I think it’s a distinction that isn’t always taken into account in discussions about yoga for anyone who wants to try it and make it part of their life.
Now, in my 15th year as a teacher, I feel very different than when I started.
While I feel like you can always learn something from different teachers, even if that something is “I’m not going to go to that class anymore,” as a student I don’t expect every teacher to speak to me.
When I was a new teacher, I wanted to please everyone and I would be embarrassed if someone didn’t like my class. I would even consider someone leaving before Savasana as a failure on my part.
Now, all these years later, I know that as a teacher I am not suitable for everyone, and I feel very comfortable with that. I also understand that students must take a certain degree of personal responsibility in their practice.
Related to this, I also take feedback (good and bad) with a grain of salt. For example, I haven’t played music while teaching for years, so if someone told me they would prefer my class to be accompanied by a playlist (as has happened), I would say they are welcome with their opinion. However, that is an example of feedback that I would not act on.
Not all feedback is equal or justified and not all feedback should be taken into account. I’m reminded of something Judith Hanson Lasater said during the first training I did with her over ten years ago, namely: if you have ten students in a class, you are teaching ten different classes.
As a teacher, you may do your best to teach everyone in front of you, but that doesn’t mean you can or will please everyone.
This all goes back to why when someone tells me they don’t like yoga because they’ve only taken one class, I say it’s worth trying a series of classes with different teachers. This is because it is completely normal that it takes time to find teachers you resonate with. If you still feel like yoga isn’t for you, that’s completely fair.
After all, the fact that yoga is suitable for everyone does not mean that you should do it.
Paula Hines is a London-based yoga teacher and writer and author of the book Rest + Calm (Green Tree, Bloomsbury). Discover more at: ucanyoga.co.uk
#everyones #teacher #Yoga #Magazine