Every teacher has their own reasons for teaching and their own message that they are here to deliver. Getting clear on your mission can be achieved through contemplative practices such as journaling and meditation. Through this program you will be given opportunities to elucidate your voice independently, with your peers and with your teachers. A central question may be: ‘What do I pay attention to? What am I searching for each moment each day? What do I have to say to the world?’
I, Marysia, was never given a religion growing up so, I created my own faith. I decided that everything that happens to me is a gift to help me grow into a more beautiful being. Whenever I experienced pain or hardship I’d dig inside myself and ask my soul: ‘Why did I call this event into my life? What would I like to learn?’ Then with my journal I would hypothesize… sometimes I could see the next step in my evolution easily and sometimes it would take years.
This practice bleeds into nearly every moment of my daily life as I find myself spotting coincidences and looking for passageways into dimensions of greater freedom and love. Through these practices I’ve cultivated my voice which you hear when I teach.
While some teachers plan specific spiritual themes for class in advance, I cannot. I’ve tried but it's very uncomfortable. I find myself stuck in trying to remember what I was supposed to say and the words don’t flow naturally. The present moment is where my magic lives. I have to wait until moments before class starts or even after class has begun to know why we gathered and what truths we are here to embody. Live or digitally, I feel the energy of the room and wait for the words to find me. My lifestyle is my preparation and that is enough for me.
This is how I work. But there is no better or worse way to formulate a class. Predictability is also desirable and so you are free to play with coming up with a theme beforehand. In most likelihood for the first couple years of your teaching career you will want to create a theme in advance. (A benefit of using the set LWU sequence is that once it is well memorized, you can focus your attention into being with the energy of the room rather than which pose to teach next.)
Live, when I start class I usually have my students embrace a still moment in Sukhasana to focus on their breath and grow present. Digitally, I typically have my students enter a shape, like Down Dog while they focus on their breath so that ambient distractions are less available. It is useful to give your students minds’ something to do to maintain the connection of their breath to their body in the present. Examples include: observing specific qualities of their breath such as the feeling in their chest or stomach or nostrils. Subtle alignment cues can be helpful as well.
After assisting your students in becoming more fully committed to the now, allow them to linger in silence. Note that I am careful of how long I hold silence in the digital classrooms because technology can be glitchy and I want to be sure the students know I am still with them. Offering your own sigh or a super simple direction such as ‘stay with it’ is enough.
If you feel inspired to share thoughts about yoga and the human experience do so. Do your best to say as much as possible in as few words as possible.
SAY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN AS FEW WORDS AS POSSIBLE.
I repeat this because silence is golden and words are meaningful. Do not fill the space with chatter. Rambling deflates your power. As you learn to fully command each word that comes out of your mouth, you may stumble and that is just fine. Take a deep breath and know that no matter what came before you have the capacity to shift the energy of the whole classroom in an instant. Instead of beating yourself up:
1) Forgive yourself (Class isn’t about your performance. It’s about the students' experience.)
2) Take a deep breath
3) Recommit to rocking your students’ world!
As my student Maya once told me ‘every second is a second chance!’ It took me years to sharpen my use of language to where it is today and I still see room for improvement so I stay with it. Trust the journey and stay the course. Being able to express yourself with greater and greater power feels amazing!
As you flow through class, continue to take moments in stillness and reflect. WATCH your students. FEEL the vibe. BREATHE DEEPLY. Consider what is happening in the room? Are we working on courage, grounding, presence, patience, all of it? Something else? When you are ready, offer encouragement. Be with your students.
If you notice yourself getting lost in self conscious thoughts such as:
Am I saying this right? Do they like me? Why is that person looking at me weird? Why did that person walk out?
I often start with one person. I’ll say their name, offer alignment cues and give adjustments when possible. I make my desire to be there to support them stronger than the voice of my inner critic. I lose myself in service to my community and soon enough I am back in the room with the whole class.
As class carries on, you may like to drop in simple musings that connect the yoga practice to living yoga. This is beautiful when it happens and it’s also beautiful when it doesn’t. Don’t let fear of saying the wrong thing control you but don’t force anything either.
Live, after class I hold a silent Savasana from 2-5 minutes before having the students come into a seated position for a short contemplation. Digitally, I offer the contemplation in Savasana because I don’t want the students to worry if the connection got cut off.
You do things however feels best for you. You are the teacher creating your own universe with each class. As valuable as my example is, it is more important that you cultivate and listen to your own logic system.
As the room gets still I contemplate the closing message. I ask myself: ‘What did we learn today?’ Then I wait for the answers. My breath is my greatest ally. It not only sustains my life, but it creates the sounds that express my voice and it connects my energy with all else. When in doubt, pause and feel your breath. Before I speak I usually don’t know the exact words that will come out of my mouth but in the silence I do hear messages. Then my mouth opens and words come out. As I speak, I discover with greater clarity why we gathered and what we may like to bring with us into the world.
You can practice this on your own in daily life anytime. Even when you are taking out the trash you can take a pause, reflect and speak out loud to the ether “everyday, consciously or not we are letting go of things. The practice of bringing greater awareness to what we are letting go of gives us insight into how we are evolving. We don’t know what we don’t know. That awareness gives us the freedom to make different choices if we would like to move in another direction.” Anything can mean just about anything. It’s simply a practice honing your awareness to spot those connections.
Over time I’ve cultivated a tagline for the end of class. ‘My spirit honors your spirit. Namaste.’ I enjoy having a predictable wrapping up of things. It creates a sense of familiarity. (I also start many of my classes with ‘Hi Friends!’ My taglines manifested organically over time. It feels nice and creates brand consistency. Feel free to do whatever feels good for you! You too are creating your teaching persona. Feel free to do whatever feels good for you! While it’s important to be present with your audience it’s also important to resist the urges to people please. Value your taste above all else. Who do you want to be? What feels best and most authentic to you?