HOW TO BRING MORE OF YOU INTO YOUR TEACHING
Who even ARE YOU?!
Being a yoga teacher is hard right! We have a lot to think about - mastering the asana, sequencing, setting up and holding a safe space for your students – the tangible things. But the best teachers create a dynamic space for learning through their authentic voice. Bringing their own personal touch to the class and delivering the class in a fun and engaging way.
I teach the teachers that I work with that….
You cannot show up AUTHENTICALLY until you’ve delved into and gotten clear on who you are.
And this means that you will be teaching from THE HEART…..
OK so maybe this is not as clear as it seems, what does teaching from the heart look like? Finding your authentic voice sweet spot as a new teacher can be confusing & tough. It can be especially confusing for new teachers. I know because I struggled with this for longer than I needed to at the start of my teaching journey.
With so much noise out there & pressure to fit in & impress it can be really easy to slip into a space of being the type of teacher that you think will bring more students or that a studio will be more likely to hire. THIS IS A MISTAKE.
It's important that you find WHO YOU ARE as a teacher that feels AUTHENTIC & TRUE to you or quite quickly it will feel exhausting & unsustainable & I don’t want this for you…
It is a MYTH that you emerge from your yoga teacher training as a fully formed teacher, ready to teach clearly, authentically and competently and this myth can be so detrimental to your confidence as a new teacher. It’s important to acknowledge that it takes time to develop the body and skill of teaching yoga and it takes hard work. This not only encompasses learning how to deliver a class but inner work getting to know yourself and who you are not just in this new role but also as a human, exploring in your own life and practice. This will then translate into your teaching. It is an opportunity to explore the things that you want to share and be a part of.
So for example I am now 9 years in, skilled at what I do and the way I show up in my teaching, is confident, clear, authentic and heart led but I am ever evolving EVOLVING and GROWING and doing the work underneath that. And it wasn’t always this way.
When I came out of my first teacher training I struggled with my confidence, being seen, and I struggled with knowing who I was as a teacher, knowing what my authentic self looked like as a teacher. I struggled with what I had to say and share. So this was a process and I did most of it unsupported and alone so it probably took longer than it should have.
However this process of finding myself as a teacher helped me to grow not just professionally but within myself also. It gave me the space to explore who I was, explore and deepen my practice and explore who I am as a teacher and in my life. And this is ever evolving and developing and this is the space I share from in my teaching.
So how does this relate to finding YOUR authentic voice? It means that the first thing to do is acknowledge that it is a process and it takes time. You’re an ever evolving, growing, changing human and you are using the practices to move through that right? THIS is a great place to start from when exploring your authentic voice.
One thing I always share with the teachers I work with is to teach from where you are and teach what you have already embodied. So it's worth spending the time at the beginning of your journey exploring this to really set you up for a career that is passion driven and heart led.
Today I’m going to share with you 3 things to start with when exploring and developing your authentic voice….⠀⠀
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⚡️YOUR WHY?
One of the biggest mistakes I see teachers make is not getting clear on WHY they are teaching. Actually, I made this mistake myself so speaking from experience, without getting clear on why you’re teaching, when things inevitably get tough, (we all have our ups and downs) it can be easy to fall out of love with yoga and teaching.
When we get clear on why we are doing what we are doing and where we want to go with it, we become a lot more grounded and we can start to consciously move forward with the way we are showing up with our students, in our practice and in our business.
Getting clear on your why is a foundational process that can set you up for success for your journey forward as a confident, empowering and successful teacher.
It will also naturally lead you to a place of authenticity and teaching from the heart. When you know your WHY, this in turn is a steady foundation from which you can teach and your students will naturally see and feel this.
Here are some journalling prompts to start to get clear around your why….Think about why you want to teach? What inspires you about the practice? What brought you to the practice in the first place? How has the yoga practice helped you grow & how can you share this with others?
⚡️YOUR PASSIONS & INTERESTS
I know that you’re passionate about yoga and that yoga has potentially helped you in some way? Thats why you’ve become a yoga teacher? SO its important to bring this into your teaching. So lets start to flesh this out.
Here are some journalling prompts for you to start with….What are you passionate about sharing within the yoga sphere? What are you interested in outside of yoga & how could this potentially flavour your classes and teachings? For example I love Pilates so I love to bring a bit of a Pilates flavour to my classes.
⚡️YOUR PERSONALITY - BE YOURSELF
When you are teaching and attracting your students and clients the thing they will be attracted to is you being 100% you. That’s right! (Phew! Right?) So its important to get clear on who that is.
This may sound easier than it is right but your students will come for YOU. So when teaching your class allow your You-ness to shine through.
Some journalling prompts to help you explore this…What are 3 words you would use to describe your personality? What are 3 ways you’re family and friends would describe you? (this could be a question you ask them) Write a few sentences about how you want to most authentically want to show up as you for your students? Think about how you would feel, how you want to make them feel.
So which one are you going to focus on first?
If you want to explore this further grab this free workbook I’ve created just for you
to help you to get clear on your authentic voice.
Let me know how you get on with it.