Teachers: Do you ever feel like the way you teach has been influenced by everyone except YOU? This is a common thread I hear in the conversations I have with teachers. So many of them feel that there’s a number of rules out there that govern how you should teach. I just did a Tik Tok video about this today. Maybe you think you have to cue to the breath or include Sun Salutations in your sequence or use music or start everyone in Child’s Pose. The reality is you don’t have to do any of those things! You can start teaching how YOU want, right now.
Sure, I know in your teacher training, things were presented to you a certain way. That’s great! Maybe some of that made sense to you. Maybe some of it even felt natural to you, like this would be a natural way of teaching. But what if it didn’t? What if you don’t want to use music or include a peak pose or god forbid, what if you don’t want to wear “yoga clothes?”
Believe it or not, you don’t have to do any of that.
And the reality is this: Until and unless you find YOUR way of teaching, you won’t find the joy in it and it’ll be hard to make connections with your students. Until you find YOUR authentic way of teaching and have the courage to move past the influence of the outside world, your classes won’t have the unique nature that only YOU can bring.
Of course you’re going to be influenced by your mentor, your main teacher and of course you’re picking up on how others teach when you go to their classes and scroll through social media. Remember though, YOU can be that person too.. meaning, YOU can be the teacher others look to, that teacher who inspires others and you’ll get there when you fully own WHO you are when you’re teaching and do what you want.
Now, if you’re newer, this can feel pretty scary. You’re finding your way and the main thing you want is experience. So give yourself the space and time to figure out who you want to be as a teacher. Resist the urge to copycat in the sequences you offer, the cues you use, how you dress and anything else. Take some time in stillness to identify what makes you unique. Ask the loved ones in your life what they love about you. Make a list in your journal (you’re journaling, right?) of things you love about yourself. Those are the things you want to bring into your teaching. You’d never dream of wearing mala beads? Don’t! You’d never connect to teaching with music or certain kinds of music? Don’t! I think you get the drift.
There’s another aspect of this that I also want to share and it’s this: Along with really finding your authentic way and being committed to teaching in that way, don’t wait. I also hear from teachers that they’re not ready but at the same time, if I ask them what their vision is for their teaching, they can share it as if it’s already happened… it’s that clear! Your thought that you’re too busy, you don’t have time, there’s too many teachers, you feel like an imposter, you need to learn more.. it’s all just your ego trying to talk you out of moving forward.
So start today. Take one first step forward. Oh, and head over to my Instagram and Tik Tok and watch today’s videos to hear these two messages right from me on video. You can do this! The world is waiting for YOU to show up and teach.
Comment below and tell me what you think.