It may have only been for 15 minutes at the beginning of someone else’s class but last week I taught my first yoga. And I am extremely proud of myself.
When I first decided to do the yoga foundation course through the BWY I thought I might one day teach but for me it was more about getting to know yoga more fully. Once I had finished a year later I knew with my entire self that I wanted to share the wonder of yoga with everyone.
As I’ve worked on my yoga and started my teacher training I have been very lucky to be taken in by an already established yoga teacher. She has offered me advice and support as well as the chance to start my own teaching under her supervision. I can’t say the prospect of teaching didn’t terrify me because it did! I am not a natural public speaker, I often feel more comfortable one to one rather than in a large crowd. However that said I knew when I started this that one day I would have to stand at the front of a room with eyes all around me, and impart some yoga wisdom, or at least get people to breathe!
After some discussion with my yoga teacher I settled on teaching Nadi Shodhan (alternate nostril breathing) as its one of my favourites. It’s often true however that you realise how complicated something is once you try to explain it to others. I have spent a good many hours practising how I would take a class through this, how I would explain, how long it should last. My poor husband has been subjected to my trial runs. Once ending with me in fits of giggles and another with him sound asleep (I see that as a good sign though). The day came and I woke up with a start, I had to get though a whole day of work before embarking on my challenge. It was a busy day luckily and before I knew it I was on the train home reciting my instructions to myself.
I got to class 45 minutes early to chat it all through with my teacher, I was ready to jump in! Sat on my mat as people arrived I held my own breathing practise, mostly to stop my heart beating out of my chest! Suddenly it was time, my heart was in my throat as I walked to the front of the room. I settled down on the mat and saw all of these faces staring back at me, it was a unique experience.
Overall it went well, my own breathing settling fairly quickly and my heart stopped trying to get out of my chest. There was a moment of stillness as everyone in the room flowed through the practise unaided and I felt bliss. ‘This’ I thought to myself ‘this is why I want to be a yoga teacher’. However brief the experience I knew in those moments that sharing this experience with people, allowing them time out of their day where they can be at peace, where they can carve out time for themselves, that what I want to be a part of.