How does the graduate become the guru? By Nina Sebastiane

E

veryone has a favourite teacher. You know the one, often

it’s the first teacher you experience or maybe the first

that you really connected with. They put you at ease and

usually have an effortless way with words - giving you just

what you need in class, when you need it. They can work

you hard, but you love them all the more for it, and as for savasana

• pure bliss. It is these special people that often give students the
  motivation and self belief to take the teaching plunge. But what is
  the secret sauce that enables these gifted gurus to transport you
  from yoga studio to yoga nirvana?

Growing pains

As a yoga teacher trainer since 2012 and student since 1998 I have

loved watching the chrysalis-like transformation of the nervous,

word-stumbling trainee become a confident, effortless teacher.

Getting lefts mixed up with rights is par for the course as is the brain

freeze moment when you can’t even remember your own name. It

happens to everyone. But how does the graduate become the guru?

In my experience, first and foremost is preparation, preparation,

preparation. Trainees can be in a rush to build their signature

sequence and get it out there, but you need to get the foundations

right. Take time to really consider your audience: who are you

teaching? A class that happens at 9am on a Sunday will have a

completely different feel and audience to the Monday 6:30pm ‘after

work’ crowd. Not only the nature of who you are teaching but also

what is going on around them. As as a trainer I encourage all new

teachers to take time to do the prep properly and write down their

class aide memoire – preferably step-by-step and with stickmen to

Be an

inspirational

teacher

help visual learners (research has found that most of our new skills

processing is visual so pictures are always a good way to absorb the

information and take into the class with you). But as we progress as

experienced teachers, we often forget these basics. One of our most

senior teachers at Feel Wellbeing still prepares a class plan with

stick figures (something she would do as a student but has never

given up). It helps her to visualise the sequence better which means

it leaves more time for her to see beyond the poses and concentrate

on the nurturing side of teaching.

Which leads us nicely onto TLC. Making your students feel warm

and welcome the moment they walk through the door is another

basic that can be overlooked. Arrive well before the start of your

class; I aim for 40 minutes earlier. Get the room set up with any

mood lighting and nice smelling scents - not overpowering, but just

enough to encourage a feeling of a clean, fresh practice space. I

steer away from the very musky joss sticks and prefer essential oil

of eucalyptus or lavender in a water base which I spray or burn prior

to start of class. Not only does it smell wonderful but it aides the

opening of the airways and the lavender creates an instant feeling

of wellbeing.

Personal attention

No matter the kind of day I have had up to that moment, I do a

short practice or a breath exercise if time-strapped to reset my own

thought patterns. As students arrive I greet everyone with a big

smile. The feeling of someone being delighted to see you is tangible

and can improve the atmosphere of a class from the outset. Often

this is the time students who may be experiencing particular issues