545 Days Into My journey As A Yoga Teacher

In continuation with my previous blog..After much research , I decided to take up a 200 hour Teacher Training Certificate course from Rishikesh Yog Peeth at Rishikesh, India.

If you had asked me 5 years earlier did I see myself as a Yoga teacher I would have said you were crazy… but the interesting thing is the more I understood Yoga the greater the transformation in me…

Now I can’t imagine a day without my Yoga practice as it has become part of my very being. So much so that my transition to Yoga teacher became complete… now I wish to share those experiences with others beginning their Yoga journey..

At this point in time I was not a great yogi myself (and still aren’t), nor can i get into all the difficult pretzel shaped contorted  poses. That’s one of the great lessons in Yoga… there are no comparisons, no one is ‘better’ than someone else… there is no measuring, badges or stickers… we all progress in the way that works for us and feels right.

I have kept my practice steady and focused and dedicated at least half an hour each day.

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Through my journey i have realised that there are no bad students with Yoga, we are all on our path.

Along the journey, little did i know that teaching yoga which I had never done before was the least of my worries /concerns. I had no business sense, was in a town where I hardly knew a soul, and in a town that I knew nothing about. There were occasions when I ran events with just one student in the room.

How was I going to build my students then?  I began doing research to see if I could glean any tips and trick about how I could spread the word about my services. Besides finding students I  was also in need of a venue that was affordable to host classes.

Having decided I was going to teach Yoga, I became hugely enthusiastic and so didn’t want to lose the tempo and passion that I had created. It all began very modestly in the end with me teaching Yoga to my Husband and my Sister and Brother-in-law (online). They became my guinea pigs students for my first baby steps.

Word got out and I made contact with a few friends and finally organised a class for them; it had started! A quick crash course in some social media platforms… Facebook Pages, Meetup and my events were not online too… things progressing nicely!

Fortunately I stumbled across Networking too and latched on to an organisation that enabled me to connect with the local community and unbelievable the events were all free to attend: Link4Growth

It is said that what the mind conceives and believes it can achieve.

On setting an intent to find the venue,  the universe presented  me with a studio at an affordable cost very close to Watford Town Centre.

With just 2-3 students initially but through networking, word of mouth and improving my social media presence ( learning sessions) more students began to appear.

Within 500 days... by meeting new people (at networking events), having conversation and learning how to engage on social media effectively... A much greater clarity and focus emerged on who it was that I wanted to work with as my students.

They roughly split into 3 groups..

1. I now focus on teaching 50+ adults, who have hardly practiced yoga and are struggling with inflexibility and limited range of motion.
2. Senior adults who find it difficult to get onto the mat, these I provide Chair Yoga sessions to regain balance, strength and flexibility.
3. Those who would like to begin their journey into Yoga and would like compassion and kindness in their early Yoga days.

I am now beginning to receive enquiries from groups of people who would like a Yoga teacher to visit their location, offices or halls. A great example of this is a session now being delivered to a group of 10 primary school teachers after school has finished for the day. .

Soon sessions will commence at a local charity for people suffering with mental health issues, and we are hoping to begin in a shared office space where occupants are encouraged to engage in social activities together.

Below are the list of classes i offer

Chair Yoga for seniors - Monday- !0.00-11.00 am At The Oddfellows Hall

Women only Yoga -        Thursday 6.30-7.30 pm 24 FitClub, Watford Town Centre

Yoga For All Levels -       Saturday 4.00-5.00 pm 24 Fitclub Watford Town Centre

Weekend Yoga Classes   Sunday 9.00- 10.00 am 24 Fit Club, Watford Town centre

Of course all this would have not been possible without the many connections i have made along the way. They  have inspired me, influenced me positively and motivated me. Of these i would like to make a mention of my mentor and friend Chris Ogle and my hypnotherapist / personality development coach and friend Viktoria Duda who have had  a great impact on my personal growth.

Along the journey of teaching Yoga i have learned that i will always remain a student of Yoga and Yoga is about progress and not perfection.