come and see you and share a few moments about their day or
what is happening in their bodies and lives. I encourage students
to arrive early so they may (in their own time) transition from their
busy working day to time on the mat. I always ask, ‘how are you
feeling today’? It’s at this stage you hear about the little things: ‘I’ve
had a terrible week at work’, ‘I’m holding a lot of tension in my neck
and shoulders’. With that information to hand and a few mentally
noted tweaks to the sequence later in class: “Hi everyone, welcome
to class. Today, we’ll begin with a little neck and shoulder release to
let go of the day...” Everyone enjoys the release and the ones who
have already shared this little detail will feel that bit of extra special
attention and love.
Keep learning
Never stop evolving your teaching style and refreshing your
knowledge. It is easy to fallback into a safe and well trodden routine
of saying the same things over and again. If you find yourself
reverting to autopilot then perhaps it’s time to do something
differently. Make some time for yourself to try out a new teacher –
it doesn’t need to be a yoga teacher, I’ve been to pilates and even
Zumba sessions and have come away with motivating elements
that could be incorporated into a yoga class. Deconstructing your
session and surprising your yogis with something a little different
will be well received, although I would be wary of trying this if you’re
covering someone else’s regular slot. In those instances, most
definitely stick to the brief.
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, stay humble. When the
big bad ego raises its ugly head it can get...well, ugly. If you find
yourself in a room where bendy people are trying to have a ‘bendy/
headstand/balance off’ remember why you started your yoga journey
in the first place. Most likely it was because you found peace and joy
there. If you keep sight of that, yogis will flock to your classes. There’s
nothing finer at the end of a class than seeing a glowing face beaming
with gratitude for a wonderful class... Now that is nirvana.
Nina Sebastiane is owner and founder teacher at Feel Hot Yoga &
Wellbeing St Albans & Watford (feelwellbeing.co.uk)