Tips for Aspiring, New and Current Yoga Teachers of Color
Originally shared via IGTV, this Tea Talk Tuesday series breaks down various topics relating to the wellness industry — for practitioners, aspiring entrepreneurs and allies alike. Watch it on IG Live.
ASPIRING YOGA TEACHERS
Today I have some tips and insights for aspiring, current and new yoga teachers of color. We’re going to start with aspiring yoga teachers of color, this is you if you’re considering taking a teacher training and becoming a yoga teacher. One of the things you want to think about before you do any teacher training, is what style of yoga do you want to be certified in? I would recommend trying out a bunch of different styles of yoga and seeing which style you like the most, then looking for a teacher training that offers that style. Then you should look at their rosters; who is putting on that training? Is there diversity in that training? Is there diversity on their feed? Is there diversity on their website? What is their commitment in the training to talking about implicit biases, privilege?
Every studio and every yoga teacher training is going to teach you through the lens of their own studio culture. So you want to see if that vibes with you and if that feels in alignment.
The next thing you want to be thinking about, obviously is cost. You want to compare costs and see what is most affordable and also the cool thing about a lot of studios is that they’ll offer. You payments plans and sometimes offer you scholarships under the seva requirements. Seva is “selfless service” and a lot of studios will offer scholarships because of that, so inquire. One last tip is that if you’re looking at taking a training at a particular place, I would recommend taking a few classes at their studio just to get a feel for their culture and their style. Every studio and every yoga teacher training (YTT) is going to teach you through the lens of their own studio culture. So you want to see if that vibes with you and if that feels in alignment. At the moment you have access to many more options in terms of teacher training than you would usually because things are virtual. So do your research before just jumping into starting a training.
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NEW YOGA TEACHERS
Now let’s talk about new yoga teachers of color, You’ve just graduated and are let’s say in your first six months of being a certified yoga teacher, here are some tips for you! First off, there is no substitute for actually teaching. The only way to get yourself out of being new and being nervous is to teach, teach, teach, teach. When I first graduated I actually. Threw myself into a yoga teaching job at a surf school in Portugal. That was literally my first yoga teaching job out of teacher training – like, five days out of training – and it was a great experience. I just. threw myself into the pressure.
Find the thing that makes you feel good in your teaching so that other people can feel that vibration from you.
The next thing is that don’t think because you’re new you can’t be out here charging. We had our teaching training for 10 days, then a month gap and another 10 days of training. During that month we had to practice teach. So I was doing free first class then $10 a class during that gap time. I was doing that because I knew I was providing a service, and ultimately they’re there because they’re getting something out of the practice. You providing and holding that space is valuable, you hear me? Folx don’t get the opportunity to just come into a space and breathe and be with themselves and you’re providing that opportunity for them. That’s something that is worth something to them. You have to recognize that you are valuable and you are providing value in that situation whether you’re new or not!
Lastly, have patience with yourself. As a new yoga teacher it took me some years to really, truly find my touch and my teaching style, how it wanted to run my class and the energy I wanted to create in my class. Find the thing that makes you feel good in your teaching so that other people can feel that vibration from you.
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CURRENT + EXPERIENCED YOGA TEACHERS
Moving onto current yoga teacher, seasoned teachers who have been in the game for quite a while. Take some time to step back and reassess. Continue to research, continue to practice different styles and take different classes so you can continue to be inspired. One of the things as yoga teachers who have been in it for a while is that we lose our practice and I can attest to that. You’re always thinking about the type of class you can provide and kind of always have that teaching brain on so you never really fully get to enjoy the experience as a student.
Find people who put you in the space that make you feel like that brand new student, so you can experience the practice anew.
As we talk about reassessing, think about your demographic and who you’re teaching to and if that is fulfilling for you. For a while I was teaching classes to certain demographics that didn’t feel in alignment for me and at some point I decided to leave those jobs because I wasn’t enjoying teaching the class. I had to take a moment to be true to myself.
Who is it that I really want to serve?
What kind of experience to I want to bring to them and how can I do it?
Your audience or the people that you teach to may not have the same level of awareness of understanding of the practice, so it’s your job as a teacher to educate. In my personal opinion, I don’t think it’s enough that we just take people through a yoga practice; they come, we om, we do the flow, we namaste and leave. There should be a little bit of time to explain the benefits of the practice. Why are we participating in this? What are the benefits of some of the postures that we’re doing? Give some additional value to your students so that they can have something they can use beyond you. You’re maximizing their ability to get the most out of the practice.