When I started teaching yoga one of the
things I promised myself was that I would make my classes accessible to all
students, I never wanted a student to feel uncomfortable in my class for any
reason. I had been in too many yoga classes where I felt out of place for many
reasons- everyone else seemed to know each other and I was almost the odd one
out, I didn’t understand the Sanskrit names for the poses and was left waiting
for other students to move into the pose so I could copy them or I found the
teacher intimidating rather than encouraging.
One of the best parts of my job is talking
to my students getting to know them a bit better, talking about why they come
to yoga, and usually after class getting their feedback, which is always so
lovely to hear. To see people totally let go in Savasana makes me smile, no
matter what they have done throughout the class, I love seeing my student’s let
their body relax and their mind calm. I have been very lucky in my teaching
career to date and have had so many wonderful students, some of whom make a big
effort to share their positive feedback with me after class or through messages
and emails all of which I truly appreciate. I really enjoy teaching and get a
buzz and energy out of every class, getting some positive feedback at the end
of or after a class is like the extra sprinkles on a beautifully decorated cake-
it just adds that extra inch or two to my smile.
A few weeks ago I was teaching a Chakra
Balance class, one of my favourites in the week. I really encourage the
students to let go in this class, we shake it up a little- literally, loose our
inhibitions and even dance. It is such a fun class to teach but in this
particular class we were just working through a few ‘alternative’ sun
salutations with some nice poses thrown in the middle when I noticed one
student getting a little agitated. I didn’t want to draw attention to her but
made sure to offer extra modifications. I noticed downdog was the problem so I
began encouraging students to drop to their knees and take a break if they
needed to. I checked if she was ok but she just shrugged me off so I continued
as normal… a few moments later the girl got up and was quite flustered she
said ‘I’m not very good at this, I am
going to leave’ and she walked out of the class. For any other yoga teachers
out there reading this who have just felt that thump in your heart- yep I know
exactly how that feels. I honestly felt like someone had smacked me in the
chest with a sledgehammer and I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to run after her to
see if she was ok, to encourage her to give it a go and to reassure her that of
course she was good at it, there is no right or wrong and her version of every
posture was the best version for her… but I had a class full of students in
front of me who were already in a marathon downward dog so I took a deep
breath, encouraged all my students to do the same and did some big sighs (with
my students, telling them to release any tension in their faces- which really
was for me to focus… and I carried on).
It took me a few minutes to get my flow
back, find my teachers hat and place it firmly on my head. In those first few
moments I honestly wanted to run out the door. I couldn’t quite get my head
around it. How had I upset this student so much she wanted to leave- but rather
than dwell on it I knew I had to continue for the other students. At the end of
the class the students were so lovely and I had so many positive comments about
how great they felt and what a brilliant class it was. I chatted as normal to
them but I had a knot in my stomach thinking about the student who had left.
When I spoke to the studio owner after
class she explained that the girl had a problem with downward dog, it brought
on panic attacks so she just freaked out on the mat and had to leave- my heart
went out to her. I had asked at the start of class if anyone had any injuries,
or anything I needed to know but she obviously didn’t feel comfortable telling me
so tried to work through it.
Having thought a lot about this after the
class I have accepted that it was not my fault. As a teacher I wished I could
have done more for that student, but I totally understand why it happened and
am reassured that it wasn’t directly linked to my class or teaching. It has
also made me realize that there probably will be students who don’t like my
classes or style of teaching and that’s ok. I cannot be everyone’s favourite
teacher but I can just teach my classes as me, stay true to my values as a yoga
teacher and learn along the way. For any other teachers who have gone through similar
experiences don’t loose confidence in your teaching, believe in your ability
and the reasons you teach that are important to you, stay true to you and don’t
be too hard on yourself if you find yourself in the same situation. For any
yoga students reading this please don’t be afraid to speak up in a yoga class,
find a teacher or teachers you feel comfortable with and ask their advice or
tell them if you have something you are working with – we are here to help!
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