Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Teacher as Student

I love teaching yoga! I love helping people feel better physically in their bodies and minds. It's rewarding work and hard work, but it's worth it to see people come out of my classes feeling and looking more calm and balanced than when they went in. But part of being a good teacher, is staying a student at heart. As teachers, it's easy to think that once we take our teacher training that it's over...we know it all and can do it all. But this is clearly not so. Completing a teacher training is just the tip of the iceburg.

I hope you can appreciate that it's much different on the other side of the mat when you are teaching as opposed to participating in a class. But we are privileged in this community to have so many yoga studios available. My schedule is so crazy that I sometimes don't have the time to take a class, but for the last 2 weeks I've taken classes, a hot yoga class and an Anusara inspired Vinyasa class. I had to put at least one class in no matter how tired or busy I was.

It was so beautiful to be a student and absorb the asanas and appreciate the varying techniques of my fellow teachers. So for me, to be a proficient teacher and keep learning, I must always stay a student. To bring this sense of excitement, newness and learning to my classes is something I always strive for and it's a lesson for me to never rest on my laurels or take this practice for granted. So thank you to Amber and Gloria.

If you haven't tried a yoga class yet, maybe it's time to start. Spring is just around the corner and you can almost smell the newness of life in the air. Why not celebrate that, by taking a yoga class. Radiant Fitness is adding more yoga classes, so check out our schedule for March.

http://www.radiantfitness.com/

Namaste,

Susan

No comments: