I've recently started teaching yoga. It's been quite the ride so far. My first few classes I felt a mix of fear and excitement taking the seat of the teacher. Well, actually, more like a mild case of nausea.
Having taught over a dozen classes, the nausea has faded and has been replaced, in part, with feelings of doubt. In a mixed-level class, it's hard to know if you are serving each student. Is the pace too fast or too slow? Am I holding the poses for too long or not long enough? Are the cues helping enhance their experience or is it just complicating things?
I have received heart-warming feedback after some of my classes but sometimes I cross my fingers that students had a good experience. It was disheartening to say the least, when I had my first student walk out about three-quarters of the way through a class last week.
I could tell this student was a bit frustrated during some of the hip opening poses, he mentioned in a previous class that he had some knee issues. Although he did try alternative poses that were less taxing on his knee, he must have reached his limit and left his mat.
I kept teaching and finished the class. I drove home and reviewed the class plan in my head. I thought, was there something I could have done differently to help this student? Doubt.
I know this is not the first time a student has ever called it quits during a class. I can recall feeling that way myself, mostly because of things that were going on with me, not because of the teacher. My dear friends and fellow teachers have shared similar stories and told me not to take it personally.
As I prepare for my next class, I will try to instill in myself the same teachings I share with my students: breath through any feelings of inadequacy, fill up with brightness and leave no room for doubt.
