30 Oct Yoga Teacher – Subbing Nightmare
As a fairly new yoga teacher, one of my worst teaching nightmare actually came true last week. New teachers usually do not have a lot of classes, so they tend to sub for more experienced teachers when they have an opportunity. This can be opportunities for amazing learning experiences, as many of these classes are pretty full with experienced yogis and as a new teacher, this may give us an opportunity to teach a style we don’t normally teach; stepping out of our comfort zone.
Early last week, I subbed for a teacher I have personally taken and absolutely love, and her class hated me. They didn’t say they hated me, but the vibe was there. I wasn’t going fast enough, I wasn’t cueing enough vinyasa, it was too easy. I finished the class feeling a little disturbed and disappointed. But I made a mental note, discussed it with a few other teachers and decided I would learn from this, and the next time I taught that style I was going to add many more progressions, and regressions, modifications to make the sequences more challenging. I would learn from the experience.
When another opportunity arose to sub for another well known and highly regarded instructor in my gym, I took a deep breath and offered to cover 3 of his classes. I actually teach the same style as 2 of the classes, but I know he likes to really challenge his students, so I vowed to take it up a notch. On the day of the class, I walked in, and one student, set up front and center, realized that I was going to be subbing the class, immediately started packing up her belongings. and muttering under her breath that this was the 3rd workout she was going to miss this week, and if she had known “he” wasn’t going to be teaching she wouldn’t have even bothered to come, leaving the class.
I wasn’t sure what to say. I was flustered. I was knocked off my vibe. Everyone was in the class was looking at me and know I had to teach. And I wasn’t what they were used to. So I made the sequence much more complicated than I had planned, so far out of my comfort zone that several times I stumbled over where to take the next pose, trying to emulate the regular instructor. It was awful. Halfway through the class, and I just wanted to take every one into childs pose and run out. But I stayed. I finished the class.
As soon as the class was over, I packed up my belongings and tried to disappear. I was scheduled to sub another 2 classes for this instructor, there is no way I can do this again. I called some yoga teacher friends, ready to beg someone else to sub these classes for me. But instead, I took their words of wisdom and meditated on it.
I didn’t get anyone to take the next two classes for me. I was going to learn from this experience one way of another.
Every teacher has a different style, and there are so many variations of yoga: yin, power, vinyasa, ivanger, hatha, ashtanga, the list goes on and on. Each teacher is influenced by their master teacher, and every other teacher they take. Personally, I like taking classes from many different teachers and several different styles, I think it makes my personal practice stronger and i then blend it all into my teaching style.
Don’t take it personally. Obviously the lady in this class does not feel the same way. But thats okay. Thats on her, not on me. I learned a bunch of lessons from these two experiences. First, I should taught each class they way I would teach that class, not they way the “regular” teacher does. As an instructor, I always start a class by saying to honor your body, do what makes your body and mind feel good in this moment. If that means leaving because I am not the teacher you expected to have, than honor your body and mind and leave.
Harder does not necessarily mean more complicated. Warrior II can be transformed by adding a bind, a twist, a hold even – each variation making it more challenging.
Don’t take yourself so seriously. When you trip over the cues, or forget which side you just cued, what pose is next, laugh it off. There is no greater equalizer than humility. Be humble when you teach, laugh at yourself when you flub, and I bet the class will laugh with you.
Teach to your style and be true to what you know. I know how to teach power yoga, but I don’t teach it very often. So now, when I do teach it, I keep the sequence simple, and add progressions like bind, balances, an extra push up in the vinyasa, while still allowing the participants to modify as they want.
I came back and taught the other two classes. I taught them they way I teach, I fumbled in the power a few times, but made it into a little giggle and we all continued on. Several students came up after class to tell me they enjoyed it. It was a completely different class than the week before. I was authentic and me. And it was fine.
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