Halfway There

As of this morning, I have taught 500 hours of yoga. I have consistently (and kind of obsessively) tracked my teaching hours on the Yoga Alliance website since I received my certification in April 2019. When I reach 1,000 hours taught, I will be able to put that "E" for experienced, in front of my RYT (registered yoga teacher) designation. 

It is my goal to get that E-RYT label as soon as I'm able. Maybe I can even accumulate one thousand hours taught before completing my fifth year of teaching yoga! 

Two years and four months in, I am halfway there - so chances are good. Throughout these 500 hours, I have taught yoga to adults, children, teenagers, experienced yogis, fellow teachers, and those brand new to the practice. I have held classes in outdoor and studio spaces, living rooms, boat houses, Elks Lodges, community centers, parks, and gyms. I've taught in person and over a computer screen (thanks to the pandemic). 

High lunges with the children of the Clifton Boys and Girls Club

Confession: I still get nervous right before class.

Waiting for my students to arrive - feeling butterflies

While that hasn't changed much, the nervousness isn't really nerves any more. It is energy and excitement to be able to share the practice of yoga with family, friends, and strangers alike. 

I now sing at the end of my studio classes. That is new this year. I picked up this habit from a teacher I loved practicing with, who would do the same. When she moved away, I felt that loss and decided to bring it back. As my students lay in savasana, I lower the music and give them some silence. They can stay in savasana or slowly sit back up.

Before we close, I tell my students we'll chant "Om" and then I will lead a chant for peace, which some join me in singing, sometimes I sing alone. The chant is in Sanskrit, "loka samastha sukhino bhavanthu" and ends with "Om Shanti" three times. It means, "May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all." Singing Om Shanti is an invocation of peace. We all need a little more peace in our lives, don't we?

Another new feature of my in studio classes, I choose a single sequence to teach for an entire month.

In August, we worked on "Bird Of Paradise" a beast of a balancing pose that challenges strength, flexibility, focus, and balance.

This is new for me and helps me help my students find progress within a particular asana or a particular body part or action. It is a neat and tidy way for me to become consistent and confident as I lead a class. In the beginning - once I've chosen an asana or aspect of yoga on which to focus, I write the sequence down. In those early days of that sequence, I often refer to my notes to make sure I'm on track. As the weeks pass, I find I learn the sequence and can teach it from memory. I tell myself that I'm helping strengthen my mental acuity - staying sharp in memory has become a thing as I witness the aging process and the cruel disease that is dementia and eventually Alzheimer's.

What has never changed or diminished is the joy and happiness I get from leading a class. No matter if there are twenty people in the room or just me and another student. There is peace there for me. I feel like I am my true self - helping and guiding, offering what little wisdom I can.

This yoga journey has had its ups and downs - popular classes, days with great feedback and over the top compliments. Classes that never get off the ground or students that don't quite vibe with me.

Still I move forward. Learning all I can and sharing all I know.

Thank you for being on this journey with me, even if you've never set foot in my class.

Namaste.