I have been given a great gift. After almost thirty years of practicing , I became a certified yoga instructor last summer. I got my teaching certificate with the ultimate goal of owning my own yoga studio on a beautiful beach somewhere, someday. Whether that goal will ever happen is irrelevant as I write this first blog entry. The gift that I have been given is my first yoga class of my own.
I would like this blog to be inspirational and informative, yet a reflection of a yogini’s life. I first started practicing yoga because I had a bad back. I lived in Houston, Texas at the time and the first studio I found was near Rice University in the Village. The Ashtanga teacher wore a turban and what I called ‘a diaper thing’. People thought I was extremely odd for going to this class. I did not care what they thought, all I knew was that my back felt better when I went.
My Ashtanga teacher never spoke in English. The class was all in Sanskrit and he never spoke to me before or after class for the many years I went there. I never even knew his name.
This week I thought a lot about that teacher and about what kind of teacher I wanted to be for my new class. I have had two or three extremely talented teachers along the way. They all shared a love of the life of a yogi and a deep appreciation for this ancient, complex and profound tradition.
I want to be a teacher that gives a new student the knowledge and enthusiasm to enjoy each class and want to come back for more. I want to be a teacher for the student that has been practicing for a long time new insights and passion to continue to explore this amazing practice. For each student I want to give the gift of yoga, the gift that my first Ashtanga teacher gave me. That gift is a wonderful life.
Through the ups and downs of my life yoga has remained a constant positive blessing in my experience and if I can give someone even a small sense of that then I will be successful. I expect to learn a lot from them also.
I want my personality to come through in class, but this is not about me. I do look forward to the instant gratification of seeing people grow right in front of my eyes.Tweet
