Are you thinking of becoming a yoga teacher? If you are interested but not yet sure if it’s for you, read on. In this article we look into what the routine of a yoga instructor is really like. We’ve interviewed both a part-time instructor and a full time yoga teacher, so you can make an informed decision.
Leanne Davis
Full-time Teacher, Yoga Australia president and Viniyoga Australia founder.
Leanne is one of my valued mentors and teachers – Celia Roberts.
What led you to be interested in yoga?
It was in the 1970s and I was seeing a lot about Yoga in the media. Swami Saraswathi and Roma Blair were on TV and in the women’s magazines of the time teaching yoga asana. I was involved with gymnastics and appreciated their grace and ease of body movements. The Beatles were attracting attention for their psychedelic outfits and relationships to Indian gurus. It caught my attention and I became interested in the influence of another culture and way of thinking other than what I had known so far.
These influences started me on an interest in Eastern philosophy, culture and medicine that has been the inspiration for my lives work in Yoga, Acupuncture and Body work.
What kind of time do you give to running your classes and your business? Do you do any Volunteer work in the yoga industry?
Currently, my contact teaching hours are five 1 1/2 hour asana classes per week and between one to three weekends per month of training Yoga teachers, yoga therapists or serious students of Yoga. I have my own teacher training students as well as being faculty on other teacher training and Yoga therapy courses. I also teach retreats, take study groups to India and run weekend workshops in other Yoga centres around Australia.
I may spend about 3 hours per week teaching Yoga to individuals as Yoga therapy, private classes or mentoring.
Previously, I would have spent three hours of preparation for one hour of teaching but as time goes on there are less non contact hours required. Average of one hour a day attending to business matters.
I allocate a large portion of the week to my volunteer role as President of Yoga Australia. It was part of my training to offer Yoga as service and something I find very rewarding and it nourishes the paid work. I have been a volunteer committee member of Yoga Australia for 8 years in various roles.
What might your average day look like?
There isn’t one. Over the past two weeks I spent 2 days at the Yoga Australia retreat in Perth, followed by meetings and then went to Melbourne to teach a group of students about using Patanjali’s Yoga sutra as a tool for self reflection. This week I have been back in Brisbane teaching the asana classes, having Yoga Australia Skype meeting , seeing people individually and preparing for the next weekend of teacher training.
My current personal daily practice is ongoing asana and dhyanam (meditation), learning a new Vedic chant on sraddha- our own personal conviction and doing more reading and reflection on the Bhagavad Gita.
What do you love the most about teaching?
The above! The diversity but definitely the best part is working with people. Everyday there are new connections to be made in the Yoga world and beyond, My life’s work in Yoga has blessed me with wonderful friendships from colleagues and students and endless joyful experiences of being with people in a deeper way.
What is one of the most difficult things you find about being a yoga teacher?
I have less than zero interest in “selling” Yoga or my services. I am very attached to the idea that I need to keep pursuing my own path in Yoga and offering as much as I can when I am asked to. This is not necessarily a good business model. My lesson is that it all very well to have something to offer but if nobody knows about it probably isn’t much help! A work in progress for me.
I don’t feel very comfortable with the commercialisation of Yoga but at the same time I am so respectful, awed and inspired by the people entering the profession and making sure that they are supported by their work. I am very interested and passionate about making sure that the standards of education and registration for Yoga teachers is aligned to their capacity to work and be nourished by their chosen profession.
What is one piece of advice you would give to anyone wanting to become a yoga teacher?
Practice, Practice & Keep Learning.
Know what Is YOGA. Stay close to your inner state of Yoga. Teach from this. Take people closer to their inner state of Yoga. Do this by knowing the Science and the methods of Yoga. Not as empty techniques of their own but seeped in a timeless understanding of the human spirit.
Value your knowledge, experience and education. Learn ways to make sure you are financially supported by your teaching OR earn the means to support your teaching from other work to take the pressure off your day to day business. That is more than one.
Enjoy.
Yana Kovarski
Part-time Teacher Mentored by Celia Roberts
What led you to be interested in yoga?
My first ever encounter with yoga happened when I was just about 5 years old. I remember how dad would light up a candle and together with my brother they would do something incredible with their bodies and then sit silently for ages (they practiced Iyengar yoga as I would later realise). I did not participate at that time but was always observing. For some reason, I was drawn to that magical ritual, and I felt something very special about it.
Only much later when I turned 29, I became interested in yoga again. We were going through stressful times with my family: my kids (3, 6 and 9 at that time) were often very unwell, we just relocated to Australia from overseas and it seemed that I was loosing ground under my feet unable to manage all the difficulties that showered over me. That is when I felt a strong urge for change and I knew I had to begin with myself. I was lucky to meet a lady in my neighbourhood who was a naturopath and also a long time yogi. She taught me meditation and then introduced to a local yoga studio where I started my first asana classes. After 4 years of on and off practice I knew I wanted to take this journey to a deeper level of understanding and share the knowledge with others, which lead me to the teacher training with YIMI.
What kind of time do you give to running your classes and your business? Do you do any Volunteer work in the yoga industry?
I teach a few classes from my small home studio in Pullenvale. They are usually pre-booked from my website, so I know how many people will come, and sometimes it’s just friends and family who come to practice with me. I also write a blog and share it on Facebook with all the people I am connected with, many from other cities and countries. In this blog I share my experiences and knowledge of Yoga Asana, Meditation, Philosophy and Ayurveda. It’s always a pleasure to find out that even those people who are not familiar with yoga at all start implementing some of the advice given in the blog into their lives. For me it means my message reached its true destination.
Besides that, I also do quite a few covers for teachers in various studios around Brisbane. I very much enjoy doing this as it allows me to meet knew students all the time and share the teachings with so many people from all walks of life. Even when I do covers at gyms where the energy is quite different to a yoga space, I see beautiful souls who long for that connection and union which yoga gives them, and something within them resonates and lights up.
Last year I volunteered at Brisbane Montessori School, Upper Primary classes (12-15yo), teaching one yoga and meditation class per week. It was a beautiful and rewarding experience, and we are planning to do it again this year.
What might your average day look like?
My day starts around 4:30am. Upon waking up I do a few preparations before I start my sadhana (personal practice). It’s somewhat of a ritual which begins with brushing my teeth and scraping my tongue to remove any-build up and stimulate the digestive system, warm cup of water to help the release of accumulated apana (waste) from the previous day, snehana (loving oleation of the body) with grounding almond or sesame oil for my vata constitution and a cold shower singing “waheguru!” (very awakening!). In that order!
Approximately at 5:00am I start my practice with JapJi, which is a Sikh Prayer from Kundalini Yoga tradition, followed by silent meditation, then usually pranayama (breath) and asana practice. I finish around 6:30-7am. This personal discipline is an essential start of the day. It’s very grounding and nourishing for my whole system.
After that I might teach a class later in the morning or I might have scheduled covers somewhere else. Later in the day I do some casual work helping my husband with his business and occasionally some form of counselling. Since my working hours are quite flexible, I also do further studies and readings in the field of yoga and Ayurveda, and case studies for my mentorship programme.
If my next class is in the evening or the next morning I usually spend some time preparing a sequence and thinking about the main theme for that class. However, this sequencing can change dramatically during the class because it depends on the energy of the class that day.
Evenings I like to devote to my family and children. I regularly practice Capoeira with my 13 year old son a few days a week and take girls to their chosen classes too. Then, we all gather at home to have dinner, talk, reflect, read and just be together.
What do you love the most about teaching?
I love serving others and teaching yoga allows me to be a channel for all the teachers who came before me. This is a very humble and honourable job to be able to create ripples of kindness, love and compassion that the practice of yoga generates. Every time I teach after I overcome the first minutes of fear of doing something wrong, I am in the state of flow connected to myself and the energy around. I am not just a teacher, I am a student like all those people in front me – we are one, we are practicing to listen to our bodies, to our soul, to our truth.
What is one of the most difficult things you find about being a yoga teacher?
Fear that I do or say something wrong or that I fail. It’s an old pattern but when I recognise it, it settles. It’s like a little scared child who needs attention and comfort. Usually, long deep breathing and tuning in before class helps.
Also, I am absolutely non-competitive and I am not a good entrepreneur, so it’s a bit difficult for me to market myself as a yoga teacher but this is more about the business aspect of running a yoga studio I suppose.
What is one piece of advice you would give to anyone wanting to become a yoga teacher?
Follow your heart, be true to yourself and always remember you are your perfect self!
Why might you encourage someone to become a yoga teacher?
Even if you don’t teach, becoming a yoga teacher will change your life.
Yoga is so simple and so profound at the same time. When you read the sutras or practice asana and you think you have understood, the next day you discover another aspect of that same teaching. It’s a constant exploration of the self endlessly enriching.
I love the truth that you find in the teachings of yoga. Yoga will challenge you to live by that truth, although it’s not always easy, and translate it into your daily life not just in classes or personal practice. Someone said “let me look at your relationships and I’ll tell you how good a yogi you are”. I agree, this is the most difficult test.
Yoga will give you answers that you might never find elsewhere. Becoming a yoga teacher is a step towards uncovering the veil of ignorance and getting in touch with the true knowledge of your soul.
“atha yoganusasanam” – now the yoga begins (Sutra 1.1). Are you prepared to pursue the depth of self-exploration, the journey to the True identity. If yes, the study and practice begin now.
Remember we are always happy to talk to fellow yogis, so don’t be afraid to get in touch!
Meet Steve… Yoga Teacher Training Brisbane Graduate
We recently began speaking to some of our past, present and future yoga and meditation teacher training students. This week we were privileged to catch up with Steve and to ask him a few questions about his journey thus far.
How have you used yoga teacher training to serve your personal community?
I work in the community sector and have started to teach micro classes with young people, and people from the culturally and linguistically diverse communities whilst at work. I am using this micro-teaching technique so that people who would not normally come to a yoga class (or perhaps even know what yoga is), feel comfortable to take part. If people show an interest and want to spend longer, we make separate times for a fuller class. I am also teaching a gentle beginners class at a local community arts centre, where we focus on the enjoyment of movement, referencing Krishnamacharya’s emphasis on adapting the teachings of yoga to suit the individual, and finishing with a long relaxation.
What is your interest and forte in teaching yoga and mindfulness?
I’m interested in using mindfulness and relaxation in yoga classes to quieten the busy mind, especially for men who do not currently have a practice. I was a painter for around 10 years after leaving school, and then went into grassroots youth & community work, then into management. I have experienced lots of physical pain as a result of repetitive strain in my shoulders from painting and poor posture at a desk based job. Added to this, I have always had a restless mind and body, tending to anxiety. Yoga, without doubt has helped me tremendously in life, with both physical and emotional pain. I aim to use my teaching practice and life experience to help other people experiencing similar issues.
What has yoga teacher training offered you? Has it affected your personal life in a beneficial way?
Yoga Teacher Training has deepened my knowledge of asana, pranayama, meditation, philosophy, and I have learnt from teachers who’s classes I wouldn’t normally attend such as Kundalini which has been amazing and eye opening. Learning from Celia, and other senior teachers such as Swami Mukti, Leanne Davis, Craig Smith, and Jamie Denham has deepened my practice beyond what I had anticipated.
Yoga Teacher Training pushed me outside of my comfort zone, and has enlivened a love of asana which I had let slip in my own practice, now I am sequencing for myself from the YIMI manuals using the knowledge from yoga Teacher Training, and my body has opened, and mind calmed as a result.
Did you expect to be teaching in the way that you are? Could you have foreseen where the journey would take you?
I came into Yoga Teacher Training with no expectations of teaching, or not teaching. About half way through the 200 hour course I realised I would like to start teaching so I asked for some advice from Craig Smith, and the very next day a friend called me and asked me to start a class at the community arts centre! Since then, a number of people have contacted me for one to one teaching and Celia referred the owners of a joinery workshop with 16 staff to me for weekly classes.
I’m still working full time in the community sector, and see the social/emotional impact of teaching yoga as great as the impact created in my community work role.
Thank you Steve for your time we truly appreciate you sharing your experiences with us!
If you would like to contact Celia to learn more about the yoga teacher training journey.
