3 Lessons I’ve Learned as a Yoga Teacher

“The Universe is one great kindergarten for man. Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson.”

— Orison Swett Marden

When I became certified as a Yoga Instructor in June 2019, I had no idea what came next.

I was working in corporate at the time and was quite content in my comfort zone. I had emotional and financial stability and there was never any intention at the time to rid myself of that comfort and stability.

Teaching yoga was meant to be a side hustle. It was meant to be something I would do in my spare time. It was meant to be an afterthought. It wasn’t meant to be a calling.

By the end of 2019, I’d resigned from my corporate job.

It wasn’t for a career shift though. I just needed a change of scenery.

I was taking a gap year before starting my Master’s in the fall of 2020.

I wanted to spend time with myself, pursue hobbies, and get a taste of what teaching yoga full-time would be like before resuming ‘normal life’ i.e. a corporate career and financial stability (because “it’s the smart thing to do”).

But life had other plans.

I knew coming into my own as a yoga teacher wasn’t going to be without its challenges, but I did not anticipate the challenges to feel so personal.

I did not anticipate the challenges to feel as though the entire world was conspiring against me.

I did not anticipate that coming out the other side of those challenges would feel so liberating.

Hindsight really is 2020 because looking back, most challenges were recurring. The exact same patterns kept showing up.

The story would remain the same; it was just that the characters would differ each time around. As if they’d been recast from one season to the next.

The story would continue to repeat itself until I was ready to learn from it.

And so, 4 years later, here are 3 life lessons I’ve learned since stepping into the role of a yoga teacher:

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1- You cannot force what is not for you

No matter how badly you want something to happen and no matter how hard you try to make it work, anything that continues to be unnecessarily difficult is just not for you.

The longer you resist this truth, the more arduous and frustrating your journey will be.

The sooner you accept this truth, the sooner you can course correct and get aligned with what is for you.

Your pride will get bruised. Your insecurities will flare up. Your ego will be in full swing.

Allow it to be so.

And then sit back and watch what unfolds.

In letting go of what’s not for you, you open up the space for what is.

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2- The right people will find you 

It didn’t matter how many private sessions or classes I’d try to will into existence, it’s those that materialized out of thin air without my seeking them, that turned out to be the most transformational experiences.

Each person flowed into my life with a purpose. I just wasn’t able to recognize or appreciate it at the time because I was too preoccupied with making the ‘‘wrong’’ things the ‘‘right’’ ones for me.

Some served a purpose right then and there. While others planted the seeds that are just now sprouting — years later.

The right people will find you. They will gravitate towards you. They will see things in you that you aren’t ready to see within yourself. They will shine a light on your potential. They will awaken a fire within you. And they will always be there — floating in and out of your life. You just have to open your eyes and be willing to see them as readily as they’re seeing you.

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3- Money talks and you should listen 

For a long time, it felt like money shouldn’t be synonymous with a yogic lifestyle. This is why, for a long time, I felt shame whenever the topic of money came up. I found myself constantly torn between ‘generosity of spirit’ and ‘fear of losing clients’ when it came to making decisions regarding the money-generating side of teaching; when sharing my rates with new clients; when following up on delayed payments; when deciding what to do when most clients would try to negotiate my rates and justify wanting to pay me less.

By negotiate I mean guilt-tripping by talking about how expensive everything has gotten, how the economic situation is in a downward spiral, and how they’ve had to make lifestyle changes to keep up with changing times (as if I wasn’t experiencing it all myself) — all the while jetting off to different countries every other weekend, going out to fancy dinners weekly, wearing designer brands from head to toe, with the latest Porsche or Range parked in the driveway. Make this make sense?…

I thought I was in the wrong. That I was somehow making some sort of mistake.

I thought I was alone in experiencing this so I sought out other teachers I trusted for advice, and lo and behold, they were all experiencing the exact same thing.

Everyone prioritizes spending money differently, but just because something isn’t a priority to some, doesn’t mean they get to dictate its value and worth. And this took me a whole lot of repeating the same pattern over and over again to finally understand and accept.

It took me years to NOT internalize these situations and turn them into a mental story of how they’re devaluing me, Christine, rather than the nature of the service I’m providing. It took me a while to be able to understand that it really is to each their own and it’s never a reflection of me.

I felt unappreciated by these people. Our time together would almost always end abruptly, and while that used to bother me because I was losing a source of income, I was gaining peace of mind in its stead.

Conversely, working with those who saw the value of our time together emboldened me. I felt appreciated by these people. It was never about the money because even if money were an issue, we’d find a workaround. There was mutual respect.

When money talked, it started off as a whisper. But then its voice only grew until it was too loud to ignore.

When I listened to money, I learned how to value myself.

I learned that “people learn to treat you based on what you accept from them”.

I learned how to use my voice and communicate with confidence, especially in the presence of fear. 

I learned self-worth, self-respect, and courage.

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To many more lessons unfolding during this human experience!