Advice to New Teachers: Help People

Look, I know a girl’s gotta eat. I get it. For all my high-minded advice, I teach asana  for a living and I prefer to be paid for what I do rather than  give it away. For all the  “trust the yoga, learn people’s names, and isn’t it glorious to walk the path together” entries I write,  I am no stranger to the hustle of this teaching life.  Like I so often say, I am not new, nor am I blind. We have a problematic industry and it’s getting harder each year for many of us to make a living.  And, while I know the commodification of yoga is a multi-faceted, complex issue, I have yet to find a grocery store that gives me groceries for free because I am doing good work in the world. And don’t get me started about medical insurance. I get it. A girl’s gotta eat. 

That being said, my first teacher once said, “Focus more on helping people with their practice and less on getting people to come back to class. If you help people with their practice, chances are, they will keep coming to class.” 

Of course, help should feel like help and  when help doesn’t feel like help then, well, help isn’t helpful. Even when we mean well. (Here is a short review of the basic idea of Intention v. Impact.)

And, given the unique personalities,  temperaments, and histories of each person in any given yoga  class, what feels like help to one person does not feel like help to another.   I have some students who do not feel like I am helping enough because I make so few hands-on adjustments. (I stopped touching people in yoga poses long before it was cool to stop touching people.)  I have other students who feel hands-on adjustments are invasive. Not helpful.

 Some students feel like my insightful explanations are helpful, while others wish I would shut up and just move them through the postures. 

Some students feel like philosophy is helpful, while a talk about anything “spiritual” has other students running for the door. 

Some find chanting helpful; others not so much. 

And while humor can be one of the best ways to regulate our nervous systems and deal with learning anxiety, one studio I worked for in Austin, TX received a direct complaint about  my class that read, “There is too much laughing in her class.” 

I could go on. Of course, if I go on about the impossibility of getting it all right for everyone all of the time, I will decide I am ill-suited to the task of teaching yoga and start looking for a new job. 

So what’s a yoga teacher   to do if they want to help others? I practice remembering that a.) I have a certain way of teaching that works for me, and b.) I need to be open to feedback. One of my mentors told me a story about a man who was out of town for a wedding. When the tuxedo he rented for the occasion was delivered to his hotel room, the suit came with an old-fashioned bow-tie. Unfamiliar with how to tie a bow tie, he called the concierge looking for help. The concierge told  him he would send someone to his room to help. 

“Knock, knock, I am here to help you with your tie, sir,” says a voice on the other side of the door a few minutes later. 

“Oh, great, come on in.”

“Thank you. I’ll need you lie down on the bed, please,” the newly admitted stranger says to the man in need of help.

Thinking the request a bit odd, but determined to get the help he needed with his tie, our hero lies down on the bed, the visitor ties the tie, and  prepares to leave.  “Uh, why did I need to lie down on the bed?” he asks.

“I am an undertaker, sir. It is the only way I know how to tie a tie.”

So, I am a Christina- the only way I know how to teach a yoga class involves some bad jokes, explanations, demonstrations, a few spiritual teachings, and lots of refinements over time. I can’t tell you the number of times I have carefully taught a class in such a way that someone’s heels went to the floor in down dog or they pushed up to urdhva dhanurasana without pain or they make some breakthrough and then was asked, “How would you teach that in flow?” I usually answer, “I wouldn’t.” Or, in all sincerity, someone will ask, “How would you cue that?” 

Inside I think, “I just took two hours to help your heels get down by working your feet, your lower leg, opening up your hips and hamstrings, changing the distance between your feet and hands, working to lengthen the muscles long your spine, teaching you how to use your upper back to be stable and strong, and while I could give all the cues in the world, chances are, the outcome wouldn’t be the same without the process we went through.  In a sense, to get all that, you have to lie down on the bed  because that’s how I know how to tie the tie. Lying on the bed in this case is demonstrations, explanations, props and repetition. Tying the tie is “improving the pose.” Like I said, I say all of this in my inside voice. (I used to use my outside voice, as many of you know, but as it turns out, rants are less helpful than I wish they were, so I save them for an opinionated blog entry like this one!)

I do not mean any disrespect toward flow. I like it. Nor am I in need of a discussion on “you can still teach alignment in flow” because yes, I know. Again, I am not new. I’m just saying, I have a way to help that I know to be effective for me and for many of my students over time and one way I cope with the anxiety around how difficult it is to be helpful is that I understand the help I have to give and the way that works best for me to give that help. Of course, my way is not a good fit for everyone. That much is obvious. 

I also listen to feedback, which comes in many forms. Are people improving? Are enough people finding enough help that they come back consistently, because I can’t help anyone if they are not in class. Are people free to share frustrations, make requests, ask questions, tell me what works as well as what doesn’t? Have I adequately communicated that this is a long-term process, not a short-term endeavor? I don’t try to hit all of everyone’s marks all of the time, I am just hoping for good odds and open lines of communication. 

It might be that the help you have to offer isn’t “improving poses” as much as creating safe space. You might not be the teacher who knows all the origins and insertions of the muscles, but the poetry with which you teach conveys the inner experience of the posture in a way that invites people beneath the muscles and closer to the bone. You might not know yoga philosophy, but your love of the breath-based movement helps students understand what it means to live inside the Spirit as it flows through them and through the shared experience of class. I could go on, but the point is, not everyone has the same help to offer, which is great because not everybody needs the same help at any given time.

And for all of the many modern-day yoga problems with everyone being a yoga teacher, one good part of it is that is if, as a student, your teacher isn’t meeting your needs or giving you the kind of help that feels helpful, there are lots of teachers from which to choose. This is also good news with the collapse of certification systems which kept people locked in dysfunctional teacher-student relationships in the pursuit of a stamp of approval from a single source. But that is a different entry for another day. 

All right, turns out some of the help I have to offer requires more than 1000 words. Signing off now. If you are still reading, I have some cool new classes on the schedule for September and also some continued awesome ones.

More soon.

Depth in the Basics: Level 1/2  (Tuesdays, 4:00-5:15 PDT)

• This is an ongoing class that uses basic poses as a springboard for self-inquiry, awareness, and exploration. Special attention is given to anatomical and philosophical explanations to support learning. Expect progressive sequencing, demonstrations, and modified options for poses to promote accessibility and inclusivity for all levels. Teachers will benefit from the detailed alignment instruction and prop-based techniques. Students of all levels will find support in developing a strong foundational understanding for their practice. Please have 2 blocks, 2 blankets, 1 strap and a space at the wall. All sessions are recorded and archived for you indefinitely on Teachable. 

Dynamic Alignment: Level 2 (Wednesdays, 9:00-9:55 PDT)

• This class uses a structured format each week to deliver a well-rounded practice-based experience perfect for people who want less instruction, explanation and pose-breakdown. Like a vinyasa class, but without fancy transitions or dance-like flows. Expect a short centering, dynamic preparatory postures, standing  poses, hip opening, thigh stretches, basic back bends, twists, and/or forward bends. The  asana portion  will conclude with savasana at 9:45, followed by an  optional period of simple pranayama or guided meditation. Feel free to leave after asana or stay when you can. All sessions are recorded and archived for you indefinitely on Teachable. 

Expanding Capacity: Level 3 (Wednesdays, 12:30-2:30 PDT)

• This is an ongoing class that unfolds over the course of the month and builds on weekly lessons to help students advance their practice intelligently over time. Expect new lessons each week as well as repeating principles and poses to benefit from both repetition and new perspectives. Best for students familiar with  handstands, forearm balance, headstands and modified shoulder stands who enjoy regular forays into arm balances, back bends, seated forward bends and twisting postures. Please have 2 blocks, 2 blankets, 1 strap and a space at the wall. All sessions are recorded and archived for you indefinitely on Teachable. 

Dedicated Action: Level 2/3 (Thursdays, 4:00-5:30 PDT)

• This is an ongoing class which uses commonly practiced poses to explore the journey toward  challenging shapes and nuanced alignment. Each class uses a philosophical theme, alignment principles and peak poses to offer experienced students a well-rounded asana education within a supportive and encouraging atmosphere. Expect back bends, arm balances and handstands along with seated forward bends and twists. Please have 2 blocks, 2 blankets, 1 strap and a space at the wall. All sessions are recorded and archived for you indefinitely on Teachable. 

Heart-Opening Happy Hour: Level 2 (Fridays, 4:00-5:00 PDT)

• This special-focus class is designed as an uplifting class for people who are interested in creating mobility and stability in the shoulders and upper back. Expect prop-based strategies, basic back bending skills and drills, and inspirational readings to encourage your expansion inside and out. Whether you love or hate back bends, this class will meet where you are and support your journey with humor and compassion.