It’s important to reach out to others to stay connected. By Paula Hines
I did an intensive teacher training in yin yoga earlier this year and
it was a fantastic experience. There was the joy of hours of asana
practice and deepening our knowledge, of course, but one of the
most valuable aspects was the space it provided for our small group
to discuss and share teaching experiences.
During my first year of teaching yoga full-time I had not even
considered the loneliness that self-employment could entail. I was
not lonely in the literal sense – I was teaching various classes and
meeting people all the time.
However, I had gone from being in a job where I worked in an
office, with colleagues and a sense of solidarity between us whatever
ups or downs or company politics there may have been, to working
for myself.
It took me a while to work out that where I used to be able to go
and have a chat with a colleague if I had a worry to share or was
having a bad day, or even to share good news, now I did not have
anyone to talk to most weeks, never mind most days.
I relished my newfound freedom but I missed the regular contact
with workmates.Teaching yoga is wonderful but it can be isolating. When you’re the
one standing in front of the class your experience is very different
to being part of the class. You do your best and hope that you are
creating a safe space for the people in your classes.
However, as teachers we all need support too. All sorts of things
can occur which we might wonder how do deal with. Some examples
include (but are certainly not limited to) how to market classes, how
to respond to being put on a pedestal by a student or how to respond
to complaints.
The importance of being able to talk with someone who
understands where you are coming from is not to be underestimated.
It could be one other teacher you know and regularly meet up with,
a more formal mentoring group or even some of the yoga teacher
forums out there on social media.
For me, talking to teachers with more experience than me is always
reassuring. Being a part of some kind of teaching community means
we can all support each other.Paula Hines is a London-based yoga teacher (ucanyoga.co.uk)We all need support
My yoga business: Teacher tales
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