Inevitably the Student Becomes the Teacher
This past weekend I was able to attend YogaFit's Level 1 teacher training at Ventura Pop Up Yoga. I jumped on the opportunity, when I first heard it was happening. I was very excited that I was finally following a dream I had had for the last couple of years. However, as it got closer, the doubt, fear and thoughts of “What the heck am I doing?!?” definitely started to settle in. I really had no idea what to expect and the insecurities came out in full force. The questions, “Will people even want to take yoga from someone that doesn't necessarily have a yoga body" or "a teacher that can't even do a headstand without the wall nearby?” definitely swirled around in my mind.
Saturday morning, I walked in a bit jittery but my fears started to subside when I realized I wasn't the only nervous student. Our group was pretty diverse in terms of age, body type and reasons for doing the training. Our teacher, Laura, quickly laid fears to rest. She explained that although we will be taking in a lot of information, the physical act of teaching is where we will bloom into the teachers we want to become.
The training itself was full of wonderful, practical information. We learned sequencing the best flows, how to cue students from one pose to another and the importance of alignment coming from a science based stand point. The training laid a strong foundation for teaching yoga but also explained how crucial it is to be authentic as a teacher. It got me thinking about my earlier questions- What if the things I perceive as weaknesses actually make me a more approachable teacher?
It was beautiful to witness the transition in our group from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. We had really grown together and coming to a close there were many tears shed as we shared our hearts.
Leaving the training on Sunday night, I was so glad I had not listened to my fears and missed out on all the was gifted to me this past weekend. It was a beautiful lesson learned and I am grateful for the journey I have been on to bring me here. Whether teaching yoga is something your interested in or not, I would still highly recommend this even to deepen your own personal practice. But who knows, you may walk out and find a community of people that could use your gift and that is the highest form of living -serving others.
Melissa Kelly
