Lessons and Perspectives from Traveling and Teaching Yoga Around the World
Since I started traveling and teaching yoga, the question I get most from my students is: What made me become a yoga teacher?
There are many possible reasons behind why we choose our professions and work activities in life. For example, personal interests, experiences, skill sets and talents can lead us to a path that aligns with our values and circumstances. Maybe you discover a calling or innate ability early on, or you want to do something unique that you are passionate about. Or perhaps a profession runs in your family and it’s always been tradition to carry on in order to uphold family expectations. Job security, financial considerations, and work/life balance can also play a big role in influencing our career decisions.
For me, the motivation to become a yoga teacher and begin a yogic path was different. A yoga teacher is, first and foremost, a seeker. A seeker of a purpose, health, and balance between body, mind and soul. A seeker of true self, new paths, and new ways of living. By becoming a seeker, you become a yoga teacher, and this is how I began my journey into yoga.
In the last two years of teaching yoga while traveling and more than a year of using the Yoga Trade platform to find opportunities, here is what I’ve learned about becoming a yoga teacher.
To be an effective yoga teacher, you need to be able to experience yoga from different perspectives.
From a learner’s perspective, this means understanding how it sometimes feels like being an impostor for not performing a pose with the “perfection” and flexibility considered necessary.
From an observer’s perspective, this means learning from other teachers’ practices, and incorporating new styles and ideas when preparing a flow for a class.
From a listener’s perspective, this means listening to your students with empathy and presence, including their compliments and also noting their limitations for a healthy and comfortable practice.
From a teacher’s perspective, this means demonstrating asana practice, philosophy and meditation. And to encourage not only students but also new teachers who want to put their calling in service in this world but may be afraid of not doing their best, without comparing themselves to others and social media.
To become a yoga teacher is to become a seeker of your voice, path and style of practice, knowing that everyone is a teacher, and above all, knowing that you are a learner. A student can teach as much as a master if you are open enough to learn in every situation, whether through the discipline of physical practice or the discipline of the mind. It is about being open to facing deep truths about yourself rather than the judgment of others.
The process of becoming a yoga teacher is also strongly rooted in connection. Connection with yourself and with the people in every experience of teaching a class, whether it’s a word, a pose that has changed someone’s life, the courage to teach in a language that is not your first language, or the gratitude you receive from your students. Sometimes a gesture can say more than a thousand words.
The experiences I’ve had through Yoga Trade have enriched my practice and skills as a yoga teacher, have given me the confidence to teach in a second language, and have allowed me to travel to different countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Colombia.
I’ve also been able to build meaningful connections and forge long-lasting friendships with many people.
This is the essence of why I became a yoga teacher, to continue my path as a seeker and to make connections. And with that, I invite and encourage you to become a yoga seeker too.
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