to share them with you without offering ideas for how you can move past them. So, that’s part of this podcast as well.
To listen to the podcast, click here.Â
I’m currently on a schedule of posting a new podcast episode every two weeks. To be alerted as to my next one, follow me on the podbean app and you’ll find out as soon as one of my episodes goes live.
I would love to hear from you once you listen so please leave a comment.
I hope you enjoy the podcast!